Several tasks were approved by the association's Board of Directors to better position CHBA for the green wave that's rapidly approaching. CHBA will work with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) to develop best practice guides for the development of environmentally responsible communities. This is something that EnerVision in Alberta is already working hard on.
In addition to several other items on the environment, a number of steps were taken to deal with building code issues that impact environmental policy. As an example, CHBA will step up its evaluation of EnerGuide and point out that it was never meant as a regulatory instrument. Already in Ontario, legislation is on the books to make EnerGuide 80 mandatory in the 2012 building code in that province. However CHBA argues that EnerGuide was intended for voluntary and not mandatory purposes. Another voluntary program,
R-2000, will be reviewed by CHBA and proposals will be made to update the technical standard. R-2000 builders across Canada will have input.
There were several interesting developments at a number of committee meetings. At the Economic Research Committee, economists Peter Anderson and Peter Norman were bullish on Canada's housing industry. They both expect around 230,000 housing starts in Canada this year and while the numbers won't be as strong in 2008, there still should be well over 200,000 starts. CHBA - Alberta President Vince Laberge predicted a ten percent reduction in Alberta's housing starts next year. In addition, Anderson said he wouldn't be surprised to see the Canadian Dollar rise to between $1.05 and $1.10 US. Almost on cue, the Looney hit a 47-year high on Monday morning.
At the Urban Council meeting, members heard a presentation from the City of Calgary on its well-received changes to the building permitting system. CMHC also released its final draft report on the impact of what are known as government-imposed charges (taxes, fees and levies) on new home buyers. These various taxes now exceed $60,000 a home in eight cities in Canada. Fortunately Alberta's new home buyers pay somewhat less.
At the Technical Research Committee meeting members were told about the work being done by the association on the spatial separation issue as fire officials and others look to change the building code to provide better fire safety. The association has been working to ensure that proper construction practices receive as much consideration as improved fire safety.
The Marketing Committee heard presentations on the consumer's desire for energy efficient and environmentally sustainable products, and learned about effective "Green Marketing" . The presentations and summaries will be available shortly.
The next round of national meetings won't take place until just before the CHBA conference in Whistler, BC in early April.
