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The NIMBY Smokescreen: How Bill 44 Protects Speculation, Not Communities

M. Rose Munro
Jan 31, 2026


Bill 44 delivers guaranteed density and instant land‑value inflation to developers and speculators, while handing residents the bill. It accelerates upzoning without requiring affordability, infrastructure investment, or accountability, fueling speculation instead of housing. Municipalities are left scrambling to fund the roads, sewers, parks, and emergency services this density demands, and Saanich’s tax spikes are the proof: public budgets absorb the costs while private actors capture the uplift.

To protect this imbalance, the Value‑Extraction Lobby (developers, speculators, and their consultants) weaponizes “NIMBY.” The rhetoric works because it:

1. Moralizes their financial interests. Calling critics “NIMBYs” lets the lobby pose as champions of social progress, even when their projects include no affordability or community benefit.

2. Deflects scrutiny. The label conveniently sidesteps questions about speculation, infrastructure deficits, and who actually profits from Bill 44.

3. Silences dissent. Shaming language discourages residents from participating in civic processes. Delegitimized communities mean fewer obstacles and less accountability.

Let me be clear: Bill 44 privatizes the gains and socializes the costs. Developers and speculators capture the uplift; municipalities and residents absorb the financial burden. “NIMBY” becomes the shield that protects this imbalance by shaming, distracting, and shutting down legitimate concerns.

The legislation also creates an environment where developers and their lobbyists offer funding, studies, partnerships, and “capacity support” that municipalities increasingly rely on as infrastructure costs rise and provincial mandates tighten. This is a soft form of political capture: local governments become dependent on the very industry that benefits most from their decisions. When the only money on the table comes from development interests, municipalities are nudged, subtly but powerfully, toward aligning with those interests and villainizing “NIMBY.”

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See also:

Bill 44: The Oversight‑Free Makeover, by M. Rose Munro – CRD Watch Homepage

Why Setbacks Matter: Protecting the Green Heart of Saanich, by M. Rose Munro – CRD Watch Homepage

HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE HOUSING BLITZ, by M. Rose Munro – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles revealing major lobbying influence on B.C. Provincial Housing Bills and Housing Targets. – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles regarding Law and Bylaw – CRD Watch Homepage