Climate Change Preparedness
BC REALTORS® support the province’s goals of meeting Paris Accord emissions reduction targets for 2030 and reaching net zero by 2050. We recognize the profound impact of climate change on BC’s housing and homeowners, especially due to increasingly common climate-related disasters like floods and wildfires.
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the BC Government and key stakeholder groups on the following recommendations:
- Improve the energy efficiency of existing homes through voluntary measures and incentives for property owners.
- Provide education and training to allow REALTORS® to engage with their clients about energy efficiency and climate change hazards.
- Encourage local governments to update floodplain maps, while ensuring sufficient funding to implement flood mitigation initiatives.
As trusted advisors on the majority of real estate transactions, BC REALTORS® have an intrinsic interest in consumer protection. BCREA strives to further increase professionalism and consumer confidence, today and into the future.
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the BC Government on the following recommendations:
- Enact changes to the real estate transaction framework that increase transparency and protection for consumers while balancing unintended consequences, such as impact on housing affordability.
- Improve the foundation of effective real estate policy through fulsome stakeholder engagement.
- Address the root cause of many real estate consumer concerns: the overwhelming undersupply of housing in British Columbia.
- Consult with the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA), real estate boards and associations, and managing brokers to build a meaningful education program for preparing new licensees.
- Work with all levels of government and BCFSA to ensure that money laundering has no place in real estate.
Over the past decade, many British Columbians have voiced concerns over price increases and a declining number of listings. BC REALTORS® support policies that provide more housing options, in more places, for more people.
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the BC Government on the following recommendations:
- Increase housing supply throughout the housing continuum, and across the range of housing typologies and density levels.
- Implement policies to ensure that renters, first-time buyers, and move-up buyers have appropriate, affordable housing options.
- Encourage the creation of more “missing middle” housing options.
- Promote policies that speed up the development process among local governments.
- Take actions to address rising strata insurance costs.
- Ensure fairness and effectiveness in real estate taxes.
- Encourage collaboration and coordination with the federal and local governments to ensure maximum effectiveness of new housing policies.
- Develop a provincial framework to remediate buildings used in drug production to ensure they can be safely reintroduced to existing housing stock.
Changes to the practice of real estate should be made with care so consumers have confidence in real estate transactions.
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the BC Government on the following recommendations:
- Ensure that the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA) is a stable, efficient, world-leading regulator that gives REALTORS® a voice.
- Enhance the ability of REALTORS® to serve consumer needs.
- Explore a separate licence or designation for commercial real estate practice.