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Advocacy Update #18 - July 29, 2025 |
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In this issue:
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CHBA BC Welcomes New Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs |
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Following the recent cabinet shuffle, CHBA BC sent letters last week to the Hon. Chistine Boyle, newly appointed Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs and the Hon. Jessie Sunner, Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills.
We also extended our gratitude to Minister Ravi Kahlon for his collaboration on housing issues over the past several years and congratulated him on his new role as Minister of Jobs and Economic Growth.
We look forward to engaging with the new ministers in the months ahead as we continue to advocate for balanced policy solutions to support housing delivery across the province. |
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Province Issues Housing Directives to Oak Bay and West Vancouver |
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On July 21, 2025, the District of Oak Bay and the District of West Vancouver received ministerial directives from the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs aimed at improving development processes and increasing the delivery of affordable housing. The directives are in response to Oak Bay and West Vancouver achieving only 28 per cent and 26 per cent of their Year One housing targets, respectively.
The directive for Oak Bay requires: delegating minor development variance permits to staff; reducing parking requirements to a minimum of one stall per unit for multi-unit sites; and amending blasting requirements in consultation with the development community.
West Vancouver is required to: increase density in the Park Royal–Taylor Way, Ambleside, and Dundarave areas; adopt the proposed Ambleside Centre Local Area Plan; and improve reporting on housing applications reviewed or rejected during the Preliminary Development Proposal and Public Consultation processes.
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Help Shape Wildfire Resilience Tools for Home Builders |
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CHBA and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) are leading the Resilient Homes Task Force (RHTF), consisting of a group of six best-practice builders and six insurance executives.
The RHTF wants to develop practical solutions for protecting homes from climate risks and is currently gathering insights from industry professionals on effective strategies for wildfire. Your feedback will help to create useful checklists and resources for builders.
If you are a building industry professional directly involved in the design, construction, or repair of homes or properties (builders, renovators, contractors, restoration contractors, landscape professionals, etc.), please complete this survey.
If you have questions or would like more information about the Resilient Homes Task Force, please contact Frank.lohmann@chba.ca. |
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Tell Us What You Think About the BC Energy Step Code Guide |
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BC Hydro is seeking feedback from the residential construction industry through a short two-minute survey on the BC Energy Step Code Builder Guide.
Whether you've used the guide extensively or are just becoming familiar with it, your perspective will help ensure the next version, set for release next year, better reflects the needs and experiences of builders across the province.
This survey is part of a broader effort to connect with a more diverse range of builders, especially those BC Hydro may not have heard from before. Your responses will help identify opportunities for improvement and may lead to further collaboration in shaping the updated guide.
Click here to take the survey. |
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CMHC modelling shows the elimination of interprovincial trade barriers in Canada may increase housing supply.
Province launches the Better Homes Energy Savings Condo and Apartment Rebate program.
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This newsletter is exclusive for Canadian Home Builders' Association of BC (CHBA BC) members. If a colleague would like to subscribe, please have them update their contact information with their local association. For questions, feel free to contact Jenny Scott, Director of Policy and Government Relations, or Pauline Rupp, Director of Technical and Building Innovation. |
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