Housing BC Together Program

Summit Opening: Working Together to Boost Supply

Communities across the province face a range of unique housing challenges. This session will focus on what high-growth communities are doing to improve the delivery of housing, the challenges they are facing, and how federal and provincial supports could bolster local efforts to increase housing supply. Featuring remarks by MP Terry Beech (Burnaby North–Seymour), Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance; Honourable Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Government House Leader and Jen Ford, UBCM president and a panel of elected officials from across B.C.

Accommodating Rapid Growth

Chaired by Dan Fumano, Reporter / Columnist at The Province and the Vancouver Sun.

Panelists:

• Honourable Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Housing and Government House Leader
• MP Terry Beech (Burnaby North–Seymour), Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
• Mayor Ken Sim, City of Vancouver
• Mayor Marianne Alto, City of Victoria
• Mayor Tom Dyas, City of Kelowna
• Mayor Mike Hurley, City of Burnaby
• Mayor Malcolm Brodie, City of Richmond
• Mayor Brenda Locke, City of Surrey
• Councillor Jenna Stoner, District of Squamish

Indigenous Housing Partnerships and Opportunities

Case studies of Indigenous-led housing developments and partnerships on housing, highlighting how local governments can work together with Indigenous housing providers and developers to deliver housing.

Chaired by Councillor Trish Mandewo, City of Coquitlam

Panelists:

• Margaret Pfoh, CEO, Aboriginal Housing Management Association
• Rod Hill,  Director, Indigenous Asset Management, BC Housing
• Sarah Silva, Vice President of Real Estate & Development, Nch’ḵay̓ Development Corporation

Labour Shortages and Supply Chain Disruptions

With labour shortages and supply chain disruptions continuing to pose significant challenges for the construction sector, an “all-hands on deck” approach is crucial to ensure that communities can build enough housing to meet demand.  This session will explore how these challenges are playing out and what the implications are for the delivery of housing supply.  Panelists will also consider the path forward - policy options to fix broken supply chains and labour shortages, and opportunities for innovation.

Chaired by Trevor Koot, CEO, BC Real Estate Association

Panelists:

• Bridgitte Anderson, President and CEO, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade
• Chris Atchison, President, BC Construction Association
• Jeremy Holm, Director, Development Approvals, City of Nanaimo

Densification and Upzoning

Communities across the province are taking a variety of innovative approaches to incorporate ‘missing middle’ housing, secondary suites and other forms of higher density housing in residential areas in response to affordability pressures, climate change and an evolving provincial policy framework. Panelists in this session will discuss the current provincial policy framework, its implications, and examples of transferable approaches to densification.

Chaired by Tamara White, Associate Executive Director, Small Housing

Panelists:

• Andrew Merrill, Director of Development Services, City of Coquitlam
• Pam Hartling, Housing Planning and Policy Manager, District of Saanich
• Andrea Hudson, Assistant Director, Community Planning, City of Victoria
• Jessica Brooks, Executive Director, Planning and Land Use Management, Ministry of Housing

Tackling Homelessness

Join the Ministry of Housing, the Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions, and BC Housing in a discussion on addressing homelessness in B.C. Attendees will also hear from the Fraser Valley Regional District on homelessness in rural and Crown areas, and the role that their municipalities play in supporting those populations. The session will also feature an overview of the North Shore Homelessness Initiative, which includes five North Shore governments, the provincial government and other agencies.

Chaired by Councillor Sarah Kirby-Yung, City of Vancouver

Panelists:

• Sarah Petrescu, Meghan Will, BC Ministry of Housing
• Tricia Poilievre, Ministry of Mental Health and Addictions
• Heidi Hartman, BC Housing Associate VP, Supportive Housing & Homelessness
• Chair Jason Lum, Fraser Valley Regional District
• Mayor Linda Buchanan, City of North Vancouver

Delegate Reception (Junior Ballroom)

Sponsored by BC General Employees’ Union (Silver) and Young Anderson Barristers & Solicitors (Bronze)

Media Panel

The ongoing crisis in housing affordability and attainability has been extensively covered by B.C.-based journalists. In this session we will ask some familiar voices for to step out from behind the story to reflect on why the housing crisis has proven to be such an intractable problem and what the most promising policy options are for substantive change.

