The B.C. Greens have introduced a private members’ bill to bring back a rent control tool to stabilize rent prices for tenants.
At a press conference Tuesday (Oct. 28), B.C. Greens leader Emily Lowan, alongside Rob Botterell, MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, announced a bill seeking to reintroduce vacancy control, a tool that ties rents to units rather than to tenants.
The province scrapped vacancy control in the early ‘80s, but in the last few years cities like Victoria have petitioned, to no avail, to bring it back as a way to deal with the unaffordability crisis.
“Renters—who make up one in three British Columbians— are a trampled afterthought in this government’s housing strategy. The B.C. NDP is catering to corporate developers, while starving investment in the affordable, social housing that renters need,” said Lowan.
“This bill from my B.C. Green caucus colleagues will help stabilize rents for British Columbian renters by blocking predatory landlords from hiking rents and evicting renters for profit. This will set the stage for bold action: a rent freeze.”
Lowan told reporters today that she herself is a renter, along with many family and friends.
“For people in my generation, home ownership feels like, honestly, a delusional, distant fantasy. We’re burnt out, working multiple jobs, and can’t get ahead. One in six British Columbians are spending for half of their monthly income on rent alone—and that is actually the worst deal in Canada.”
The Residential Tenancy Amendment Act would require vacant rental units to follow the same rules for rent increases as occupied units.
The B.C. Greens say the bill will help mitigate evictions across the board, so landlords aren’t incentivized to evict their tenants in order to increase profit from rent.
Botterell added that if we want affordable housing fast, “we need to look at the housing we already have.”
“Vacancy control is not a new concept in British Columbia. In the 40 years since it was removed between tenancies, the province has devolved into one of the least affordable rental markets in Canada, earning the title of Canada’s eviction capital,” Botherell said.
Botterell noted that the NDP has supported comprehensive rent control by implementing vacancy control in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and Christine Boyle, minister of housing for B.C., backed it as a city councillor.
“We know B.C. is the eviction capital of Canada, and we also know that 85% of those evictions do not involve any fault on behalf of the tenant,” said Botherell, adding that other provinces such as Ontario have vacancy control legislation, and that studies by organizations such as the BCGEU indicate that the tool does not significantly reduce rental construction.
“We hope this bill earns support across the aisle so renters can have real stability.”
Despite a recent histroy of the province not supporting vacancy control, Botherell said he remains “ever hopeful” about their ability to bring it back, and they will continue to make the case for it.
“The logic and timing of this is really good, because more than ever, renters are facing an incredible financial squeeze.”
According the party, the majority of evictions in B.C. are no-fault evictions and recent data from Metro Vancouver showed that evictions were the cause of homelessness for nearly half of respondents in the 2025 homeless count.
“This imbalance reveals a serious lack of renter representation in the Legislature. We need to get more renters elected, who will truly fight for and protect renter rights,” Lowan added. “The proponents of vacancy control are renters, unions, and anti-poverty organizations; opponents are investors, landlords, and REITs.
“If our goal is housing affordability, it’s clear which group we should be taking our policy strategy from.”