Advocacy Update #47 - November 3, 2026

In this issue:

• Provincial Election Recap
• What the Election Results Mean for Builders
• CHBA BC Statement on Proposed Changes to B.C.'s Housing Targets and SSMUH Legislation
• Advocacy in Action: Amendments to 2024 BC Building Code
• Your Voice Counts: Comment on Proposed National Building Code Changes

Provincial Election Recap

One week following the municipal general election, on October 24, the BC Conservatives won a majority government under Premier-designate Lorne Doerkson.

Preliminary results from Elections BC show:

• Conservatives leading in 63 ridings
• BC NDP leading in 28
• BC Greens in 2

(47 seats = majority)

Mail-in and absentee ballots have not been counted yet and Elections BC will complete their final count November 6-10.

David Eby has said he is stepping down as NDP leader. 

This is the first change in government since 2017, ending nine years of NDP government.

It is also the first time the BC Conservatives have won a provincial election since 1928.

There are 35 newly elected MLAs:

• 31 Conservatives
• 3 NDP
• 1 BC Green

This means nearly half of the caucus forming government will be new to the Legislature.

What the Election Results Mean for Builders

MLAs are expected to be officially sworn in some time after November 18 and Premier-designate Doerkson has not ruled out a brief fall session which would be focused on his government’s early priorities related to the Province’s finances and emergency room wait times.

In terms of housing policy the Conservative platform makes many commitments including:

• to “cut construction taxes and charges”
• “approve homes in months, not years”
• “overhaul the step code”

These line up with the asks in CHBA BC’s October 8 letter to all party leaders. However, the platform does not include details on how the party intends to achieve these commitments. 

Most recently, Premier-designate Doerkson announced plans to reverse legislation requiring municipalities to achieve provincially mandated housing targets and remove legislation allowing multi-plexes to be built without rezoning.

CHBA BC is concerned about this direction as housing targets and prezoning were put in place to speed up approvals and give builders more certainty. We will be raising this with the new government as part of our post-election engagement. 

CHBA BC is non-partisan and works with any government to advance housing policy to improve supply and attainability across the province. As part of our post-election work, we will be reaching out to all elected officials and government to ensure our member’s priorities are reflected in the new government’s agenda.

CHBA BC Statement on Proposed Changes to B.C.'s Housing Targets and SSMUH Legislation

As the incoming provincial government sets its housing agenda, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of BC (CHBA BC) is encouraged by its commitments to lower construction costs, speed up approvals, and revisit the step codes to allow for greater energy choice. Our members share those goals, and we’re ready to help deliver them.

Getting there will depend on the details. The Premier-designate has said his government plans to remove provincial housing targets and repeal or amend the small-scale, multi-unit housing rules (Bill 44). Before making changes of that scale, we urge the government to hear from the people who build homes in B.C.

Continue reading the full statement here

Advocacy in Action: Amendments to 2024 BC Building Code

CHBA BC’s longstanding advocacy has resulted in positive changes in Revision 7 of the 2024 BC Building Code:

• Revised Step Code metrics that provide a fairer approach for homes with a floor area of 210 m2 (2,260 ft2) or less.

Other updates include:

• An additional compliance option for secondary suites, aligned with the National Building Code provisions.

• Acceptance of Canadian Construction Materials Centre (CCMC) evaluations as acceptable solutions (especially innovative building products).

• Additional reference to EGBC’s Seismic Retrofit Guidelines (2023 Edition) to support performance-based seismic assessments for upgrading existing buildings.

• New guidance for structural engineers through a definition of structural elasticity.

The revisions came into effect September 21, 2026.

Your Voice Counts: Comment on Proposed National Building Code Changes 

Did you know? The electronic version of Volume 1 of the 2025 National Building Code is only 1,693 pages long. The Fall 2026 public review adds even more reading material!

The public review invites feedback on proposed changes that, once approved, will be incorporated into the next edition of the National Model Codes. These changes will then be considered for adoption into future provincial building codes, including the BC Building Code.

Topics with implications to low-rise residential construction include:

• Part 9 structural design

• Energy efficiency for Houses

• Active side-wall radon mitigation

Your industry experience matters. This is an important opportunity to identify potential cost, constructability and implementation impacts and help shape future building code requirements.

Review the proposed changes and send comments by December 21, 2026.

• Municipalities await future of housing law after change in BC government
• Premier-designate Doerkson was appointed–not elected– interim leader of the party What happens next?
• Cowichan Tribes to propose solution protecting private property in January

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.