Controversial BC Housing site in Kamloops put on ice

Construction for a supportive housing site in Kamloops is indefinitely paused as the province tightens its purse strings.

BC Housing’s controversial four-storey North Shore project was the subject of months of lobbying from city council and disagreements over the type of residents it should welcome inside.

The ministry that oversees BC Housing wouldn’t cave to council’s wishes but, nearly a year after construction was supposed to start, it’s been shelved.

“Given fiscal constraints, the province has determined the need to adjust the pace of housing investments. As a result, this project has been deferred,” a BC Housing notice, dated March 30, reads.

Archaeological assessment work will go ahead as planned next month, but it’s not clear when construction might start.

BC Housing bought three properties at the corner of Leigh Road and Fortune Drive in late 2024, with plans to start construction on the 54-unit supportive housing site by mid-2025. At the time, BC Housing said it was part of the province’s $19 billion multi-year housing investment.

For months, council lobbied for the social housing site to be drug-recovery-focused, rather than one that allows drug use. Last December, they unanimously voted to continue that effort after the new housing minister, Christine Boyle, reneged on the province’s previous assurances.