Building & Industry News
Colwood Must Consider Health & Safety, Costs of Step Code
Colwood council is considering adopting a new energy efficiency regulation this year called BC Step Code 3, bypassing steps 1 & 2. The primary purpose of a building code is health and safety, and for that reason alone, council should reject leaping into BC Step...
Municipal Inspections Generate Big Surpluses Despite New Housing Decline
We recently wrote about homebuyers paying for the layering of government fees and regulations, such as the Step Code and Victoria’s recent “deconstruction” initiative. Municipal councils’ claims to support housing affordability often conflict with their actions...
Homebuyers Pay for Misguided Municipal Policies
The big myth perpetuated by many municipalities is that builders pay for added government fees and regulations. In fact, the end user or homebuyer pays for the costs added to any product. This is a fundamental truth that many elected officials would rather not...
April Housing Starts Down, Year-To-Date Still Up
Acciording to CMHC, Greater Victoria's housing starts declined 23% in April 2021 vs last year. New housing is 358 vs 467 in April 2020. However, starts are still up 21% year-to-date at 1,332 vs last year's 1,097. Langford continues to lead with 169 in April followed...
Prioritize Housing Over Municipal Autonomy
It’s been more than 20 years since demographer David Foot released his bestseller Boom, Bust & Echo and the message still rings true. “When you get a big group of people moving through the same stage of their life at the same time, that’s what generates the...
Development Education Program Needed
One of the challenges of being a developer and builder is explaining our business model and the opportunity for community revitalization to elected officials and the public. For example, if the community expects amenities, significant green space, tree preservation...
Avoid Pandemic Renovation Scammers
Phony home-improvement solicitations are a leading scam during the pandemic according to the Better Business Bureau of Vancouver Island. These scams usually start with a knock on the door or a flyer offering cheap prices. Usually, there is no contract and they often...
Municipal Permit Revenue Strong While Housing Starts Decline
Rising prices of materials and labour are boosting the cost of building permits because permits are charged as a tax, not as a fee for service. For example, despite rising housing demand, home starts in Saanich have been in decline for a number of years: 2017 - 625...
Study Shows Housing Affordability Best Served by Market
The Connectedness of Our Housing Ecosystem, an article by Daniel Herriges, reflects on a study called The Effect of New Market-Rate Housing Construction on the Low-Income Housing Market by economist Evan Mast. Mast tracked the migration of families moving in and out...
55% of New Homes in Langford & Colwood
From January to March 2021, CMHC reports Langford and Colwood are responsible for 55% of new homes in the CRD. There are 974 total housing starts year-to-date of which 533 are in the two municipalities out of 13. Langford represents 40% and a recent news story on...