British Columbians head to the polls for local elections on Saturday, October 17, 2026. In many locations, they will have candidates who work or have worked in the BC real estate sector on their ballots. 

In the election lead-up, we reached out to candidates from the sector to ask for their thoughts on housing challenges and policy solutions. See below for full interviews with candidates from the Interior and Vancouver Island, and click here for candidates from the Lower Mainland.

Note: This is an incomplete list. We reached out to as many candidates from the real estate sector as we could find, but we were unable to gather answers from all. Also, some interviews have been edited for length. 

Doris Bregolisse  

REALTOR® 
Kelowna City Councillor Candidate  

1. What is the single biggest housing challenge facing your community, and what would you do about it if elected?  

The City of Kelowna has rushed to approve purpose-built rental apartments with thousands of more units on the books. This initiative has been supported financially by the federal government. The move is pushing the vacancy rate toward 10 per cent in Kelowna. While rents are more affordable due to renewed rental availability, homeowners who qualified for mortgages by buying homes with suites have been impacted negatively. If elected, I would ensure we explore the tenancy rate, immigration rate, impact on infrastructure (water demand especially) and impact on property owners in the community before allowing more rental apartment builds.  

2. What specific steps would you take to increase the supply and variety of housing in your community, including missing-middle housing?  

Kelowna has embarked on building many townhouses following the provincial government directive to allow for four dwellings on one city lot. What I haven’t seen in Kelowna is the bold combination of allowing new builds that accommodate commercial on the first storey and residential on the second storey to allow families to earn a living in the place they call home. I’d like to see creative use of property that challenges what yards, housing and vehicle parking have traditionally looked like in neighbourhoods.  

3. Housing pressures often cross municipal boundaries. Would you support greater regional collaboration on housing policy, and if so, what should that look like?  

Kelowna is part of the Regional District of the Central Okanagan. City councillors and mayors from the four communities around Kelowna sit on this board. As a Kelowna city councillor, I would advocate for good communication with our neighbours and further explore their Official Community Plans to potentially see opportunities or shortfalls for our entire region. I don’t believe it is the place of government to intervene with the open real estate market. We can only set policy through the vision of the official community plan.  

Holly Courtright  

REALTOR®  
Township of Esquimalt Councillor Candidate  

1. What is the single biggest housing challenge facing your community, and what would you do about it if elected?  

The biggest housing challenge facing Esquimalt is ensuring the housing we build meets the needs of the people who live and work here.  

Esquimalt is already adding housing at a significant pace. In fact, the Township has been exceeding its provincial housing targets. But unit counts alone don't tell us whether we are creating enough attainable homes for families, first-time buyers, renters, seniors, and local workers. Esquimalt’s own housing research has identified a need for more family-sized homes, while much of the recent supply has been concentrated in smaller units. If elected, I would focus on using the tools municipalities actually control to better target that growth.  

2. What specific steps would you take to increase the supply and variety of housing in your community, including missing-middle housing?  

Increasing housing supply and variety should be thoughtful and proactive, not simply about approving more development. Council needs to identify the housing Esquimalt actually needs, including family-sized homes, rentals, attainable ownership and missing-middle options, and decide where that housing makes sense.  

Council also needs to recognize the limits of its own expertise. Housing decisions involve planning, construction costs, infrastructure, financing, and long-term municipal impacts. I would use qualified professionals to help Esquimalt council understand the consequences and costs of its choices.  

Developers should have clear, predictable requirements, but clarity should not mean lowering standards or shifting growth costs onto existing residents.  

3. Housing pressures often cross municipal boundaries. Would you support greater regional collaboration on housing policy, and if so, what should that look like?  

Yes. I would support stronger regional collaboration, but not identical housing policy across every municipality.  

Housing, transportation, employment, and infrastructure cross municipal boundaries, so we should share data, coordinate growth planning, and work together on affordable and supportive housing. The Capital Region District already plays this role through its Regional Housing Affordability Strategy and Regional Growth Strategy, both of which are intended to coordinate planning and investment across the region.  

At the same time, communities are different. Regional collaboration should provide better information, shared expertise, and coordinated infrastructure planning, while leaving municipalities responsible for making thoughtful local land-use decisions. 

Tim Down  

Associate Broker with NAI Commercial Okanagan and owner of PacWest Commercial Real Estate Advisors 
Kelowna City Councillor Candidate 

1. What is the single biggest housing challenge facing your community, and what would you do about it if elected?  

Kelowna’s biggest housing challenge is not simply the number of homes being built, but whether we are producing the right types of housing at prices local households can reasonably afford. Land, construction, financing, municipal charges, and approval timelines all affect the final cost. I would focus on increasing attainable housing choices, particularly townhomes, multiplexes, family-sized apartments, and other missing-middle forms, while making approvals more predictable and directing growth to areas where roads, utilities, transit, and community infrastructure can support it. 

