A councillor in Fort St. John, British Columbia, is speaking out after learning that nearly one in six BC Housing units in the city are sitting empty. The numbers were only revealed after the city had to submit a formal Freedom of Information (FOI) request to the provincial housing agency.
The documents, received last month, show that as of June 30, 24 out of 164 homes managed by BC Housing in Fort St. John were unoccupied. This represents a vacancy rate of 15 per cent — a figure three times higher than that of private rental units in the area.
Councillor Trevor Bolin, a member of the city’s housing and emergency shelter committee, expressed frustration about both the high vacancy rate and the process it took to access the data.
“It was shocking that we had to go through a FOI request just to find out what should have been shared,” Bolin said. “The second surprise was how high the vacancy rate was.”
Bolin raised the issue publicly at the city council’s July 28 meeting. He emphasized that the housing committee had been trying to get answers from BC Housing for six months without success. The committee was formed last year in response to rising concerns about homelessness and housing shortages in Fort St. John.
“The committee got tired of waiting,” he said. “FOI laws exist to make sure government agencies stay transparent and accountable.”
In response to questions about the vacancies, BC Housing explained that empty units are normal and usually only temporary. The agency cited turnover between tenants, cleaning needs, and ongoing maintenance as typical reasons for short-term vacancies.
Still, the figures are troubling for a city facing rising housing demand. Fort St. John is the largest city in northeastern B.C. and serves as a key hub for the province’s oil and gas industry. Over the past 15 years, the population has grown by 27 per cent. According to BC Stats, another 6 per cent growth is expected in the coming decade.
With that growth comes increasing pressure on available housing. Renters are feeling the squeeze, and the local emergency shelter has reported steady demand. For city leaders like Bolin, the thought of government-managed homes sitting idle while residents struggle is unacceptable.
“It doesn’t make sense that so many units are empty when we have people in need,” he said. “Even if they are in transition, we need faster turnover or solutions to reduce the downtime.”
Bolin hopes the public release of the vacancy numbers will push BC Housing to act more quickly and share data more openly in the future. He also wants the agency to work more closely with the city to meet local housing needs.
Fort St. John’s leadership has called on both provincial and federal governments in the past to invest in more affordable housing and improve shelter access. The FOI revelations have added urgency to that message.
“We can’t fix the problem without accurate information,” said Bolin. “This shows that better communication is just as important as building new homes.”
As the city prepares for more growth, the pressure is on all levels of government to make sure every available home counts.
