The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has launched the Okanagan-Similkameen Housing NeedsSurvey. The goal of the survey is to gain a better understanding of the present and future housing needs of the region and to support the completion of an Interim Housing Needs Report. 

Click here to take the survey, scan the QR code below, or visit the Regional Surveys project page on RDOS Regional Connections at rdosregionalconnections.ca.

Paper copies are available upon request. Please call RDOS Communications at 250-490-4148 or email communications@rdos.bc.ca. 

The Okanagan-Similkameen Housing Needs Survey is open until Thursday, September 26, 2024. 

The survey is being conducted by Urbanics Consultants Ltd. on behalf of the Regional District and participating member municipalities; the City of Penticton, Town of Osoyoos, and Village of Keremeos. The District of Summerland and the Town of Oliver are undertaking separate projects to complete their reports. 

Background

In 2019, the province established legislative requirements for local governments to complete housing needs reports to help inform land use planning by providing information about the current and future housing needs of communities. The RDOS completed its first Housing Needs Report in 2021 in collaboration with the City of Penticton, the District of Summerland, and the Village of Keremeos.

On November 30, 2023, the province amended the Local Government Act to facilitate the delivery of “more small-scale, multi-unit housing for people, including townhomes, triplexes and laneway homes, and fix outdated zoning rules to help build more homes faster.” One of the new requirements is to complete an interim report on housing needs by January 1, 2025, which will provide information on the total number of housing units required to meet anticipated housing needs for the next five and twenty years.

For further information, please visit the Housing Needs Report Update (2024) web page at www.rdos.bc.ca/planning or contact RDOS Communications. 

-30-

Mark Pendergraft, Chair
Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen  

Contact:                                                                                            

RDOS Communications
250-490-4148
Toll-Free 1-877-610-3737