2. What specific steps would you take to increase the supply and variety of housing in your community, including missing-middle housing?  

I would support pre-zoning and clear development rules for missing-middle housing, including duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, small multiplexes, and family-sized apartments. I would identify housing-readiness areas where servicing and infrastructure can support additional density, simplify approvals for projects that comply with established plans, and encourage four- to six-storey housing in appropriate corridors and centres. Municipal processes should also accommodate high-quality prefabricated and modular construction where it meets building and design standards. The objective should be more housing choice, greater certainty, and lower avoidable development costs. 

3. Housing pressures often cross municipal boundaries. Would you support greater regional collaboration on housing policy, and if so, what should that look like?  

Yes. Housing markets, employment, transportation, and infrastructure cross municipal boundaries. I would support a practical Central Okanagan housing roundtable involving municipalities, the regional district, First Nations, market and non-market housing expertise, and other relevant specialists. Its role should be advisory, not another layer of approval. Priorities could include aligning permitting and zoning where practical, coordinating infrastructure and transportation planning, identifying regional housing needs, sharing data and best practices, and examining how standardized approaches to missing-middle and prefabricated housing could reduce unnecessary cost and duplication while preserving local council accountability. 

David Jurek

REALTOR®
District of 100 Mile House Mayor Candidate

1. What is the single biggest housing challenge facing your community, and what would you do about it if elected?  

The biggest challenge is the rising cost of construction, compounded by building-code requirements that continue to put pressure on prices. Municipal government cannot control inflation or material costs, but it can make development faster and more predictable. As mayor, I would work to streamline permitting, remove unnecessary barriers, and communicate directly with local builders and developers. We need to understand what is preventing viable projects from moving forward and address the obstacles within the District’s control.  

2. What specific steps would you take to increase the supply and variety of housing in your community, including missing-middle housing?  

Our greatest gap is missing-middle housing. Since 2016, I have worked with a local developer and builder who have proven that this housing works in 100 Mile House. By keeping land affordable, building quality homes at attainable prices, and accepting reasonable returns, they have delivered new units year after year. These homes appeal to seniors wanting to downsize, professionals seeking lower-maintenance living, and investors providing much-needed rentals. As mayor, I would identify suitable land, update the Official Community Plan where appropriate, streamline approvals, encourage similar partnerships, and consider practical incentives to help viable projects proceed.  

3. Housing pressures often cross municipal boundaries. Would you support greater regional collaboration on housing policy, and if so, what should that look like?  

Yes. 100 Mile House is the service centre for the South Cariboo, so our housing needs extend well beyond municipal boundaries. I support working with the Cariboo Regional District, First Nations, local builders, major employers, BC Housing, and other levels of government. That cooperation should focus on sharing information, identifying suitable land, coordinating infrastructure, and pursuing funding together. Housing policies must also reflect local conditions. Rural communities should not be expected to follow the same approach designed to solve housing problems in major urban centres.  

Kadin Rainville 

REALTOR®; Past President of the Association of Interior REALTORS® and member of its Government Relations Committee  
Kamloops City Councillor Candidate  

1. What is the single biggest housing challenge facing your community, and what would you do about it if elected?  

Affordable and suitable housing for families. Kamloops tends to be the destination for families because of affordability. I consistently hear of people moving from the Lower Mainland to Kamloops in hopes of a better cost of living. Streamlining existing processes and leveraging technology will be something I have a focus on. Our Association did a whitepaper on access to property information documents, so that will be something I will push for if I'm successfully elected.  

2. What specific steps would you take to increase the supply and variety of housing in your community, including missing-middle housing?  

This comes back to the efficiency piece. Reducing wait times for things like permits helps to eliminate costs. Allowing developers to quickly move through a project will help reduce cost to the end user. Other communities already do a good job of this, so the idea would be to copy and paste from proven examples as opposed to a redesign that could take years.  

3. Housing pressures often cross municipal boundaries. Would you support greater regional collaboration on housing policy, and if so, what should that look like?  

A roundtable is something we've pushed for in the real estate sector for a long time, and it is something I truly believe in so that would continue to be a focus. This would be for multiple levels of government as well as neighbouring municipalities.  

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Authorized by British Columbia Real Estate Association, registered sponsor under the Election Act, 604.683.7702.

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