The province of British Columbia has experienced steady population growth in recent decades; over the course of this study’s data collection years (2001 to 2016), the population of British Columbia grew by approximately 690 800 residents. It is projected to further increase by an additional 829 000 residents in the following 15 years (BC Government, 2019). Though the majority of new residents are relocating to the Lower Mainland and adjacent areas, smaller Economic Regions such as the Kootenays can expect population growth of their own. The Kootenay Economic Region (KER) saw a 3.5% population increase between 2011 and 2016 (Statistics Canada, 2016) and is expected to increase by approximately 4820 new residents in the 15 years following this study (BC Government, 2019). Diversified housing options including rental dwellings will continue to play a crucial role in accommodating the growing population. This project aims to identify which census subdivisions within the KER are in most need of increasing their rental housing accessibility, and help visualize how contributing variables have changed over time. The results are meant to help guide KER communities in making development and management decisions that will help meet the needs of current and incoming demographics.
