Powell River Educational Services Society (PRESS) will receive the 2025 Municipal Regional District Tax (MRDT) to support expansion of its co-living initiative and delivery of additional affordable housing units.
At the May 13 qathet Regional District (qRD) board meeting, directors heard from PRESS director of programs and research Kathleen O’Neil, who outlined activities that had been undertaken by PRESS with the 2024 MRDT funds for affordable housing for workers in the qathet region. MRDT funds in 2024 were $110,000, which was used as a downpayment to procure a house for co-living. Further federal funds were accessed to provide for renovations and furnishing.
In 2025, the MRDT funds amount to $105,869. According to a PRESS application for MRDT funds, co-living is a specific form of co-housing, in which residents have their own rented rooms within the same building, with kitchen, bathroom, laundry, living room and outdoor spaces being communal. According to O’Neil, residents pay a rent of $750.
City of Powell River director Cindy Elliott said the believes the regional district is getting value for money, and PRESS is doing a good job, but she would prefer having requests for proposals that match the regional district’s priorities with the type of housing, and having it open to more than one nonprofit organization to see what proposals are out there.
“It is prudent to consider more than one applicant each year,” said Elliott. “I don’t think it’s for this year. It’s a planning process for the future.”
Electoral Area C director and board chair Clay Brander asked if there were any time constraints.
qRD general manager of planning services Laura Roddan said if there is support for continuing with PRESS, there is a deadline, but if that’s not the desire of the board, then there is no urgency to spend the funds.
Roddan said the co-living model is designed to increase the pool of affordable rental housing in the region.
“There’s a lack of affordable rental housing in Powell River,” said Roddan. “There are apartment buildings that have been developed that have some affordable units in them. I’ve been touring them and the lowest rent available in those newly built apartments is $1,100.
“The co-living model is providing rental units for $750, so this is truly affordable rental housing. They are in updated homes in nice neighbourhoods with yards. People have access to gardening and amenities that you have in a home.”
Roddan said the co-living model is far cheaper than building new accommodations.
She added that if the regional board did not want to continue supporting PRESS, the board could put a hold and determine how it wants to allocate MRDT funds, which could sit in a reserve.
City director Rob Southcott made a motion to take the matter in camera so the matter could be more deeply discussed. Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne said he was opposed because he believed a decision could be made in public about what the board wanted to do. The motion to go in camera was withdrawn.
Elliott then made a motion for the board to authorize PRESS to receive the 2025 MRDT funds to support expansion of the co-living initiative and delivery of additional affordable housing for workers in qRD. She said holding the money in reserve did not help the housing situation.
Electoral Area E director Andrew Fall said over the long term, the qRD board has to think carefully about how MRDT money gets used. He said it would send a signal to PRESS that they need to be competitive for the money. He said if the board passed the motion before it, PRESS couldn’t have an expectation that next year, the money will be there.
Fall said in the short term, however, he didn’t want to pull the rug out from under PRESS,
“We should go ahead this year and continue with the PRESS plans,” added Fall. “This is the best way we can get a few more units. I’m going to support this and look forward to a longer solution.”
The board carried the motion to authorize PRESS to receive the 2025 MRDT funds, with Gisborne opposed.
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