23 September 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release - Vancouver Liberals Commit to Faster, Cheaper Housing Construction
Kareem Allam, Vancouver Liberals commit to faster and cheaper housing construction by eliminating the Vancouver building code and merging housing departments
VANCOUVER, BC - Mayoral Candidate Kareem Allam and the Vancouver Liberals have a plan to make the construction of new housing faster and cheaper: by eliminating the Vancouver Building By-law and merging the twelve departments approving new housing developments into one.
“Vancouver is currently the slowest place on earth for housing construction. It took JFK 8 years to get a man on the moon, and right now it takes Vancouver 8 years to build a highrise apartment building. This rate of construction isn’t going to address issues happening now,” said Allam. “If things don’t change, development will continue to lag behind Vancouver’s needs.”
Vancouver is the only city in British Columbia that has its own code, which adds layers of bureaucracy to the construction of new homes. A Vancouver Liberal government will adopt the BC Building Code to be in line with every other city in the province.
“All that extra time to follow the steps supporting this unique by-law adds years and years of wait times for every single project,” explained Allam. “That adds millions of dollars to every highrise project.”
Starting on day one, the Vancouver Liberals will also begin work to merge housing-related departments to quicken administrative processes involved in getting new housing construction underway. Vancouver currently has 12 housing departments that each have their own form of veto on projects through permitting, which creates red tape and administrative waste.
“We need to get all the approvals for housing, commercial, and industrial projects back into one department; accountable, responsible, and familiar with the rules to speed up housing construction.” said Allam.
Kareem Allam is available to speak with members of the media.
Media Contact:
Vancouver Liberals Communications