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The community housing sector in BC has gained significant momentum and development capacity in recent years, due in no small part to the historic investments made by the province of British Columbia. BC Budget 2026 puts the brakes on that momentum.
While the province of BC is stating the continued commitment to non-profit housing with more than $2 billion per year over the next three years to deliver affordable homes, BC Budget 2026 creates a disrupted pipeline of affordable housing supply that will have long-term costs, create more housing demand, as well as increase pressure on costly public services, ultimately hurting all British Columbians in coming years.
BC Budget 2026 raises considerable questions about the province’s ability to meet its own housing targets and maintain momentum on delivering affordability. This analysis examines the long-term implications for community housing providers and the communities they serve.
Our Key Takeaways:
1. BC Budget 2026 made no new investments into housing, including no new dollars for the Community Housing Fund (CHF) or the Indigenous Housing Fund (IHF) at a time when investment in affordable housing is most critical. Additionally, no new investments were made into supportive housing and complex care which we know are the most cost-effective solutions to homelessnessi.
Our province has only just begun to feel the effects of historic investments made in affordable housing since 2018. There has been recent softening in some rental markets and the province has surpassed affordable housing targets in recent years. However, housing remains out of reach for many British Columbians.
Evidence shows non-profit housing provides long-term affordability, prevents homelessness, supports health and wellbeing, and contributes to more resilient communities. BC Budget 2026 provides no new investment into the sector and has reduced the community housing completions targets by about 3,000 homes over the next three fiscal years. Additionally, no new investments have been made to retain existing affordable housing stock that will continue to erode without significant support.
Economists have demonstrated that the measures taken to limit the deficit through this budget will fall on low- and moderate-income households. While the budget scales back investment in affordable housing, it upheld the $1-billion Home Owner Grant which benefits many affluent homeowners in our province.
2. The province also plans to “re-pace” community housing completions from 4,500 to 2,500 homes per year. This undefined intention is deeply concerning for non-profit housing providers and widens the gap to the 12,500 affordable homes needed annually to address BC’s affordable housing crisis.
Slowing down investment in light of the fiscal environment would have been understood by the sector. But to decide not to proceed with last year’s call for proposals under the Community Housing Fund has the sector reeling. We cannot think of another example of government asking any industry to spend millions in responding in good faith to planned investments, and then cancelling the call with no notice. It is unprecedented and shakes the confidence of the community housing sector, as well as our municipal and private sector partners.
Non-profit housing providers are already operating under significant financial strain, facing rising operating costs and constrained budgets with no ability to carry surplus and plan for the future, aging buildings and increasing demand for services.
Notably, BC Housing stated they “remain committed to meeting the overall targets for the CHF program but over a longer time horizon” in their Partner Bulletin on February 18, but neither the Province nor BC Housing have provided clarity on when funding will be available to continue the work already set in motion by the non-profit housing sector. BC Housing’s bulletin offered no transition supports or mitigation measures for housing societies who invested significant time and money into CHF proposals, leaving the millions of dollars of financial impacts of these broken promises with the non-profit housing sector. We encourage all non-profits who made submissions under the last call to reach out to BC Housing for feedback on your proposal.
The province’s cancelation of the CHF request for proposals (RFP) wasted significant resources already invested by non-profit housing providers. This includes carrying costs on land, consultant fees, pre-development loans, rezonings, and administrative expenses. Now, land options may be lost, penalties incurred, and viable projects could become financially impossible. Additionally, the proposals not moving forward may lose access to other funding sources that were contingent on provincial funding.
The disrupted pipeline of shovel-ready projects is a missed opportunity for economic growth in our province. If governments invest at the scale required to address BC’s housing crisis – a total investment of $6.7 billion annually until 2034, including $2.29 billion from the province, $2.34 billion from the federal government, and $2.09 billion from community partners – this could realize $2.4 billion in annual savings through reduced homelessness services alone, as well as generate $22-46B potential growth in BC’s GDP.
3. Budget 2026 adds costs for non-profit housing providers by expanding the Provincial Sales Tax (PST) to a range of professional services, without taking into account the unique circumstances of non-profit operations. The impacted services include: accounting, bookkeeping, architectural, engineering, geoscience, security services, and certain real estate-related services.
This shift means providers will now see an added 7% PST (applied to all or part of the service cost, depending on the service), further straining budgets already facing uncertainty as interim funding guidelines for the coming year remain unconfirmed. Effective October 1, 2026, this change will increase operating costs for non-profit housing providers who rely heavily on these services; this includes security services, which will add costs for non-profit providers with buildings under construction, and supportive housing providers.
