Even in the most affordable municipality in the region, the mayor of Clinton says improving housing affordability is a top priority this year.

Susan Swan says council will have to try and develop some kind of strategy to address a lack of housing.

She says vacancy in the village is almost non-existent.

“I own a rental property and I had a vacancy and I had seven people wanting it. The vacancy rate is pretty well zero,” Swan says.

“There is a group working on seniors housing right now, supportive housing. They’ve been working on that project for several years with BC Housing. And once that is up and running, that could free up some homes either for sale or for rental, once we have those units filled for seniors.”

Swan says housing goes hand-in-hand with economic development when it comes to recruiting businesses to the area.

Despite the lack of housing options, property in Clinton is the most affordable of any municipality within the Thompson Nicola Regional District region, according to new data from BC Assessment, at just under $120,000 dollars for the average property in the village.