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Housing Expected to be Focus of 2024 Budget
CHBA BC
The provincial government will present the BC Budget 2024 today. With last week's announcement of the BC Builds program and a provincial election coming up in October, we expect it to focus heavily on the BC government's housing goals.
CHBA BC has our team in Victoria at the "lock-up" to preview the budget, review additional documents and ask questions of government officials before the public release.
Watch your inbox later today for our analysis of the budget and the elements that will impact homebuilding over the next year.
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Ministry Says Proposed Amendments to the Land Act Need More Consultation
CBC News
In response to feedback from stakeholders from across the province, the Ministry of Water, Land and Resources Stewardship (WLRS) has announced it will not proceed with proposed amendments to the Land Act.
As the CBC reports in this article, the amendments were meant to enable agreements with Indigenous governing bodies to share decision-making over public land and bring the Land Act in line with the province's Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act (DRIPA). The ministry has determined more consultation is needed before any amendments can move forward.
CHBA BC received concerns from our members regarding the proposed amendments and reached out to WLRS regarding the matter. The association is relieved to see the ministry walk back this work which could have had significant unintended consequences on residential building if it moved forward hastily.
You can read the full statement from WLRS here.
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New Training: Residential Enclosure Retrofits: A Hands-On Experience (Okanagan & Kootenay Dates)
CHBA BC
This new training course specifically focuses on the limitations and challenges contractors face when undertaking enclosure retrofits on existing homes. Contrary to new builds, retrofits come with many challenges from unknowns, including as-built products and materials, occupied conditions, phasing limitations, and existing structural configurations. These challenges must be met with creativity, adaptation, and a strong knowledge of best-practice retrofit solutions.
Upcoming sessions of this course are scheduled for March 12 in Penticton and April 10 in Nelson.
Click here to learn more and register.
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Are you a Builder Looking to Participate in the CHBA Net Zero Home Labelling Program?
CHBA BC
As consumer demand and government requirements for higher levels of energy efficiency in homebuilding and renovation grow CHBA BC is offering training to builders who wish to participate in the CHBA Net Zero Home Labelling Program.
The CHBA Net Zero Builder Training is delivered by webinar and is a requirement for builders/renovators participating in the Labelling Program.
The program provides the industry and consumers with a clearly defined and rigorous two-tiered technical requirement that recognizes Net Zero and Net Zero Ready Homes, and the builders and renovators who provide them.
The Builder Training webinar series is approved for 12 CPD points. The cost is $499 and registration is available here.
Builders who participate in the labelling program are listed in the directory on our Qualified Net Zero Energy Professionals page.
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Updated Checklist for BC Step Code Compliance
Energy Step Code
The Part 9 BC Step Code Compliance Checklist, which provides a standardized report template, has undergone updates to address several bugs. Access the latest version here.
Moving forward, local governments and designers should utilize this revised version instead. The changes have been documented in the Checklist Guide tab of the Excel document.
Energystepcode.ca also has a Part 9 Energy and Zero Carbon Checklist training video for members of the construction industry and building officials who create and review these reports.
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Promoted by Fortis BC
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Workforce Development Program asks Students, why the Skilled Trades?
CHBA BC
Last week, as part of CHBA BC's Workforce Development program, we conducted several focus groups with trades students at Thompson Rivers University.
The goal of the focus groups was to gather input from people in their early career stages to find out why they chose the skilled trades and what messaging would encourage others to follow them.
The concept of a trades career creating the financial freedom to live the lifestyle you want was a major theme of the discussion. The feedback also focused on a perceived lack of pay transparency by students and being unclear about what the future opportunities in their trade are.
The valuable insight we gathered from the students will be incorporated into our content and messaging for our initiatives to encourage people to pursue careers as homebuilders.
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Cross-sector Experts Gather to Tackle Local Housing Challenges at the "Home Sweet Home" Summit in Kelowna
CHBA CO
CHBA Central Okanagan's "Home Sweet Home" summit aims to break down barriers and activate connections for meaningful partnerships, strengthen ties between public and private sector players, and ensure all local stakeholders have an opportunity to contribute to real solutions for affordable housing challenges across the Okanagan and further into the Interior.
The keynote speaker is Julia Deans, President and Chief Executive Officer of Habitat for Humanity Canada, the country’s only affordable homeownership organization. Julia will encourage attendees to challenge perceived barriers to building housing, embrace cross-sectoral partnerships, and imagine innovative solutions to the housing crisis.
Former Mayor of Victoria, Lisa Helps, now a key part of Premier David Eby's housing strategy taskforce, has also been invited to serve as a facilitator for some of the sessions.
The summit will take place on Friday, March 1st at the Delta Grand Hotel in Kelowna. Learn more and register here.
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New Ministers Appointed for Citizens' Services; Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills
BC Government
On Monday, the Premier announced the appointment of Lisa Beare as Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, and George Chow as Minister of Citizens' Services.
CHBA BC looks forward to working with Min. Beare to promote careers in homebuilding and close the gap of skilled trades that have impacted both the cost and rate of construction in the province.
Read the full announcement here.
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BC United Releases its Housing Platform
BC United
Late last week, the BC United Party, announced the details of their housing plan entitled, United to Fix Housing.
Focused on making housing less expensive, four key proposals underpin the plan:
- Establish a new rent-to-own program which will require developers of new housing to set aside up to 15 percent of homes in participating projects for eligible British Columbians who are first-time buyers only.
- Eliminate the Property Transfer Tax (PTT) on properties valued up to $1 million
- Use empty public land to build affordable housing by offering non-profit and market homebuilders 99-year leases on unused public land at one dollar per year.
- Eliminate the PST on new residential construction to build more homes to make it cheaper to build more homes.
To learn more about BC United's housing platform, see the backgrounder here.
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Weekly Update
Canadian Home Builders' Association of British Columbia
400-6400 Roberts Street | Burnaby, B.C., V5G 4C9
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Don't delay, secure your "Golden Ticket" today for the 2024 Georgie Awards Gala on May 25 at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver. Tickets are 