STATUS
Complete

LOCATION
City of Nelson, Town of Creston, Village of Kaslo, Village of Nakusp, Village of New Denver, Village of Salmo, Village of Silverton, Village of Slocan, RDCK Electoral Areas A-K

REGION
Interior

CLIENT
Regional District of Central Kootenay 

COMPLETION DATE
September 2020

PROJECT WEBSITE
https://www.rdck.ca/housing

In December 2019, M’akola Development Services was engaged by the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to complete a Regional Housing Needs Report for the City of Nelson, Town of Creston, the Villages of Kaslo, Nakusp, New Denver, Salmo, Silverton, and Slocan, and Electoral Areas ‘A’ through ‘K’ of the Regional District. The report provides staff, the Regional Board, participating municipalities, and community partners with a better understanding of local housing needs and will be used to guide policy formulation for the local and regional governments, inform land use planning decisions, and direct local and regional housing action.

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES

Because of the small and rural nature of many of the communities in the region, data availability from Statistics Canada was a challenge for this project. On their own, many communities had issues with suppression. M’akola proposed an innovative sub-regional solution that pooled community data an enabled more in-depth analysis. Communities received a sub-regional report that included localized and regional data to limit gaps due to suppression.

M’akola also focused on quantitative data including surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Overall, more than 600 community members from across the Regional District participated in the study and each sub-regional grouping received an engagement report highlighting their particular needs.

In addition to traditional housing needs data, M’akola included a unique section of energy poverty after a specific request from the Regional District. Energy costs directly impact housing costs and this section will help local governments fully understand the different factors behind affordability.

MDS SERVICES PROVIDED

• Project management
• Community engagement
• Data and analysis
• Partnership coordination
• Report writing
• Staff capacity building

STATUS
Complete

LOCATION
City of Terrace, RDKS Electoral Areas C and E 

REGION
North

CLIENT
City of Terrace and Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine

COMPLETION DATE
December 2020

PROJECT WEBSITE
https://www.terrace.ca/news/HNA

In May 2020, M’akola Development Services was engaged by the City of Terrace and Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine (RDKS) to complete a Regional Housing Needs Report for the City of Terrace and Electoral Areas ‘E’ and ‘C (Part 1)’ of the Regional District. Additional community scans were conducted for adjacent First Nations. The report provides staff, the Regional Board, participating municipalities, and community partners with a better understanding of local housing needs and will be used to guide policy formulation for the local and regional governments, inform land use planning decisions, and direct local and regional housing action.   

INNOVATIVE APPROACHES

The partnership between Terrace and the Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine made this study unique. Both entities were equal participants but recognized that the City of Terrace was home to most of the jobs and services across the Region. M’akola developed maps to show how population was distributed across the region and included data on commuting and employment statistics to better help local government track housing need.

Each participating municipality and electoral area also received a community profile that highlights some of the most compelling information collected through the data and engagement portions of the study. Profiles are high-level summaries and are intended to be used for public communication and quick reference.

M’akola also developed policy tools and monitoring guides to help the partners with future housing work. Discussion and examples of various housing policy interventions available to regional and local governments, their applicability, and recommended next steps to address housing in the Greater Terrace were included in an appendix along with key indicators and monitoring strategies.  

MDS SERVICES PROVIDED

• Project management
• Community engagement
• Data and analysis
• Partnership coordination
• Report writing
• Staff capacity building