The City of Richmond is disputing rental data put out by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), which claimed no rental units were built in Richmond in the last three years.
According to city spokesperson Clay Adams, 344 affordable rental units were built and occupied between 2018 and 2021, of which 214 were low-end market rentals (LEMR). (A total of 761 affordable units were approved over this time period.)
On top of that, 568 market rentals were approved between 2018 and 2021, however, none of these have come on the market yet. Adams said many will be ready to be occupied this year.
Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said the report made it look like Richmond was doing nothing for rental housing.
“We’re doing a lot – we’re doing it constantly,” he said, pointing out city council recently increased its affordable rental requirement in city centre developments from 10 to 15 per cent.
City staff will be following up with CMHC to discuss the substance of the report, Brodie said.
The Rental Market Report, published on Friday, only includes “privately initiated” rental units, and the information is collected by surveying building owners or managers where three or more units were added.
It doesn’t include affordable housing or what the City of Richmond calls “low-end market rental” units.
Adams pointed out CMHC didn’t reach out to the city to ask for numbers, saying it seems the federal agency used “selective” information in its report.
While Brodie said he didn’t want to “tarnish” the reputation of CMHC, he felt this report “missed the mark” and didn’t paint an accurate picture of what the city is doing in terms of providing rental housing.
“… when people look to agencies for accurate information, they have a duty to make sure they cover the subject matter completely and accurately,” Brodie said.
Brodie said he had a “very constructive discussion” with the federal minister of housing, Ahmed Hussen, on Wednesday where they spoke about various housing programs that Richmond could benefit from.
CMHC does its rental market survey every October.
