Current Issues

PST Expansion

BC Budget 2026 includes a provision that expands the PST to apply to 30% of the cost of architectural, engineering, and geoscience services and the full cost of accounting services, security services, and non-residential real estate services.

In April 2026 CHBA BC conducted a member survey to examine the impact of this shift on home builders and to help guide advocacy. Select survey findings directly informed CHBA BC’s Open Letter to the Premier, clearly outlining the impact of PST expansion on home builders.

Resources

– Summery of Survey Results – PST Impact Assessment – April 2026

Activity

– April 14, 2026 Open Letter to Premier Eby

Reducing the Cost to Build Homes

Buying a new home is out of reach for many British Columbians. There are many factors that affect the price of the home, like high interest rates, increasing regulatory complexity, and the above-average rising cost of construction in BC. Increasing predictability, transparency, and accountability will help make homes more affordable for British Columbians.

Recommendations in this vein fall under the following core sentiments:

• Expand in-stream protections in the Local Government Act beyond the 12 months currently legislated to reflect today’s project timelines.
• Reform municipal infrastructure funding model to better align municipal finance tools with population, economic growth, and housing starts.
• Increase municipal accountability by establishing a fair minimum assist factor beyond the 1% currently legislated for local governments on development cost charges (DCCs) and amenity cost charges (ACCs).
  

Resources

– “Reducing the Cost to Build Homes”, 2026 Policy Booklet

Activity

– April 14, 2026 Open Letter to Premier Eby

– April 1, 2026 Joint Letter with Industry Partners

2026 BC Budget

CHBA BC submits recommendations to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services for the annual provincial budget. CHBA BC has also provided in-person presentations to the Committee on these recommendations.

Each year, CHBA BC representatives travel to Victoria for the “lock-up” to preview the budget before the documents are tabled in the Legislative Assembly. Following the budget lock-up, CHBA BC will analyze the key housing-related initiatives and their potential impact on the homebuilding industry. We then provide a detailed summary to our members and share key insights through a news release, ensuring you stay informed on the latest government policies affecting housing and development in BC.

This year’s budget sets the agenda for much of CHBA BC’s advocacy in the coming months.

Resources

– Memorandum and Key Highlights of BC Budget 2026

Cowichan Tribes v. Canada Case

In August 2025 the British Columbia Supreme Court released the landmark decision, Cowichan Tribes v. Canada (2025 BCSC 1490) , as a result of which the Cowichan Tribes asserted Aboriginal title over approximately 1,846 acres of lands along the south arm of the Fraser River in what is now the City of Richmond.

CHBA BC is monitoring the case and working with industry partners, local HBAs, and others to understand the potential impacts on the province’s property ownership system.

A webinar was hosted on December 2, 2025 featuring Sharon G.K. Singh, Partner at McMillan LLP, who provided a legal overview of the ruling and walked through key elements of the case, along with the historical context behind the decision.

Resources

– Webinar recording – Cowichan Case
– Policy Guidance Document – Cowichan Case

Prompt Payment

The BC government has followed Ontario, Alberta, and other provinces in imposing prompt payment legislation. CHBA BC continues to oppose the regulation of private sector payment timelines and maintains that requiring legal mechanisms to solve disputes only adds further costs for small businesses in BC. 

Resources

– FAQ Document – Prompt Payment
– Position Paper – Prompt Payment

Streamlining Permitting

CHBA BC maintains that home builders deserve a permitting process that minimizes uncertainty and undue delays. Recommendations to this end are as follows:

• Place moratorium on new requirements for the building sector until the sector has time to recover.
• Increase reliance on qualified professionals by eliminating duplicate reviews and sign-offs, while also introducing expedited approval streams for applications completed by a qualified professional.
• Improve the one-window permitting process by ensuring: adequate staff capacity to review and process applications, standardized permitting timelines, and continued review of permits across ministries to reduce unnecessary and unclear regulatory/processing requirements.

Resources

– “Streamlining Permitting”, 2026 Policy Booklet

Activity

– Submissions (October 2025, December 2025) in response to Natural Resource Permitting Proposals

Consumer Protection for Home Renovators

Home renovations generate $5.4 billion in wages across British Columbia and are expected to drive a 13% increase in residential employment nationwide by 2034. Despite its growth, the renovation sector remains largely unregulated, leaving British Columbians vulnerable to risks such as substandard workmanship, financial loss, and safety non-compliance. The lack of oversight also reduces provincial tax revenue, with the Province losing an estimated $11.7 billion from underground economic activity. Notably, residential construction is a leading contributor to Canada’s underground economy, representing 32.7% of all such activity in 2023. Over 650 renovator members of CHBA BC could be eligible for licensing.

Resources

– Strengthening Consumer Protection in Home Renovations – Policy One-Pager

Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project

In July 2025 the Province launched Phase 3 of engagement to modernize the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA). This work is a part of the broader Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project (HCATP) which began in 2022, with a goal of: aligning the HCA with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; improving the Act’s clarity and efficiency, particularly around permitting; early identification of heritage sites; and shared decision-making with First Nations. CHBA BC participated in consulting sessions held in August and September 2025 and submitted a detailed letter and recommendations to the Government in November 2025. This letter recommended that the Government, among others:

• Conduct a robust consultation process for industry and local governments to properly evaluate unintended consequences of the proposed changes,
• Move towards increased reliance on qualified professionals to support permit approvals,
• Prevent municipalities with incomplete mapping from defaulting to full archaeological assessments, which would create unnecessary delays, and
• Reconsider the introduction of Heritage Management Zones until an economic impact assessment is completed.

Most recently in March 2026 the Province released a Technical Policy Paper which represents the culmination of over 9 months of consultation. We are pleased to see that this update incorporates many of the changes CHBA BC advocated for. 

Resources

– March 26, 2026 Technical Policy Paper

Activity

– April 23, 2026 Responding Letter from CHBA BC

Stabilizing Step Codes

Targeted adjustments to CleanBC actions on the BC Energy Step Code and the Zero Carbon Step Code provide a balanced path to emissions reductions while creating more stable conditions that support housing affordability, enable regional flexibility, and ensure consistent implementation across the province. Recommendations are as follows:

• Pause mandatory increases beyond Step 3 for Part 9 Buildings under the BC Energy Step Code and allow higher steps to remain voluntary and incentive-based.
• Limit the Zero Carbon Step Code to Emissions Level 2 (EL-2) by 2030 to balance meaningful emissions reductions with regional flexibility in harder-to-electrify communities.
• Harmonize regional and local government step code timelines and implementation to empower compliance.

Resources

– “A Stable, Harmonized Approach to Step Codes”, 2026 Policy Booklet

Activity

– April 14, 2026 Open Letter to Premier Eby