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A month after Vancouver touted its strengthened new tenant protection measures, the neighbouring municipality of Burnaby is looking to go substantially further.

Burnaby’s council unanimously moved Monday to direct staff to develop a housing strategy incorporating 18 recommendations from the task force struck by the new mayor to tackle the city’s housing crisis.

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Renters’ advocates hailed Burnaby’s recommended tenant protections as the strongest in Canada, while, on the other side of the equation, development industry representatives expressed concern about discouraging development in a city already experiencing a housing shortage.

The task force formed in January, soon after new Mayor Mike Hurley’s electoral victory late last year over five-term mayor Derek Corrigan, in an election largely focused on the incumbent mayor’s record on housing.

Like many parts of Metro Vancouver, Burnaby had seen a worsening housing crisis in recent years, with critically low vacancy rates and soaring housing costs. But while other Metro municipalities managed to increase rental-housing supply, Burnaby saw a net loss of more than 1,000 purpose-built rental homes during the 16 years Corrigan was in office. Demoviction, the practice of evicting lower-income tenants by demolishing more affordable buildings, had become a particular concern in Burnaby.