Chaired by Gary MacIsaac, Executive Director, UBCM

• Justin McElroy, Municipal Affairs Reporter, CBC News  
• Hayley Woodin, Editor-in-Chief, Business in Vancouver
• Frances Bula, Urban Issues Writer, Globe and Mail

Breakout Session

Speculation - Progress & Challenges (Junior Ballroom)

Housing in Canada means different things to different people. First and foremost, housing is about homes, but for some it is also an investment or a retirement plan. This session will explore how governments are navigating these sometimes conflicting objectives. Panelists will consider recent initiatives and explore what more can and should be done to address speculation. 

Chaired by Karen Hoese, Director of Sustainable Planning and Community Development, City of Victoria

Panelists:

• Jill Atkey, CEO, BC Non-Profit Housing Association
• Tom Davidoff, University of British Columbia, Sauder School of Business
• Joshua Gordon, Senior Analyst, Statistics Canada
• Andy Yan, City Program, Simon Fraser University 

Breakout Session

Expediting Development Approvals (Grand Ballroom)

The continuing crisis in housing affordability and attainability is a matter of significant concern for communities across B.C. with all orders of government working together to explore ways to expedite development approvals and increase the supply of housing. This session will feature a discussion of current and pending initiatives to expedite approvals, including examples of local best practices and provincial programs.

Chaired by Councillor Craig Hodge, City of Coquitlam

Panelists:

• Lori Halls, Deputy Minister for Water, Lands and Resource Stewardship
• Diana Dilworth, Director of Government Relations, Homebuilders Association Vancouver
• Don Luymes, General Manager, Planning and Development, City of Surrey
• Lance Jakubec, Municipal Relations Team, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
• Eric Nicholls, Director Planning and Land Use Management, Ministry of Housing

Breakout Session

Rural and Northern Challenges & Opportunities (Junior Ballroom)

This session will explore the unique challenges in increasing housing supply and affordability faced by smaller communities. Panelists will delve into issues such as the difficulties in attracting developers, step code-related challenges, staff and capacity constraints; and will propose approaches and supports to address these challenges.

Chaired by Councillor Laurey-Anne Roodenburg, City of Quesnel

Panelists:

• Mayor Vickey Brown, Village of Cumberland
• Councillor Cori Ramsay, City of Prince George
• Heather Nelson-Smith, CAO, District of Port Hardy
• MLA Roly Russell, Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Development, Boundary-Similkameen

Breakout Session

Housing and Local Government Finance (Grand Ballroom)

As our communities grow, new residents and housing standards put pressure on existing infrastructure and services. Local governments face the challenge of paying for the basics of roads, sewage treatment, and water supply as well as services like libraries and recreation facilities to build a complete community. If growth isn’t paying for growth, who should pay? The costs are real and unavoidable, how do we share them fairly between developers, existing residents, and the next generations?

Chaired by Mayor Maja Tait, District of Sooke

Panelists:

• Brian Bedford, Executive Director, Local Government Infrastructure and Finance, Ministry of Municipal Affairs
• Ron Rapp, CEO, Homebuilders Association Vancouver
• Lesley Scowcroft, Director, Planning and Land Use Management, Ministry of Housing
• Lisa Spitale, CAO, City of New Westminster
• David Stuart, CAO, District of North Vancouver

Breakout Session

Regulation of Short-Term Rentals (Junior Ballroom)

In 2020 UBCM convened a joint advisory group with the Province to identify improvements to the regulatory framework for short-term rentals, culminating in a 2021 report summarizing priority actions. This session will review the recommendations of the joint advisory group and consider how they might be addressed through anticipated new legislation to help local governments better regulate short-term rentals. Local case studies will be presented to further explore current issues in short-term rental regulation.

Chaired by Mayor Jack Crompton, Resort Municipality of Whistler

Panelists:

• Gord Enemark, Executive Director, Housing Policy Branch, Ministry of Housing
• Peter Luckham, Local Trustee (Thetis Island), Islands Trust
• Sarah Hicks, Chief Licence Inspector; and, Claire Thompson, Manager of Proactive Enforcement, City of Vancouver
• Regina Sadilkova, General Manager of Development Services, Thompson-Nicola Regional District

Breakout Session

Immigration & the Demand for Housing (Grand Ballroom)

This session will explore the significant housing needs to accommodate population growth, consider regional settlement trends, and highlight implications for all orders of government.  It will bring together experts in housing policy, immigration, and more to reflect on the opportunities and challenges faced by communities across B.C. as the population continues to grow.

Chaired by Councillor Trish Mandewo, City of Coquitlam

Panelists:

• B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs, the Honourable Anne Kang
• Dr. Dan Hiebert, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Chris Friesen, Chief Operating Officer, the Immigrant Services Society of BC
• David van Hemmen, Vice President, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade