Building & Industry News
Hire a Contractor Using VRBA Expression of Interest
On July 1, 2024 many municipalities were required to update their bylaws to accommodate the provincial legislation enabling moderate housing density (townhomes, duplexes, fourplexes, etc) in single family zones. In municipalities of more than 5,000 people, this...
BC Budget Consultation Reflects Housing Challenges & Solutions
In June, VRBA provided several recommendations to BC’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services to assist housing supply and affordability. The BC Budget Consultation committee released their report last week after receiving 350 presentations and...
Housing Starts Increase 29% in Greater Victoria
CMHC reports Greater Victoria’s 2,920 housing starts from January to July 2025 are 29% higher than the 2,259 starts in 2024. The vast majority are condo/apts representing 83% of new housing - mostly projects that were in the hopper a year, two-or-more ago. Despite the...
2025 CARE Awards Finalists Announced
The Victoria Residential Builders Association has announced the Finalists for the 2025 CARE Awards and you can vote for the popular Peoples’ Choice Award. From September 1 to September 14, view these outstanding homes at careawards.ca and vote for your favourite. The...
VRBA Announces 2025 CARE Awards Finalists
VICTORIA – Finalists for the 2025 Construction Achievements and Renovations of Excellence (CARE) Awards of Vancouver Island were announced today by the Victoria Residential Builders Association (VRBA). Media release is here. “Congratulations to these CARE Awards...
Watch for 2025 CARE Awards Finalists
Watch for our announcement of the 2025 CARE Awards finalists in early August appearing in the Times Colonist and other media. From September 1 to September 14, the finalists’ projects will be displayed at Hillside Centre and online at careawards.ca during the People’s...
BC Needs Reno Rebate for Safety, Economy, Jobs
Last week, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck south of Sand Point, Alaska, and was felt throughout the region. This year, our region has experienced significant earthquakes ranging from 3.9 to 4.7. This ongoing seismic activity is a reminder we live in a subduction...
Greater Victoria Housing Starts Up 23%
CMHC reports Greater Victoria’s 2,339 housing starts from January to June 2025 are 23% higher than the 1,906 starts in 2024. The vast majority are condo/apts representing 83% of new housing. New single family homes at 126 are down 12%. Duplexes/row housing are up 44%...
Unify for Responsible Planning
Municipal elections take place in 2026 and our small region of 440,000 will be electing 13 mayors and an army of councilors, overseeing 13 official community plans. This seems to defy logic if our region’s goal is good planning, consistent regulatory standards, and a...
A Rare Victory for Housing, Affordability & Sense
North Cowichan council has voted to set the current zero-carbon emissions level, which is at the highest level of EL-4, to match the BC Building Code level at EL-1 & follow the province's schedule for further changes to the zero-carbon step code. "concerns were...