4. BC Budget 2026 provides investments to grow the skilled workforce throughout the province, including $241 million over three years to double the funding for SkilledTradesBC. This investment will create approximately 5,000 new trades training seats for 2026/2027, which will support access to skilled trades for the non-profit sector.
The Long-Term Costs of this Budget:
Now is exactly the time to invest in affordable housing to save costs later. Pausing new starts will deepen the housing crisis and create a backlog of demand that will be even harder and far more expensive to address later. Every stalled affordable home costs more per unit to build in future years, wasting years of planning and non-profit investment that must be redone when funding eventually returns. “Re-pacing” means missing housing targets now and will require higher capital outlays later to catch up.
Additionally, failing to increase investments in operating costs for existing affordable housing puts affordable homes we already have at risk of being lost. We currently have $557 million in deferred maintenance costs in the non-profit housing sector. We are also about to see 13,000 affordable homes, in mostly older buildings and many in poor condition, at risk of being lost as their operating agreements end with BC Housing in the next five years. Without increased investments in operating costs, already stretched budgets coupled with inflation means more non-profit buildings will fall into disrepair, renewal projects will stall, money-saving energy retrofits may not be able to secure enough funding to proceedii, and affordable homes may be permanently lost. It is always more expensive to build new homes than to preserve existing ones.
BC Budget 2026 will increase demand for affordable housing at the very moment supply is shrinking. The loss of 15,000 public-sector jobs and reduced access to affordable childcare will push more households into housing need, driving up waitlists for affordable housing, while no new construction moves forward. The absence of any mention of BC’s Rent Bank also creates uncertainty for 19 communities providing critical eviction-prevention supports, putting people at risk of losing their housing. Without adequate affordable and supportive housing, more people will rely on emergency shelters, income assistance, policing, health care, and crisis services. These services are all significantly more expensive than stable affordable housing and create immediate and long-term pressure on public systems.
Broken commitments to the non-profit housing sector create long-term financial costs for housing societies and set the non-profit housing sector back. The sunk costs that non-profit housing providers invested into Community Housing Fund proposals will continue to cost them. They may face higher risk assessments and borrowing costs, and potential limits to their ability to leverage funding in the future.
The Bottom-Line Impact:
When governments fail to invest in affordable housing and broken promises impact the resilience of the non-profit housing sector, trust is broken with long-standing partners. It also affects the housing supply, increases short- and long-term public spending, and impacts community stability and the broader provincial economy.
A resilient non-profit housing sector is one that can plan, build, operate, and preserve affordable homes, which relies on stable funding from the province. No timelines for when new construction under CHF will resume and potential adjustments to the program will further destabilize the non-profit housing sector’s work.
BC Budget 2026 is framed as a plan to protect critical services in a time of economic uncertainty, but its lack of new investments in non-profit housing points to the opposite and sets the stage for much higher long-term costs for the province. These choices may offer short-term budget relief but will cause greater financial strain in the years ahead.
What’s Next:
BCNPHA is committed to continuing to listen to how this budget impacts our sector, sharing insights and analysis as any new information emerges, and using what we learn to drive our advocacy for more non-market housing and stronger support for the sector. We will create space for the sector to come together and discuss these changes, including at our upcoming Regional Housing Provider Round Table on March 5, 2026. Together, we will ensure your voices shape the solutions that BC communities so urgently need.
We appreciate that Christine Boyle, the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs, reached out immediately on budget day to meet with us and to understand the impacts of the decision. We have shared your feedback and have underscored the need for better communications on funding decisions and a renewed housing strategy to better understand the province’s direction.
If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact research@bcnpha.ca.
i. On February 18, 2026, the province of BC announced a new partnership through Build Canada Homes, securing $170 million in federal capital funding and up to $200 million in provincial capital funding, plus $27 million per year in operating subsidies for at least 10 years. Although it is encouraging that Build Canada Homes funding is coming to BC, the investments do not address the gap BC Budget 2026 has left. Unfortunately, every dollar negotiated between the federal and provincial government through Build Canada Homes is one less dollar available to non-profit-led affordable-housing projects.
ii. On February 18, 2026, the province of BC announced the Social Housing Energy Savings Program (SH-ESP) which aims to support reducing greenhouse-gas emissions in non-profit housing. The program combines CleanBC electrification offers with existing utility energy-efficiency incentives to create a single, streamlined process for housing operators.