Metro Van strikes again
Mike Moffatt: Metro Van is slamming on the brakes
Metro Van Strikes Again: When One Government Cuts and Another Collects. Mike Moffatt, Missing Middle Initiative, December 2025.
An interesting analysis from Mike Moffatt.
Because we have very high taxes on new housing, right now we’re in a paradoxical situation where prices and rents are still too high, and yet a lot of projects don’t make sense. They’ve been pushed underwater.
To get more projects past the cost bottleneck, the federal government cut the GST on new rental housing back in September 2023. Almost immediately, the Metro Vancouver Regional District announced that they’re raising their development charges on new housing.
The city of Vancouver just brought in a temporary 20% cut to DCLs. Metro Vancouver’s DCCs are going up again in January 2026, cancelling this out.
It’s like the federal government, the provincial government, and even the city of Vancouver are pushing down on the accelerator, and meanwhile MVRD is slamming the brakes.
Meanwhile, MVRD is already in turmoil.
Board of Metro Vancouver leadership in chaos as scrutiny continues. “Global News has learned that the top three executives at Metro Vancouver are either terminated, on leave or facing possible suspension.” Catherine Urquhart and Amy Judd, Global News.
Board Governance Review - Metro Vancouver. Deloitte, May 2025.
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