Q1 2021

CHBA BC welcomes new staff

In October, CHBA BC welcomed Carmina Tupe, as Director of Policy and Government Relations. Carmina was previously the Manager, Policy & Advocacy with CHBA affiliated, The Building Industry & Land Development Association of the Greater Toronto Area (BILD). She holds a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University, and is a full member of the Professional Planners Institute of British Columbia and Canada.

Ministry Leadership Meetings

The first quarter of 2021 was active, featuring a series of virtual meetings with key cabinet leadership and senior ministerial staff. The first of these were meetings with the Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, Hon. David Eby and the Minister of Municipal Affairs, Hon. Josie Osborne. Both Ministers were aware of CHBA BC and acknowledged the important role our members play in meeting provincial housing objectives. Several subjects were covered at a high level including the growing complexities around bringing housing supply forward, the importance of Development Approvals Process Review (DAPR) and its implementation, training for building inspectors, rising costs around building homes, and industry perspectives around implementing the BC Energy Step Code.

A meeting was also held with MLA Andrew Mercier – Parliamentary Secretary for Skills Training, which similarly focused on CHBA BC’s intentions to work together on mutual interests that impact housing. Discussions unfolded on labour challenges facing home builders today and what can be done to further support the development of skilled trades. Additionally, the government shared its plans to proceed with compulsory trades and a discussion on how CHBA BC, directly interested and affected stakeholders, will be engaged in this process moving forward.

Senior Ministry Staff Meetings

With the shuffling of some senior ministerial advisory staff, there was a strong focus this quarter to re-establish relationships at the staff-to-staff level across various ministries. This includes Advanced Education and Skills Training; Municipal Affairs; Finance; Environment and Climate Change Strategy; Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development; and the Attorney General’s office.

2021 Spring Provincial Meeting – Ministers’ Roundtable

CHBA BC’s Provincial Meeting held on March 19th was unique not only because it was held in a virtual, condensed format, but also because Minister David Eby and Minister Josie Osborne were welcomed as our headline speakers for a roundtable discussion with the association’s member-leadership. Addressing housing challenges are core mandates to both their ministries, and given the complexity of the housing system, it was important to understand how they intend to coordinate efforts and implement a housing lens on the work of this government.

Each CHBA BC local association prepared questions on how each Minister intends to tackle issues prevalent in regions across the province. From DAPR to rising development-related costs, staffing shortages, particularly with building officials, and local political barriers to housing, there was no shortage of topics to cover.

Technical Safety BC – Proposed Fee Changes for 2021-2023 Submission

Given the impacts of the pandemic, Technical Safety BC delayed fee increases in order to consult affected stakeholders on nominal increases between 2021 and 2023. Appreciation for this consideration was expressed in a letter from our association. This letter also noted that there are other ways Technical Safety BC can support its clients, like CHBA BC members, during this challenging period and therefore we requested an opportunity to discuss this with Stakeholder Engagement representatives. This request has been responded to, and CHBA BC has established a way to connect with Technical Safety BC as issues arise.

Sectoral Targets for Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions

Following the directions of CleanBC and the Climate Change Accountability Act to set an interim province-wide target and sectoral targets by March 31, 2021, a discussion paper was released that presents sectoral targets for emissions reductions. CHBA BC’s submission to the discussion paper focused on ensuring that sectors and their accompanying targets be identified based on the principles of fairness, transparency, and affordability and that its implementation be compatible with existing programs and policies at both the provincial and local level.

The Province released the final sectoral targets on March 26th. To review the news release and details on the targets, please select here.

Expert Panel on Housing Supply & Affordability, What We Heard Interim Report

The federal and provincial Expert Panel on the Future of Housing Supply and Affordability publicly released an interim What We Heard Report that reflects on the consultation sessions held in 2020 and stakeholder thoughts on how to improve the housing environment. The governance, diversity, speed and process in which housing is brought forward all emerged as reoccurring themes brought forward by stakeholders, including CHBA BC, who has been actively engaged in this initiative.

CHBA BC provided additional comments to the Panel that outlines the growing evidence to address timelines and costs associated with building homes as well as the potential solutions that can be implemented. The final report with recommended actions is anticipated to be released in Spring 2021.