The federal government and the province of British Columbia unveiled a 10-year partnership that commits in excess of $5 billion to local infrastructure projects across the province, with a focus on housing, health care and transit.
Central to the announcement is the newly created Build Communities Strong Fund. Under that fund, Canada will contribute nearly $1.6 billion over 10 years, and British Columbia will match that amount, producing a combined pool of up to $3.2 billion to reduce development charges for multi-unit housing by as much as 50% in designated priority communities.
In addition to the Build Communities Strong Fund commitment, the federal government will provide more than $600 million over three years, matched by the province for a combined total of up to $1.2 billion, to modernize and expand health infrastructure. Eligible projects include upgrades to hospitals and emergency departments.
The federal and provincial governments also committed an extra $50 million over five years to support community infrastructure projects in coastal areas, with Terrace and Prince Rupert named as priority locations for that funding.
Legislative action was introduced to authorize a one-time federal transfer of $284 million to British Columbia intended to reduce construction barriers. Separately, the two governments launched the Canada-British Columbia Partnership on Condo Conversion. That initiative will use innovative financing channels, including Build Canada Homes and BC Housing, to convert more than 2,200 vacant condominium units in priority growth areas into affordable housing units.
On transit, the Canada Public Transit Fund will allocate $2.5 billion over 10 years to new projects and to expand service in high-traffic corridors. The fund will support projects such as the Surrey-Langley Sky Train extension. This commitment supplements $852 million that was previously announced for TransLink and BC Transit.
Local investment was also specified for Tumbler Ridge, where the federal and provincial governments will each provide $100 million for new infrastructure. Those funds are earmarked for a secondary school and renovations at a health centre, with construction anticipated to begin this summer.
Under the Build Communities Strong Fund’s Community stream, British Columbia is scheduled to receive $326 million in the 2026-27 fiscal year to back core infrastructure projects. That stream will total $1 billion over three years through 2028-29.
Officials estimate that projects supported by the overall funding package will support an average of 42,000 jobs per year and contribute approximately $95 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product over the next decade.
Summary: The federal and provincial governments have committed more than $5 billion over the next decade to a suite of infrastructure programs in British Columbia. Key elements include reduced development charges for multi-unit housing via the Build Communities Strong Fund, targeted health-care modernization, condo-to-affordable-housing conversions supported by innovative financing, and a $2.5 billion transit investment that includes the Surrey-Langley Sky Train extension.