The cities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek are looking to opt-out from the province’s Short Term Rental Act, which mandates municipalities to regulate housing supply to create more long-term rentals.
Under the act, local governments with populations over 10,000 can request an exemption if the community’s rental vacancy rate is three per cent or higher over two consecutive years.
In 2024, Dawson Creek’s vacancy rate was 1.2 percent, a significant decrease from 5.4 percent the previous year. Despite not meeting the exemption threshold, a 2025 Interim Housing Needs Report found no new housing units will be needed for the next 20 years to meet the required vacancy rate. City officials attribute the drop-in vacancy rates to the construction of the new hospital, with workers taking up temporary residency during construction.
In Fort St. John, the rental vacancy rate was 5.7 percent in 2023 and increased to 6.8 percent in 2024, according to stats from the Canadian Housing Mortgage Corporation.
City councils have until March 31 to decide and request an opt-out by sending a letter to the Minister of Housing Ravi Kahlon. If granted, the exemption would be effective from November 1 to October 31, 2026.
The Short-Term Rental Act was implemented in October of 2023 by the province to combat the increasing cost of renting in British Columbia.
The goal is to restrict rentals to companies like Airbnb and instead provide more affordable housing to British Columbians.
Both cities successfully applied for an exemption in 2024.