VANCOUVER — A new report is shedding light into the number of single-family homes that have been demolished in Metro Vancouver over the span of more than a decade.
Between 2012 and 2023, 29,888 single family homes were bulldozed in Metro Vancouver to make way for higher density development, states the report co-authored by Renewal Development and Light House.
It also states provincial and municipal upzoning policies will contribute to a 35 per cent increase in demolitions over the next 10 years.
It’s estimated 20 per cent of homes that are levelled can be rescued and relocated to non-urban centres and another 40 to 60 per cent can be deconstructed with the materials salvaged and reused.
“There is still so much life in many of these homes and we are just throwing them away,” says Renewal Development CEO Glyn Lewis in a statement. “Municipalities have a social and fiscal responsibility to be part of the solution.”
The report’s authors are calling on municipalities to enact bylaws to reduce waste and protect affordable housing.
They are recommending municipalities:
- Establish a pre-demolition assessment for all pre-1970 single-family homes slated for demolition to determine whether the home can be relocated or deconstructed.
- Impose a refundable deposit where relocation or deconstruction is deemed feasible.
- Implement a green removal permit that allows the relocation or deconstruction of homes before the developer receives a building permit.
“Metro Vancouver can lead by example by making sure these rules apply to all city-owned buildings,” says Gil Yaron, Light House’s managing director of circular innovation. “Home relocation and deconstruction is a win-win for municipalities – stimulating local economic activity and helping achieve net zero carbon goals.”
There are already examples of where successful measures are being implemented.
The City of Victoria imposes a $19,500 refundable deposit that requires 3.5 kilograms of wood be salvaged per square foot of finished floor space on homes older than 1940; Parks Canada requires government-owned buildings slated for demolition to be pre-assessed for building relocation or deconstruction; and BC Housing requires construction, renovation and demolition waste reduction and diversion from landfills for all projects that receive the majority of funding from the organization.
“The demolition first paradigm must end. There are responsible alternatives to conventional demolition, be it home relocation or home deconstruction,” adds Lewis.
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