ICBA urges Metro Vancouver to pause 2027 DCC hike

ICBA has written to the Metro Vancouver Regional District Board urging directors to support a motion on their November 28 agenda to pause the next round of regional Development Cost Charge (DCC) increases, currently scheduled for January 1, 2027.

In our letter, ICBA President Chris Gardner stresses that Metro Vancouver does not have a shortage of housing plans and strategies – it has a shortage of homes. Every time a government adds another tax, fee, charge, or layer of red tape to new construction, it shows up in the final price paid by families, renters, and small businesses.

The region is already facing a serious downturn in homebuilding. New-home sales are at historic lows, projects are being cancelled, and nearly four in ten B.C. homebuilders have laid off workers this year. Pushing ahead with another steep DCC increase would make a bad situation worse – stalling projects, driving up costs, and undercutting the efforts of member municipalities to get more housing built.

ICBA is calling on Metro directors to back this motion, take the time to revisit their assumptions, and work with industry and other governments on a cost-recovery model that supports – rather than frustrates – the region’s housing and affordability goals.