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The City of Chilliwack is already on track to meet its provincial housing targets despite the lack of recognition for the hundreds of units going up on neighbouring First Nations land.

Mayor Ken Popove fired off a letter to Housing Minister Christine Boyle this week, noting it was "a mistake" for the province not to recognize "the significant contributions" of residential housing constructed on First Nations land.

A year ago, Chilliwack was given a provincially mandated target of building 4,594 housing units over a five-year period, and has already exceeded the first year target of 659 units, according to the first-year progress report.

"I strongly disagree with your Ministry's omission of the contribution local First Nations make towards housing development in Chilliwack," Popove wrote.

"This is a significant oversight that neglects to recognize what we collectively achieved for our community, and I hope your experience as the Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation will inform a new perspective on this issue," Popove said in the Aug. 5 letter.

The mayor said that  40 per cent of the new housing in the last five years went up on First Nations land.

Most of those units are on Ch'iyaqtel [Tzeachten] land and in Shxwha:y Village, creating housing for hundreds of non-Indigenous residents.

Popove argued that makes the City of Chilliwack "unique" among B.C. municipalities in that the 14 reserves in the surrounding area, and the nine that touch Chilliwack borders, form an "integral part of the broader community."

Chilliwack's housing supply target of 4,594 residential units are required to be completed by June 30, 2029. When the target was first announced in 2023, the mayor predicted it would be "unattainable," but that has since changed.

In its first year of progress, Chilliwack saw 1,069 housing units built.

"The City has exceeded its Year 1 target of 659 net new housing units by providing 1,069 units as of June 30, 2025," according to the staff report.

"This includes the combined housing units on City land (726) and First Nations land (343), and equals 162% of the Year 1 target."

Coun. Jason Lum argued during the council discussion it was "good advocacy" for the mayor to remind the new housing minister that if the province doesn't recognize the significant contribution of housing on First Nations land, and only forces City of Chilliwack to build and meet these housing targets, "we're going to have challenges."

Lum warned of the potential downside if "Chilliwack has to make uncomfortable decisions around servicing and water," and that it may come to the point where city officials decide the city can no longer service First Nations land.

"I hope we never get to that place," Lum said.

Tzeachten Chief Derek Epp said he was "concerned with the provincial government’s lack of acknowledgement of the substantial contribution of Ch’iyaqtel (Tzeachten) First Nation and other First Nation communities in addressing the housing crisis" in Chilliwack.

“The province must recognize the integral role of First Nations in ensuring that more homes are being built, and that these homes are being built for those who need them most," Epp stated in a press release on Aug. 7.

Mayor stated in his letter that Chilliwack will continue to record housing units both in Chilliwack, and on Indigenous land even though provincial officials did not recognize the 151 units built on First Nations land as a contribution toward the target order.

"Most of these housing units were issued permits and under construction before the Province issued their Order, and their completion is a result of business-as-usual City and First Nations approval processes."

When Chilliwack was given its target in 2024, city staff estimated it would be challenging to meet the total units by relying solely on housing developed on municipal land.

"With refined data collection (described below) the volume of housing development under review by the City is clearer, and it is possible the City could meet the 5-year target through housing development on municipal land only, should all development proposals proceed.

"In order to provide a holistic analysis of housing supply in Chilliwack, and account for the City's partnerships with local First Nations, housing developed on First Nations land will continue to be counted."

Staff forecast that the total units in the development process (completed, approved, and under review) will add up to a grand total of 4,873 units by the five-year mark.

"This total exceeds the Year 5 cumulative housing target (4,594 units), and does not include future housing units completed on First Nations lands," the staff report noted.

The report added: "Chilliwack is on track to meet its Provincial Housing Target Order (Order) as demonstrated by building permit completion rates in the progress report.

It added the housing units built to date "are the result of the City's business-as-usual development processes and work with First Nations, and not the result of Provincial mandates or initiatives such as the Housing Supply Act or small-scale multi-unit housing."