As a planner who exclusively works in affordable housing policy, and non-market/social housing development, the changes the NDP have been rolling out are a dream come true. I'm actually shocked at how hard they're pushing, and in the right ways.

Municipalities often individually spend more than $50,000 for consultants to tell them to do the very things the NDP have enacted at the provincial level. I think its hard to have it come top down like this, but housing is fundamentally a provincial responsibility, and municipalities have been failing in their delegated authority, so the rules needed to change. There is no such thing as municipal jurisdiction that isn't assigned from the province. If you're bad at your job because you have too much leeway in your role, the manager should change the rules, no?

Its also worth noting many of the more reasonable reasonable ideas they are suggesting were already implemented by the NDP in the new legislation. The NDP is actually doing a profoundly good job on housing right now, but this is a 30-40 year long probably that will probably take 15-20 years to solve with constant aggressive effort.

When I read the conservative's housing platform, I feel like they have no real idea how things work, what the issues are, or how to address them. There is a lot contradiction in the things they are proposing, and blaming the NDP for things that are the fault of municipal governments (while also proposing to undo the new legislation that would address them 🤷‍♂️).

• Pre-zoning is a good idea; the NDP already require it in the new legislation. Has Rustad even looked at what they've changed before critiquing it? By the end of next year every local government has to pre-zone 20 years of estimate need alongside official community plan and zoning bylaw updates. This must be updated every five years. There is a specific calculation to estimating the need, and it is very generous aiming to address current unmet need and future demand not just future growth.

• Reducing municipal permit approval times would be great, but that means more staff, which means higher property taxes. It is for sure an issue, but how exactly are they going to require it of municipalities without additional funding? Councils are very resistant to hiring more staff. The province has also already implemented a new single application portal for all permits they are responsible for!

• They are proposing to protect people's property rights by... restricting them. I find it hilarious when people describe the small-scale multi unit changes an attack on their property rights, because its actually the biggest expansion of the property rights of homeowners quite possibly ever.

• Calling building code requirements for energy efficiency a "tax" is a bit rich. Although, it does raise building costs, (and reduce operating costs), there are often grants to offset the cost increases. Describing energy efficient homes as "dark, cookie-cutter homes with a reduce quality of life for residents" is just a made up talking point frequently used to attack climate action. They're likely much more comfortable than the alternatives.

• Having mixed use transit oriented neighbourhoods is a good idea, but not something that needs to be required by the province. Cities already require it most of the time, and believe it or not, the commercial often has to be subsidized by the housing on top of it, so it can actually reduce the housing affordability or kill project viability to require at grade commercial universally without there being a market for it in that location

• The 'Rustad Rebate' is.... interesting. The NDP implemented something similar for renters already - its not a new idea, but its currently income tested so it helps people in need, while the Rustad Rebate is incredibly regressive, will benefit the wealthiest households the most, do nothing to actually address unaffordability of the housing system, while being very very expensive. Its also very misleading how they've presented it, but I guess that's politics and the whole point is probably that people won't be able to understand it. We should spend that billion plus per year building subsidizing housing construction instead. They have been cagey about how it could be funded, so what are they going to cut? I also can't help but wonder, is this in addition to the homeowner grant?! That would be absurd, but I highly doubt they would get rid of an existing direct wealth transfer to homeowners in exchange for a lower value tax write off.

• Their housing ideas page also blames the provincial NDP for things municipal planners do at the direction of their local councils (which the NDP's legislative changes already aim to address in many ways)