BC Greens’ new leader wants to bring back rental tool extinct since the '70s | Daily Hive

Emily Lowan, the new leader of the BC Greens, says her priorities include housing, transit, and support for cities. (BC Greens Party)

B.C. renters are paying more than ever, and the new leader of the BC Greens thinks one potential solution could be a policy last seen in the 1970s.

Emily Lowan, a 25-year-old organizer from Victoria, was elected on Wednesday after defeating Jonathan Kerr and Adam Bremner-Akins in the party’s leadership contest, winning 3,189 of the 5,259 ballots cast.

In an interview with Daily Hive on her first full day as leader, Lowan accused the NDP, led by Premier David Eby, of “downloading social crises onto municipalities,” relying on “trickle-down economics” for housing, and underfunding transit while subsidizing fossil fuels.

On housing affordability

Lowan, who is a renter herself in Victoria, said she will push to reinstate vacancy control, a policy scrapped in the 1970s, to stop landlords from hiking rents between tenants.

Vacancy control briefly existed under changes to B.C.’s Landlord and Tenant Act in the mid-70s, tying rent to the unit instead of the tenant. It capped how much landlords could raise rent even after someone moved out, before the Social Credit government rolled back the law.

“Landlords can hike up the rent in between tenants without any repercussions,” Lowan told Daily Hive. “Vacancy control is about combating ever-inflating rents that deeply impact renters.”

She added that more social and non-market housing is needed, saying the NDP’s reliance on private development has left renters without immediate relief.

“We’re seeing the Eby government primarily pursuing a trickle-down economics housing approach, and we need immediate relief by supplying a greater share of truly non-market affordable homes,” she said.

Lowan also said she would advocate for broader rights for renters and tenants.

Cities carrying the costs

When we asked Lowan about Vancouver and Surrey, saying they are left to handle homelessness and public safety without enough help from Victoria, Lowan said municipalities have been forced to manage problems that exceed their budgets.

“Local governments are left with more responsibility than ever without the scale of resources to meet the moment,” she said.

Lowan accused the province of pursuing “an austerity agenda,” while funding fossil fuel projects, which she called the creeping privatization of health care.

She added that the consequences are already visible: “I think we’re seeing the wreckage of some of those decisions play out right now, including the BCGEU strikes, where workers are fighting on their fourth week of striking for fair wages and safe conditions.”

She said the Greens would instead direct funding toward preventative care and wraparound social supports.

Transit overhaul

On Metro Vancouver’s strained transit system, Lowan said ridership pressures and overcrowded buses require long-term provincial investment.

“We need a province-wide approach to transit,” she said. “That means vastly increasing the budget, working toward fare-free transit, and immediately making it free for youth, seniors, and low-income folks.”

Passengers ride a SkyTrain in Metro Vancouver, where new BC Greens leader Emily Lowan says long-term provincial transit funding is needed. (Alexandre.ROSA/Shutterstock)

She added that the U-Pass should be expanded, and said her target is a fully fare-free system by 2035.

Her plan would be paid for by taxing corporations and the wealthy.

That includes a proposed windfall profits tax, she says, that could raise more than $4 billion annually from about 35 corporations in B.C.

“That’s also alongside other things like doubling the vacancy tax, increasing the luxury tax,” Lowan added.

NDP agreement on the table

Lowan was critical of the Greens’ current supply-and-confidence agreement with the NDP, which allowed the governing party to pass legislation in exchange for limited policy concessions.

“As someone working at Climate Action Network Canada when this deal was signed, I can’t say that I was particularly impressed by its strength,” she said.

“I’m very impressed by our MLAs, but I think it’s reflective of the Greens’ struggle for leverage in this moment.”

“We need to renegotiate from a place of strength before the next provincial budget,” she added.

Pitch to voters

With the NDP dominating most urban ridings, Lowan said she is working to convince progressive voters not to dismiss the Greens under first-past-the-post.

“We narrowly escaped a far-right government in the last election, and I think that should be a greater wake-up call to the BC NDP than it currently is,” she said.

“They’re now just trying to court right-wing voters instead of building a progressive coalition with the Greens.”

Lowan said she will continue pushing for proportional representation.

However, if the next election is held under the current system, she said the party will focus its resources on “strategic ridings” to avoid vote splitting.

Growing beyond two MLAs

With only two Green MLAs in the legislature and no seats in Metro Vancouver, Lowan acknowledged the party faces challenges.

However, she said her campaign attracted thousands of new members, many of whom were under 30, and that the Greens can expand by engaging non-voters.

“Our campaign punched through youth and non-voter apathy with an exciting message to fight the oligarchs and fund our future,” she told Daily Hive. “That’s the work I’m bringing to scale now.”

Lowan said her leadership is aimed at the 1.5 million British Columbians who did not vote in the last election.

“It shows the Greens have the capacity to expand the pie of voters, not just fight over a shrinking slice, trying to peel off people from other parties,” she said.

She said she will begin a provincial tour in the coming weeks to rally supporters and position the BC Greens for the next election.

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