British ColumbiaPenticton, B.C., city council has voted against a proposal to build 50 tiny homes to address homelessness. The homes would have been fully funded by B.C Housing, and are a direct response to a large encampment on provincial land. Concerns were raised about an overdose prevention site and the lack of mental health and addictions funding Tiffany Goodwein · CBC News · Posted: Dec 03, 2025 12:30 AM EST | Last Updated: 5 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Penticton city council voted against issuing a temporary use permit at the Dartmouth Dog Park. The permit would have allowed for the construction of 50 tiny homes that would serve as transitional housing. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC)Penticton, B.C., city council has voted to reject a proposal by B.C Housing that would have built 50 tiny homes to address homelessness in the community. The proposal was defeated in a 4-2 vote, with Mayor Julius Bloomfield and Coun. Isaac Gilbert the two members to vote in support.Many councillors opposed expressed concerns about the location, and the overdose prevention service that would have to be on site.Councillors also questioned if the site properly addresses mental health and addictions.WATCH | Information session on tiny homes project draws interest:Hundreds in Penticton, B.C., attend information session for tiny homes projectHundreds of people gathered in Penticton to attend an information session on a proposed tiny homes project, meant to address homelessness in the city. B.C. Housing has proposed 50 tiny homes that would serve as transitional housing. CBC’s Tiffany Goodwein reports.“We need to address the direction the province is moving. They need to invest in complex care, and health-based interventions” said Coun. Jason Reynen. “My vote is not against helping people, I’m making that very clear, it’s a vote for the right kind of help,” Reynen added.The proposal would have been fully funded by B.C Housing, and would have included 24-hour support staff, cameras, fencing and lighting. It would have also required tenants to pay rent and agree to certain living terms.WATCH | Some residents wanted facility to be ‘dry’:Penticton residents question why tiny homes proposal can’t be a dry facilityOkanagan MLA Amelia Boutlbee is raising questions about a local housing project after discovering that Victoria has been approved for a dry housing initiative. As Tiffany Goodwein reports, this comes after Penticton residents were told a project planned for their community had to have an overdose prevention site. Council heard that not approving the site would result in further strain to police, fire and bylaw officers — all services that are funded by the municipality. Staff said a vote against the tiny homes would also impact the city’s ability to take action on a large encampment on provincial land.The Fairview encampment located along Highway 97 and Fairview Road is where many of the city’s unhoused and unsheltered live, despite an eviction notice in June. (Tiffany Goodwein/CBC)“The one thing that gets said around this table is, the province likes to download, download, download [responsibilities],” Gilbert said before the vote.”Well, the province has come to the table and is willing to put millions of dollars into a project to deal with an encampment on their land,” he added. “So if we deny this, I hope I never hear those words around this table again, that the province is downloading.”In a written statement, Christine Boyle, B.C.’s minister of housing and municipal affairs, said she was disappointed by Penticton city council’s decision. “I want to be clear, Penticton approached the Province about this program as a way to address the entrenched encampment on Highway 97,” Boyle said.“Not only is this a set back for the people who are vulnerable and struggling in Penticton and are in dire need of this housing – it is also difficult to comprehend as this was a city led initiative,” she added.The province said other municipalities have expressed interest in partnering with the province for the same program, and they will be taking the next steps to begin working with those other communities.B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle said she was disappointed with council’s decision on Tuesday. (Ben Nelms/CBC)ABOUT THE AUTHORTiffany Goodwein is an award-winning journalist focused on covering Penticton and the south Okanagan area of British Columbia. She previously spent six years reporting in Alberta and is happy to be back home in B.C., where she grew up. You can contact her at tiffany.goodwein@cbc.ca
Penticton councillors reject tiny homes proposal to address homelessness
