Kamloops Ranks 9th in CHBA’s National Municipal Benchmarking Study

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 4, 2025

Kamloops Ranks 9th in CHBA’s National Municipal Benchmarking Study

Kamloops, BC – The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) has released its 2024 Municipal Benchmarking Study, ranking Kamloops 9th among 23 Canadian municipalities in key factors affecting housing affordability, including planning features, approval timelines, and government charges.

This is Kamloops' first year in the benchmarking study, providing valuable insight into the city's development processes compared to other municipalities across Canada.

Key Findings for Kamloops:

• Ranked 9th overall out of 23 municipalities.
• Planning features scored 35%, highlighting areas for improvement in application processing.
• Average approval timeline of 6.9 months for developments.
• Municipal government charges:
  • $33,200 per low-rise unit
  • $8,000 per high-rise unit
• Indirect costs from delays, such as property taxes and rising construction costs, impact housing affordability.

The CHBA study highlights a worsening housing affordability crisis nationwide, driven by increasing municipal development charges and slow approval processes.
Across Canada:

• Low-rise development fees have risen by $27,500 per unit since 2022, pushing the national average to $82,600 per unit.
• High-rise development fees have risen by $3,000 per unit, bringing the national average to $35,000 per unit.
• BC and Ontario have seen a decline in development application submissions due to rising costs and economic uncertainty, while more affordable markets like Alberta are experiencing growth.

Despite these challenges, Kamloops ranks in the top half nationally, performing better than Vancouver, Toronto, and Burnaby. However, the City of Kamloops did not provide direct data for the study, requiring CHBA to use publicly available information. This signals a need for improved transparency and collaboration in future reports.

Chris Crowell, President of CHBA Central Interior, emphasized the importance of this report for future housing development in Kamloops: "Kamloops' strong showing in this national study is encouraging, but there’s still work to be done. Housing affordability and supply challenges remain a pressing issue, and this report highlights where we can improve. By working together with the City of Kamloops to streamline approvals and increase building affordability, we can ensure a more efficient process that benefits homebuyers, builders, and the broader community.”

CHBA Central Interior urges ongoing collaboration with the City of Kamloops to:

• Reduce approval timelines, helping to lower the overall cost of housing.
• Enhance municipal transparency, ensuring data participation in future reports.
• Adopt best practices from top-ranking cities, such as Edmonton, Halifax, and London, which have more efficient approval processes and lower municipal charges.

"More needs to be done to address the housing crisis in Canada," said Kevin Lee, CEO of CHBA. "The CHBA Benchmarking Study points out the barriers to getting more homes built and ways in which these barriers contribute to the cost of a new home."

By addressing these barriers, Kamloops can continue improving its ranking and ensure more housing supply at affordable prices.

CHBA Central Interior will continue engaging with city officials, industry stakeholders, and policymakers to ensure Kamloops remains competitive in Canada’s evolving housing market.

Municipal Benchmarking for Kamloops

CHBA Municipal Benchmarking Study