Maple Ridge Mayor Dan Ruimy has been appointed to a third year as chair of Metro Vancouver’s Housing Committee.
The committee oversees the Metro Vancouver Housing Corporation, which operates 3,400 units of affordable rental housing across 49 sites, serving about 10,000 tenants.
“If we weren’t there, who knows where they would be,” Ruimy said.
Ruimy said that when he was first elected as mayor, he looked at committees that would be key to Maple Ridge, and that included housing, climate, and Indigenous relations.
After his first year on the Housing Committee, he was named as the new chair, and has continued to hold the post. He pointed out that Metro Vancouver Housing is one of the top three providers of affordable housing in Canada.
Ruimy said that Metro Vancouver Housing is looking for opportunities to expand, which may mean taking over and converting existing housing, or in some cases to build it from scratch.
They’re also looking at renovating their older housing stock.
There is currently one Metro Vancouver Housing building in Maple Ridge, and Pitt Meadows is in the process of completing another one.
“They’re spread out,” Ruimy said.
He acknowledges that he’d like to build another in Maple Ridge as well.
One aspect of the regional job is advocating for the housing organization with higher levels of government.
“I’m always a fierce supporter of Metro Vancouver Housing, because it does deliver,” Ruimy said.