Earlier this month, housing, poverty and homelessness was still regarded as the most important issue facing the province for 30 per cent of British Columbians. It is also a file in which official Opposition Leader John Rustad trails Premier David Eby by 12-points (28 per cent to 40 per cent).

Concerns about housing have been present in British Columbia for more than a decade. The governments headed by John Horgan and Eby have implemented different measures to deal with the challenges.

As time goes by, the level of support for the original set of policies that was brought in to address housing during Horgan’s tenure remains high. At least seven in 10 British Columbians continue to agree with three measures: increasing the foreign buyers tax from 15 per cent to 20 per cent (74 per cent agree, unchanged since February 2024), expanding the foreign buyers tax to areas located outside of Metro Vancouver (73 per cent, up two points) and introducing a “speculation tax” in specific urban areas targeting foreign and domestic homeowners who pay little or no income tax in B.C., and those who own second properties that are not long-term rentals (70 per cent, up one point).

Two-thirds of British Columbians also endorse two other rules: an increase in the property transfer tax from three per cent to five per cent for homes valued at more than $3........

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