HAVAN   News
August 1, 2020
GRU #368
Government Relations Update #368
Jay Chadha, Government Relations Research Associate
Twitter: @HAVANofficial
As Councils begin their summer recess next week, there are no Agendas to report on. As such, GRU will be a relatively quick read this time around.
COVID-19

  • The Federal Government has launched a new COVID contact tracing app called ‘COVID Alert’.  
METRO WEST
For Your Information
NORTHEAST SECTOR
For Your Information

  • A formal application for the Moody Centre mixed-use project with 4000+ homes proposed has been submitted to the city. 
SOUTH OF FRASER
For Your Information

  • It is evident that confidence to build in Surrey is high as per Mayor Doug McCallum as the city approves over $692 Million worth of development. 
  • Here’s a piece from DailyHive titled ‘Culture and public transit integral for Surrey's momentum to become a "world-class" city’. The article summarizes key points made by panelists at a Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association event. 
NORTH SHORE
For Your Information
REGIONAL, PROVINCIAL, NATIONAL
For Your Information

  • The cost of new residential construction in Metro Vancouver has grown 2% year over year as per Stats Can’s Building Construction Price Index report\for Q2 2020.
  • The Pembina Institute has recently submitted this report titled ‘Accelerating B.C.’s economic recovery through building retrofits’ to the Provincial Government. 
  • From The Vancouver Sun - Best terms, bad deal: Secretive condo insurance price model may be boosting rates. 
  • Here’s an interesting read from Policy Note titled ‘BC’s housing crisis during the pandemic: A snapshot’. 
  • CMHC is working on “new tools” to help borrowers as the initial six-month mortgage deferral period (from the start of the pandemic) is set to end in the near future. With that being said, requests for mortgage deferrals have dipped from their peak as per Equitable Bank. 
  • Canada will be joining the Three Percent Club and as such has set an energy efficiency improvement target of 3%.
  • Built Green Canada is hosting a free two-part webinar on the topic of ‘Energy and Envelope’. The first part will be held on 11 August with part two in September. You can email [email protected] before noon on August 7 to RSVP. 
  • Following up from last week’s GRU, here are two more articles on the recent increase in demand for rural properties. One from The Globe and Mail, and the second from CTV News. One example of the increased demand is the Muskoka cottage region in Ontario which saw a whopping 73% year over year increase in sales over the last month. 
RENOVATIONS
For Your Information
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY
For Your Information

  • From Forbes - America’s Next Housing Crisis: How The Pandemic Is Pushing Renters To The Brink. 
EVERYTHING ELSE
For Your Information

  • From The Financial Post - Why you should factor in your real estate when you make all investment decisions. 
  • The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) is hosting a free webinar titled ‘Clicking into Efficiency: Increasing Interest in Energy Efficiency Through Real Estate Listings’ on 6 August. 
HAVAN, through its Government Relations department, works with Metro Vancouver local governments on important public policy issues, including pending and existing regulations which impact the home building industry. Non-partisan policy analysis and strategic consultation is provided in a collaborative approach in order to efficiently deliver to market the required supply of homes to support Metro Vancouver's 21 municipalities. Working with HAVAN members and industry stakeholders, to build and maintain positive relations with municipal, regional and provincial governments, HAVAN is the respected voice of Metro Vancouver's residential construction industry.
Contact us: [email protected] | 778-565-4288 |  www.havan.ca