Vancouver city council voted to adopt a proposal to make it easier for religious groups across town to build affordable housing.The motion was introduced by Councillor Rebecca Bligh, who argued that streamlining the process could increase the availability of shelter for those who need it most."A group we hear a lot from lately is faith-based groups who see themselves as a community," she said, per Global News. "They would like to be doing some social goo; they have held land perhaps for a long time, maybe they need their own plan forward in terms of being able to manage budgets and what have you, congregations are changing."The motion was adopted on October 23 with all but Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung voting in favour.Religious groups still operate on their land tax-free, making it fertile ground for new developments. Among those who are using that land for such a purpose is First United Church, which recently began constructing an 11-storey building at 320 East Hastings.The structure is set to include seven floors of housing dedicated to Indigenous people, and four floors of supportive services and amenities for the Downtown Eastside community.Not everyone was pleased with the move to grant religious groups more ability to be in charge of housing on their land. The BC Humanist Association, for example, has sternly opposed the plan."We believe this motion, though well-intentioned, unconstitutionally privileges religious organizations with City resources," Executive Director Ian Bushfield wrote in a letter to council and Mayor Ken Sim. "Beyond the constitutional concern, this proposal raises other issues. First, many faith-based organizations don't share the City’s broad commitment to diversity and inclusivity. We've seen faith-based projects elsewhere in the province receive public support despite a history of hostility toward LGBTQ2S+ equality."He argued that "prioritizing 'faith groups' against [Vancouver's] history of marginalization of non-Christian belief systems further perpetuates Christian supremacy" and "offers a government handout to some of the wealthiest organizations in the world."Bushfield then questioned the definition of "faith group," and whether it would include the Church of Scientology or non-theistic Zen Buddhists."If this Council wants to encourage the redevelopment of existing religious properties into affordable housing, we have an alternative recommendation," he concluded. "Request that the province amend the Vancouver Charter to remove the automatic property tax exemption for places of worship. Then, you could create a financial incentive for those property owners to redevelop by taxing those properties."
