Princeton mayor Spencer Coyne said the solutions presented at a recent Union of B.C. Municipalities housing summit in Vancouver did not do enough to address the needs of Princeton and other smaller communities.
“There’s a big divide between urban and rural,” he said. “We just don’t have access to the same levels of service. One size doesn’t fit all.”
The community had a supply of housing available after the mine closed in 1996, when around 300 families left the community. Then, in the early 2000s, when the mine reopened, families moved to the community to work there. Today, around 540 people are employed at the mine.
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This alone has put a strain on the local housing supply in Princeton, he said. Today, there is a deficit of around 300 homes in the community.
There are plans to build a six-storey, 150-unit housing complex in the community and other housing developments are also being considered. In addition, the community allows secondary suites and carriage homes on single family lots.
However, the last BC Housing project in Princeton was in the 1970s, nearly half a century ago.
“The lack of supply on the market has pushed up the cost,” Coyne said.
The community is also has unhoused people at present, something Princeton did not have for many decades.
“Last year we had a homeless camp for the first time since the 1930s,” he said.
The province has been addressing the housing crisis. In addition to the $12 billion Homes for People action plan, the province has also unveiled its Belonging in BC plan to add 3,900 new supportive housing units and 240 complex care spaces throughout the province.
While these concepts are appreciated, Coyne said a grassroots approach is needed for Princeton, to address the specific needs within the community.
He said addictions and mental health issues are also connected to homelessness in the community. These issues need to be addressed together for Princeton, he said.
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