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Burnaby council alarmed over land transfer

City council is worried about the future of social housing in B.C. now that the province is selling property off to non-profits. The B.C. Housing non-profit asset transfer program launched last fall. Coun.
City council is worried about the future of social housing in B.C. now that the province is selling property off to non-profits.
The B.C. Housing non-profit asset transfer program launched last fall. 
Coun. Colleen Jorden, who heads the city’s planning and development committee, asked staff to compile a report on the program after being approached by a resident who lives in social housing.
“I said, ‘Gosh, I’m really worried about the implications,’” she told the NOW. “Staff have real concerns with it.”
The program allows non-profit housing organizations to buy the properties that they currently lease from the Provincial Rental Housing Corporation at fair market value, according to the a press release from the Ministry of Housing.
But Jordan worries the province is selling off its assets and distancing itself from providing social housing.
“These are assets for the future that will no longer be available,” she said. 
Up to 115 properties are being transferred this year, with the province’s entire stock of 350 properties possibly being transferred within the next three years, according the staff report.
There are six properties under contract to purchase in Burnaby, according to the report, and nine other properties in the city have been notified that they are eligible for transfer over the next few years.
The province will assist non-profit societies in obtaining mortgages for the land. Many of the societies already have mortgages for the buildings, the report stated.
“Once a non-profit society’s mortgage is paid off and its operating agreement expires, it appears that mechanisms are not being put into place to ensure the land remains available for non-market housing in perpetuity,” the report stated. “A non-profit society could choose, or may be forced, to sell the property on the open market for economic or other reasons.”
Councillors expressed concerns about cash-strapped societies taking on another mortgage as well as maintenance costs for the properties.
Council agreed to send letters to the premier, deputy premier and housing minister regarding these concerns. The staff report is being sent to city MLAs, Metro Vancouver and the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
B.C. Housing has indicated the push for the transfer program came from the societies running the housing programs, particularly through the B.C. Non-profit Housing Association.
“The non-profit housing sector has been asking for the ownership of these lands to be transferred to them for many years,” Shayne Ramsay, CEO of B.C. Housing, said in a statement emailed to the NOW. “The province has listened and is fully committed to further supporting non-profit housing providers through these transfers.”
The net proceeds from the sales will be reinvested in social housing, according to Ramsay.
“We are focusing on innovative ways to create affordable housing such as enhancing rental assistance programs, increasing supports for individuals in transition from healthcare or other institutions, renovating social housing in need of major repairs as well as seeking partnerships for building new units for people with the greatest need,” he stated.