Surrey City Council has unanimously passed a motion to explore building affordable housing specifically for essential workers, a move aimed at attracting and retaining police officers, health-care workers, and teachers in the rapidly growing city.
Motion passes with amendments
Coun. Doug Elford introduced the motion at Monday’s council meeting, calling for a feasibility study on workforce housing designated for essential workers in health care and public safety. The motion passed after debate and amendments expanded the eligible groups to include teachers and daycare workers.
“Particularly because we want to be able to retain and recruit,” Elford said before the meeting. “If we can provide some sort of housing for the professionals — the police, the fire, our teachers — it attracts them, it allows for better recruitment, because we’re kind of recruiting against everybody for these positions.”
Model inspired by West Vancouver project
Elford pointed to the Kiwanis Village West development in West Vancouver as a successful precedent. That two-building project of 156 rental homes, which welcomed residents earlier this year, primarily houses teachers and first-responders who live or work in the municipality. Rents are set at 75 per cent of average market levels.
“It has been supported and endorsed in other municipalities. We’re not really re-inventing the wheel,” Elford said.
Debate over who qualifies
Mayor Brenda Locke raised concerns about focusing only on health-care and public-safety workers, noting that many other essential workers in Surrey also struggle with housing costs.
“My guess is that some of those individuals are comparatively well compensated, especially when you take into account their compensation package,” Locke said. “Where I struggle with this is to just make it specific to certain groups, so health care and public safety — and I understand those are extraordinarily important people in our community — but there are people in our community who are struggling. They are all part of the economy in Surrey.”
In response, Elford agreed that tenant compensation should be considered, and the motion was amended to include teachers and daycare workers.
Next steps and funding
Coun. Harry Bains requested that staff report on how many new workers could come to Surrey if the workforce housing plan proceeds. The motion directs city staff to report back in September. If the plan advances, Elford said it would make sense to seek funding from the federal government.
The initiative reflects Surrey’s broader efforts to address housing affordability amid rapid population growth and competition for essential workers across the region.
