Our Plan for Housing

If elected on Monday, November 3, the Yukon Party is poised to tackle affordability issues Yukoners are facing. This includes a bold and tangible approach to solving the territory’s housing crisis as one of the party’s first announcements.

The Yukon Party is outlining decisive, concrete steps which will result in true outcomes to get homes built and housing costs down. These include:

• Reforming the Land Lottery System to recognize that homebuilders provide the vast majority of the housing and ensure they have access to lots without using proxies,
• Modernizing the National Building Code Adoption process for a more consultative approach to implementing Building Code changes,
• Developing a Rural Land Development Strategy to facilitate the growth of communities beyond Whitehorse,
• Removing the arbitrary timelines and processes for closing lot sales and ensuring serviced lots are available for the beginning of each construction season,
• Creating tools to acquire underutilized vacant or abandoned lots, particularly in Whitehorse, to prepare them for vibrant, mixed-use development and release prepared lots to the private sector, subject to conditions that ensure timely development and recovery of costs, and;
• Negotiating transfers from the federal government and creating incentives for landowners to demolish derelict buildings and remediate land to increase housing development.

The Yukon Party has a real and tangible plan to address population growth in Whitehorse and tackle the escalating housing affordability and accessibility crisis.

We will increase the supply of rental housing by:

• Introducing incentives to build affordable rental units by creating a new, Affordable Rental Credit modelled on the successful Government of Canada Multi-Unit Residential Building program to spur the construction of rental units, increase supply and place downward pressure on rent costs.
• Developing a plan that recognizes rent control has failed, and balances the needs of both tenants and landlords, while increasing supply and making rent more affordable through updates to the Residential Tenancies Act.
• Remove all fees associated with land transfers to reduce the cost of homes. Work with the City of Whitehorse and other municipalities to waive all Development Cost Charges and Permit Fees for four years to incentivize housing construction and drive down costs. 
• Collaborate with the City of Whitehorse to cut the average housing construction application timeline by 50% by removing delays for builders from the initial sale of a lot to the final sale of the home. 

The Yukon Party will also plan for population growth in Whitehorse by:

• Continuing with the development of Whistle Bend by working with the City of Whitehorse to expand Mountainview Drive and explore other investments to address the increasing issue of traffic congestion in and out of Whistle Bend.
• Planning for the next residential development beyond Whistle Bend by working with the City of Whitehorse to ensure infrastructure is available, including planning for a second bridge in Whitehorse.
• Considering opportunities for private land development to shift the capital burden of development onto the private sector and create economic opportunities for development.
• Working with Yukon First Nation governments to accelerate the development of Settlement Lands for residential housing and commercial uses.