Lorne Doerkson, B.C.'s premier-designate, says his government will scrap the housing targets the province set for municipalities and roll back the law that lets multiplexes be built without rezoning[1]. That law is Bill 44, which since 2023 has required most B.C. cities to allow three to six homes on a residential lot.
Nothing has changed yet. Bill 44 stays law until the legislature passes a new one, and the multiplex bylaws most cities already adopted stay in place after that unless each council changes them.
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The B.C. Conservatives won a majority government on October 24, 2026[2]. Days later, Doerkson set out his housing direction: the province will remove its targets on municipalities that made "naughty lists," and roll back Bill 44[1].
Doerkson has been the MLA for Cariboo-Chilcotin since 2020[2]. He framed the change as a question of local control:
"Victoria does not know best on how to build a home in Williams Lake, whether it is a multi-unit apartment or a multiplex. Victoria really doesn't know best. In my community, there's no infrastructure, no sewage, to support that type of building."[1]
He made the same argument during the campaign. "Ultimately, it's not Victoria's place to tell Terrace where they should put housing," he told CBC News on October 16[2].
Doerkson's announcement covers two separate laws. Each one needs its own legislation to change, and a third housing law has not come up at all.
Three B.C. housing laws, and where each stands
Housing Supply Act, 2022
Housing targets
Binding five-year targets for municipalities picked from a list of 47. Doerkson says the targets go.
Bill 44, 2023
Multiplex minimums
3 to 6 homes per lot in most cities over 5,000 people. Doerkson says he will roll it back.
Bill 47, 2023
Transit-oriented areas
Minimum densities near SkyTrain stations and bus exchanges. Not addressed so far.
What Bill 44 requires today
Bill 44, the Housing Statutes (Residential Development) Amendment Act, 2023, is the law behind B.C.'s small-scale multi-unit housing (SSMUH) rules. Local governments must zone for:
At least 6 homes on qualifying lots within 400 m of a prescribed bus stop[2]
The rules apply inside urban containment boundaries and in municipalities of more than 5,000 people[2]. The law also removed public hearings for residential rezonings that are consistent with an official community plan.
The "naughty list" and the housing targets
The targets come from the 2022 Housing Supply Act. It lets the housing minister set binding five-year targets for municipalities picked from a list of 47[5], and step in when one falls short. The first ten target orders went out in 2023[6], and more groups followed each year.
40
B.C. municipalities that have been issued Housing Target Orders
Some cities on the list have gone past their targets. Victoria's council approved 8,789 homes over its last term, more than its provincial target[3]. For cities like that, removing the target changes little. The cities that fell behind lose the provincial pressure.
What changes, and what doesn't
Nothing changes today. Doerkson has not been sworn in. A repeal or amendment needs a bill, a sitting of the legislature and Royal Assent.
Local bylaws stay. Repealing Bill 44 removes the requirement, not the bylaws cities already passed. Vancouver's multiplex bylaw was passed by council and stays unless council changes it[2].
Public hearings may come back. To return land to single-family zoning, a council would have to rezone it, and a repeal would likely bring back public hearings for that kind of rezoning.
The platform is softer than the speech. The Conservatives promised in 2024 to repeal Bill 44, but the 2026 platform leaves that out[3]. It promises local control over where density goes, approvals "in months, not years," lower construction charges and a step code overhaul[2].
No costs or dates yet. Details on the cost and timing of the housing measures have not been released[4].
1Williams LakeDoerkson's example: no sewer capacity for multiplexes
2TerraceHis campaign example of local control
3KelownaFast-growing Interior city
4VancouverOwn multiplex bylaw since 2023; stays unless council changes it
5VictoriaExceeded its provincial housing target
Metro Vancouver
Most Metro cities have already pre-zoned for multiplexes, and transit-oriented areas fall under Bill 47, a separate law. A rollback is unlikely to undo much here quickly. The bigger change is less provincial pressure on approval timelines once the targets are gone.
Capital Region
Victoria's Missing Middle program passed in January 2023, before Bill 44[3]. Councils that chose density on their own terms are unlikely to reverse it. Councils that resisted could start rezoning back.
Okanagan and Interior
In fast-growing cities like Kelowna and Kamloops, a rollback would matter most in neighbourhoods where multiplexes came only because the province required them. Permits already issued are not affected.
Northern B.C. and the Cariboo
This is Doerkson's case. Williams Lake has about 11,000 people, above Bill 44's 5,000-person threshold, and he says it does not have the sewer capacity to support multiplexes.
The current rules already address part of that. A Town of Osoyoos briefing describes the SSMUH requirements as applying to lands serviced by local-government water and sewer, and municipalities with infrastructure limits could apply for extensions[8]. For northern towns, the open question is who pays for the pipes, not whether to require the units.
What we don't know yet
Whether the government will repeal Bill 44 outright or amend it.
When a bill comes. No date has been announced.
What happens to the target orders already issued, and the progress reports due under them.
Whether Bill 47's transit-oriented areas change too.
Whether applications in progress under current zoning get transition rules.
What to do now
Four steps for builders and landowners
1Keep permits movingBill 44 is still law, and permits issued under current zoning are not affected by a future repeal.
2Read the local bylawYour municipality's zoning bylaw is what applies to your lot, before and after any repeal.
3Watch council agendasRezoning back to single-family would happen one council at a time, usually with notice.
4Price in timeline riskEspecially on land bought for multiplex density in cities that opposed Bill 44.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bill 44 being repealed?
Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson says his government will roll it back, but no bill has been introduced. Bill 44 stays in force until the legislature passes a law that changes it.
What is the B.C. housing "naughty list"?
It is the informal name for the 47 municipalities the province picked to receive binding housing targets under the 2022 Housing Supply Act. About 40 now have Housing Target Orders.
Can I still build a fourplex in B.C.?
Yes. If your municipality's zoning bylaw allows it today, you can build it today. Repealing Bill 44 would not automatically rezone any land: each council would have to change its own bylaw.
Would repealing Bill 44 bring back public hearings?
Likely. Bill 44 removed public hearings for residential rezonings consistent with an official community plan. The exact effect depends on what the new legislation says.
When could the changes take effect?
Not before the new government is sworn in and the legislature sits. No date has been announced. Elections BC's final count is November 6, 2026.
