Housing is a complex and difficult issue to manage in any community, and the Columbia Valley is no different. For the past several months the Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce (CVCC) has been working hard to find ways to alleviate the pressure of this issue in our valley.

The work has been done with support and input from many local, regional, and provincial stakeholders. We are incredibly grateful and fortunate to be working in such an open, caring, and collaborative region.

Work completed to date includes, but is not limited to:

• The CVCC Board of Directors passing a motion for the CVCC to play a lead role in supporting initiatives that help address the housing challenges facing the Columbia Valley.
• Research, consultation, and many meetings, that have resulted in the preliminary conceptual formation of the Columbia Valley Housing Society (CVHS).
• Most recently, a meeting was held with elected and non-elected representatives from local indigenous, municipal, and regional district representatives, as well as our MLA, to help ensure alignment and a willingness to work together. This meeting was both productive and incredibly positive, and we are fortunate to have such dedicated and hard-working representatives in our communities.

Some of our immediate next steps include but are not limited to the following:

• Legal formation of the CVHS.
• Work to establish the best path forward to pursue programs such as the MLI Select program through the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
• Pursue the potential opportunity of a development with up to 76 units as our first project through local home builder Generation Homes, which would be located within the District of Invermere.
• Engage in more stakeholder and private sector meetings to continue moving forward. Explore potential housing development projects in any Columbia Valley community as they arise.

There are still many questions and steps to be taken but we are committed, along with our stakeholder partners, to create a foundation that will serve our region for decades to come. In the near future we will setup a central webpage where we can communicate updates and share responses to commonly themed questions.

A key aspect to note is that this society would be focused on resident restricted solutions, and will meet or exceed the affordability, accessibility, and building code standards as required by CMHC.

Columbia Valley Chamber of Commerce

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