Housing is usually the biggest household expense, but this issue has not attracted much attention in the B.C. election campaign.

The B.C. Greens have provided the most details, committing one percent of the annual provincial budget to solving the housing crisis. This suggests the Greens would allocate $440 million to the task if they form the next government.

The Green party policy book also pledges “financial support for small-scale, mixed-income, co-operative, and non-profit housing”. In addition, the Greens support modernizing the B.C. Building Code to bring about more energy-efficient buildings. They favour updating the Residential Tenancy Act “to ensure a balance in the rights of renters and landlords”. No specifics are outlined in this area.

In 2012, the B.C. Liberal government passed the Civil Resolution Tribunal Act. When it’s fully operational, a new tribunal will allow B.C. residents to resolve strata and small-claim disputes online within 60 days, rather than waiting 12 to 18 months for a court date. But the Greens have criticized the legislation for not addressing conflicts resulting from “misconduct by a property manager or developer”.

As the Georgia Straight went to press, the B.C. NDP had not released its party platform. In the legislature last year, NDP attorney general critic Leonard Krog mentioned that “the strata community, by and large, was very pleased with the announcement of the tribunal that would allow the resolution of strata disputes in a timely and effective way”. However, he criticized the government for devoting only 30 minutes to review the legislation, which was 50 pages long.

“I didn’t get elected to this place to come in here and participate in a farce,” Krog said in the legislature, “but I’m going to be forced to do so, so I’m going to do it.”

Meanwhile, the B.C. Liberals brush over housing in their 84-page platform document. They brag about past spending on affordable housing, and there’s a pledge to maintain a grant of $1,000 per year “for seniors who wish to renovate their homes to make them more accessible and allow them to stay in their residence rather than being forced to move”.

The B.C. Conservatives have even less to say in their pre-election platform, not once mentioning the word housing.