Richmond city council has approved a new affordable housing policy that imposes a moratorium on converting rental suites into condos

It will also  encourage developers to include low-cost housing in their plans for new condo complexes.

"We want to keep a mix of people within Richmond. We don't want to have simply people who can afford anything they want," said city councillor Linda Barnes.

David Reay, the co-chair of the Richmond Poverty Response Committee, calls the policy a great first step, but said there is still much more to do.

"Our average income of people working in Richmond is in the mid-30s, and those people can't afford to live here. So what we really need, if we are going to be a complete community, is to be able to provide housing for people that work here."

Reay says Richmond needs to legalize secondary suites in  private homes as soon as possible.

He would also like to see a standards of maintenance policy, to prevent landlords  from letting their buildings deteriorate so they can get permission to redevelop.
 
The measure passed on Monday night was an interim policy. A final plan is expected before the end of the year.