Community Land Trusts

First Nations and rural communities have always been inherently connected and reliant on the lands and resources surrounding them. Local access and control of key parcels of land can often be critical to First Nations and rural community development aspirations. Community Land Trusts (CLTs) are one potential tool to assist rural communities in managing lands for wider community benefit. Indeed, there are over 200 CLTs in the U.S., and over 175 in the U.K.

Several housing needs studies have indicated that many Canadians with moderate income households ($42,000 to $60,000/year) are priced out of homeownership in their communities. For example, a recent report of the Frontier Centre for Public Policy noted that house prices across Canada have increased at an average rate of 2.1 times that of household incomes between 2000 and 2015.

CLTs with their land lease and shared equity approach, can be of particular benefit to households in this income range. The following BC Rural Centre animated video describes how a land lease & shared equity approach offers the possibility of addressing this ongoing housing challenge.