Monthly Housing Reports
November’s unit sales were 3,525 units, down approximately 3% over last year due to weak sales in Wood Buffalo and South-Central Alberta. Overall, year-to-date sales are below long-term trends.

Year-to-date housing starts are 2.6% below last year however, depending on the market some locales are building substantially more homes than last year. The bulk of new home construction has been row or semi-detached homes, and multi-unit/apartment.

Housing inventories remain high despite improvements in sales in the province’s major cities and a slowdown in new listings. This has helped create a buyer’s market in many regions as housing prices have dropped. The average sale price of a home has seen a year-to-date decrease of 2.5% in Alberta with only Lethbridge seeing a sizable increase in sale prices. Wood Buffalo has seen the largest decrease, showing a year-to-date decline of 6.7%.

The following table provides a snapshot of key indicators for Alberta’s major centres. More detailed information of the individual centres is available in the local reports.
Red Tape Reduction
BILD Alberta remains focused on the implementation of our 29 Red Tape Recommendations . To help the provincial government understand the implications of red tape on businesses and housing affordability we are preparing case studies to highlight real world issues faced by our members.

If you are interested in helping, please fill out the attached template and send it to Scott Fash .

Prompt Payment
Service Alberta has initiated consultations on Prompt Payment legislation for Alberta. Similar legislation has been introduced in Ontario and is being considered in British Columbia. Prompt Payment is an approach to provide stricter guidelines for payment to contractors and sub-contractors. Click here to find a brief background document. As more information is made available, we will share it with members.
 
While in its early stages it is anticipated this process will move quickly and BILD Alberta is assessing all available information to develop a formal position. If you have feedback on Prompt Payment, please review the background document and submit feedback to Erin Devlin .
Proposed Changes to Codes
BILD Alberta has created a summary of key proposed changes included in the fall 2019 public consultation that would impact the industry.
 
BILD Alberta’s Provincial Residential Technical Committee and staff have reviewed the proposed changes and are submitting comments on behalf of members. Members are encouraged to review the proposed changes and to provide formal comments to National Research Council before December 23, 2019. Your feedback is critical to ensuring that the full impact of any proposed change is fully considered prior to their inclusion in the National Codes. We are asking members to providing specific examples of how the proposed changes would impact your business and its customers and for comments related to the accuracy of cost implications that are given as part of the proposed changes.
 
An additional national public review will open in January 13 - March 13, 2020 which will include the addition of Energy STEP Codes to 9.36 of the National Building Code and to the National Energy Code for Buildings.
 
For more information or if you have questions or concerns please contact Matthew Armstrong .
Joint Worksite Health & Safety Committees
The Ministry of Labour recently announced a number of changes to Joint Worksite Health & Safety Committees . These changes do not address the challenges specific to the residential construction industry, but the Minister has committed to a more fulsome review of the legislation in 2020. BILD Alberta has previously submitted recommendations to address the challenges JWSHSCs pose for residential construction and will continue to advocate for these changes. If you have any questions, please contact Matthew Armstrong .
Call for Speakers
Planning for the Spring Conference in Banff April 16 & 17 is well underway! We are looking for dynamic presenters who can present on the following topics:
  • Net Zero on Community Design
  • Wellsite Planning – abandoned sites
  • Tech Disruption – AI, Smart Cities, solar, 5G
  • Green infrastructure
  • Social Media and Advertising
  • Cultural consultant
  • Financing as it relates to land development
  • Design Communities to Age Healthily

If you are interested in participating as a speaker, fill out the speaker application form and tell us more about why we want to hear from you.
UPCOMING EVENTS
- Jan. 15 - Economic Update
- Jan. 23 - Innovation and Technology in Our Homes

- Jan. 16 - Wear your Confidence
- Feb. 3 & 4 - Residential Construction Industry Conference ( RCIC )

- Jan. 16 - Luncheon featuring guest speaker: Catherine Rothrock - new venue

- Banff - April 16 & 17
- Jasper - September 10 - 13

Are you a member hosting a session, workshop or webinar that will educate industry members? Let us know and we will share it on our website .  
From our House to Yours

On behalf of BILD Alberta Board of Directors and staff, we wish you and your families the best of the holiday season and a safe and prosperous New Year!