The CHBA BC Government Relations Committee membership terms are up for renewal in accordance with the committee’s Terms of Reference.

This committee is composed of seats for CHBA BC members from each of the eight local associations. Submit your Expression of Interest to advocacy@chbabc.org by April 9, 2026 and help shape ongoing advocacy at CHBA BC!

Update on Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project

Last week the province released its Heritage Conservation Act Transformation Project (HCATP) technical policy paper, outlining amendments to the original proposal which represent many of CHBA BC’s recommendations of November 2025. The amendments include:

Removal of proposals regarding defining intangible heritage;
Removal of the proposal regarding heritage management zones;
Removal of the proposal to require records of engagement with HCA permit applications;
Archaeological data checks required at development/building permit or subdivision approval (instead of at point of sale) and only for projects involving ground alteration;
Continuing to proceed with a framework for Heritage Management Plans (HMP);
Significant streamlining updates to the permitting process, including:
- Heritage Inspection, Heritage Investigation, and Alteration permits are proposed to be replaced with a single project-based permit model;.
- Enabling proponents to be the permit holder in more circumstances;
- Permits would be modular, providing flexibility through the permit process to align with development phases.
Establish a regulatory framework for archaeologists, including a public facing registry of qualified archaeologists

Next, CHBA BC will prepare a brief submission outlining support for the amendments to be forwarded to the Hon. Ravi Parmar, Minister of Forests. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this brief submission, please email jenny@chbabc.org by April 13, 2026.

BC and Federal Government Working to Deliver More Homes

Last week the province announced renewed efforts to deliver more homes via the federal Build Communities Strong Fund. The province reports “a contribution of more than $17 billion over 10 years across Canada to support housing-enabling infrastructure, health-related infrastructure, and infrastructure at colleges and universities.”

CHBA BC President Wally James was quoted in the announcement: “Across the province, the ability to deliver new homes by B.C.'s homebuilders continues to be challenged by rising development costs and ongoing uncertainty. We have long advocated for measures that reduce upfront costs and improve access to infrastructure funding. These are important steps toward increasing new housing supply and improving housing attainability across B.C.”

CHBA BC Joins Call for Government Action

Alongside partners in business, housing, construction, and real estate, CHBA BC called on the provincial government to match Ontario’s efforts to make housing cheaper and faster to build, by securing a GST rebate on new homes comparable to Ontario’s and negotiating meaningful development charge reductions to unlock stalled supply.