Can the city force developers to build approved projects?

No. Burnaby has said it has no authority to start construction or ensure occupancy on approved units. That is exactly why a city should measure and publish what actually gets delivered, rather than counting approvals as success.

Why not rezone industrial land for housing?

Because those lands host manufacturers, trades, logistics and technology employers, and they support Burnaby's long-term commercial tax base. Burnaby's own 2050 Official Community Plan calls for protecting them. Once converted, that land is effectively gone.

Does this mean you oppose new housing?

Not at all. It means I want housing that actually gets built and lived in, in places where the infrastructure can carry it, without trading away the jobs that pay for city services.

Why are thousands of approved homes in Burnaby still not built?

Announcements are not accomplishments. Results are.

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The short answer

Burnaby has roughly 25,000 approved housing units that have not started construction, and the city says it cannot compel developers to build. Vision 2030 measures delivery, not announcements — and protects the employment and industrial lands that hold Burnaby's jobs and commercial tax base.

Three things to know

The City of Burnaby has said it has approximately 25,000 approved units sitting idle, with no authority to start construction or ensure occupancy.
An approval is permission to build. It is not a home until someone lives in it.
Burnaby's 2050 Official Community Plan recognises the importance of protecting employment and industrial lands and preventing their conversion.

Why this matters to me

Burnaby needs housing. But we also need to ask a more fundamental question: are we building the right housing, in the right places, at the right time, while protecting the jobs and tax base that make our city sustainable?

Palm Avenue is a useful example. The BCGEU purchased the properties in 2019 and applied to rezone the site in 2020. Council approved the rezoning 7-2 in 2022. The original proposal was presented as an affordable-housing project. It changed significantly as financing and construction costs rose. A building permit was eventually issued for 312 rental units, and the city adopted a new housing agreement in 2026.

The lesson for me isn't that Palm Avenue should never have been approved. The lesson is that approvals, announcements and targets are not the same as delivering homes. Announcements are not accomplishments. Results are.

And there is another issue we need to confront. As Mayor, I would not use employment or industrial land as the easy answer to Burnaby's housing needs. Those lands are where manufacturers, tradespeople, logistics companies and technology businesses operate, and they carry a large share of our long-term commercial tax base. Once that land becomes residential, we don't get it back easily. City Hall needs to think 10, 20 and 30 years ahead — not just to the next election cycle.

The honest comparison

What residents are asking

If thousands of approved units aren't being built, who is accountable for measuring the gap between approvals and results?
Why do we keep hearing new housing announcements while affordability keeps slipping away?
Is the infrastructure there to support everything that has already been approved?

My approach

Report housing the whole way through: approved, permitted, under construction, completed and occupied — and why projects are stalled.
Protect employment and industrial land instead of treating conversion as the easy answer, and encourage more intensive employment use of what we have.
Ask what every major development does to local jobs, the long-term tax base and the infrastructure already under strain, before approval — not after.

What you can hold me to

01Publish a quarterly housing delivery scorecard: units approved, permitted, under construction, completed and occupied, with reasons for stalled projects.
02Bring forward a clear standard for protecting employment and industrial land, with any proposed conversion reported publicly against jobs and tax-base impact.
03Require an infrastructure readiness note — roads, transit, schools, utilities — alongside every major development decision.

Elect Bill Petrovas

For Mayor of Burnaby

“Approving 25,000 homes on paper does not put a roof over a single family. Announcements are not accomplishments. Results are.”
#Burnaby #Housing #Accountability #Jobs

Vote Oct. 17, 2026 · Your vote is your voice

Questions people ask

Can the city force developers to build approved projects?: No. Burnaby has said it has no authority to start construction or ensure occupancy on approved units. That is exactly why a city should measure and publish what actually gets delivered, rather than counting approvals as success.
Why not rezone industrial land for housing?: Because those lands host manufacturers, trades, logistics and technology employers, and they support Burnaby's long-term commercial tax base. Burnaby's own 2050 Official Community Plan calls for protecting them. Once converted, that land is effectively gone.
Does this mean you oppose new housing?: Not at all. It means I want housing that actually gets built and lived in, in places where the infrastructure can carry it, without trading away the jobs that pay for city services.

Public sources

These official sources provide context for the responsibilities and existing plans discussed in this brief.

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