B.C. government eyes measures to remove dangerous supportive housing residents | Daily Hive

B.C. government eyes new measures to remove dangerous residents from supportive housing

Fire at the supportive housing in the former Howard Johnson Hotel building on June 11, 2025. (Kenneth Chan)

The Government of British Columbia is taking new steps to enhance the safety of residents and workers in supportive housing by empowering housing operators to act more swiftly against problematic tenants and guests, and by addressing growing concerns over second-hand exposure to fentanyl smoke.

B.C. Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs Ravi Kahlon announced today that a new, time-limited working group will be established to give housing operators greater authority to respond to urgent safety issues.

The group will also explore the possibility of removing supportive housing from the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA) to allow for quicker interventions against “problematic and dangerous individuals” involved in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and weapons offences, that threaten the safety of vulnerable residents and staff. These individuals also take advantage of other residents.

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“Supportive housing is a vital and successful way to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness come indoors and access supports, instead of living on the street or in unsafe encampments,” said Kahlon.

“We have heard from providers that they need more authority to take action and keep people safe, and we will be working with our partners to find a path forward that ensures people can live in a safe, inclusive and supportive environment.”

The working group will include supportive housing operators, law enforcement representatives, unions, provincial government staff, and BC Housing. There will also be engagement with First Nations and tenant advocates.

According to the provincial government, in recent years, housing operators have increasingly raised alarms about criminal activities and safety threats within supportive housing. The group will strive to create potential new measures to directly address these issues.

At the same time, the provincial government notes it is also addressing the health concerns related to second-hand exposure to fentanyl smoke in such buildings. As smoking and inhalation have become the predominant methods of drug use — surpassing injection — there is a growing risk of airborne fentanyl particles affecting both residents and workers.

WorkSafeBC, in partnership with the BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), introduced new air-quality safety standards in January 2025 to guide employers in mitigating second-hand fentanyl exposure risks. Early testing at 14 supportive housing sites in Vancouver and Victoria revealed that some areas had airborne fentanyl concentrations above the exposure limits set by WorkSafeBC.

The supportive housing sites tested are Muncey Place, Capital City Centre Hotel, Le Soleil, The Juniper Supportive Housing, Johnson Street Community, Douglas Street Community, Rock Bay Landing, The Lily, Mount Edwards Court, Caledonia Place, Albina, Hotel Maple, Al Mitchel Place, and The Osborn.

The provincial government’s move follows Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s approach, which was approved by the Vancouver City Council, to temporarily halt the creation of net new supportive housing projects that receive municipal support. Sim has argued that the supportive housing model is broken and that Vancouver has shouldered a disproportionate share of the financial and resource burden in addressing the region’s needs for people experiencing homelessness, mental health and addictions issues, and other complex challenges.

This past spring, City Council also endorsed a strategy to set aside City-owned sites to relocate supportive housing and social housing uses away from the Granville Entertainment District.

The owner of Aura Nightclub, located on the ground floor of the supportive housing building in the former Howard Johnson Hotel on Granville Street, told City Council earlier this month that his business has suffered significant financial losses due to more than 200 floods originating from the supportive housing levels above — ever since the hotel was converted into such uses by the provincial government in 2020. Just days after his testimony, a major fire broke out on the building’s upper floors, causing additional damage.

As well, the municipal government also removed its support for the new supportive housing tower next to SkyTrain’s future Arbutus Station in Kitsilano, effectively cancelling the project.

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