68 affordable housing projects announced as part of $500M investment

Premier Christy Clark says 68 projects containing close to 2,900 units have been approved province-wide as part of a $516million dollar investment in affordable housing.

The new projects will targetlow-to-moderate-income renters, seniors, students, adults with developmental disabilities and Indigenous people.

Close to 50 per cent of the new units will be located in the Lower Mainland and FraserValley.

The premier made the announcement at the future site of a new 40-unit development in Surrey that will house low-to-moderate-income single women with special needs children.

In September, the province announced it would spend $500 million to boost affordable housing stock in B.C.,with someof that money coming from the newly implemented foreign buyer's tax in Metro Vancouver.

Rich Coleman, the minister responsible for housing, says he expects the majority of the projects to be complete by the spring of 2019.

Regional breakdown of projects:

• Lower Mainland / Fraser Valley 22 projects, 1,441 units
• Vancouver Island / Gulf Islands 18 projects, 774 units
• Coast 8 projects, 172 units
• Thompson-Okanagan 9 projects,256 units
• Kootenay 5 projects, 86 units
• Cariboo 2 projects, 68 units
• North/Northeast 2 projects,31 units

The government says additional projects will be announced within the next week.