Last week, BILD Calgary Region Chief Executive Office, Brian Hahn had the opportunity to attend the CHBA National Fall Meetings in Ottawa, ON. Below is a brief overview of Brian’s thoughts on the week.
Overall outlook on the Calgary Region
“Comparatively, the Calgary Region is in an enviable position given the market circumstances seen in other metropolitan regions across Canada. As the Calgary Region continues to grow, there will be a wealth of opportunities for growth for our members as well.”
On Labour Supply
“Supply continues to be the key that unlocks affordability in our industry. I was pleased to see significant attention devoted to addressing this issue that has had a profound impact on our industry. The CHBA Board of Directors explored additional strategies to bolster the labor force and deliberated on how CHBA can further advocate for government support through the immigration system to meet the industry’s labor demands. BILDCR will maintain close collaboration with the Calgary Catholic School Board, Calgary Board of Education, SAIT, and other post-secondary institutions, seeking ways to showcase the remarkable industry. At a recent trades career fair at James Fowler High School in Calgary, various BILD Member organizations hosted booths including, Homes By Avi, SPAAR Inc., Iconic Power Systems Inc., CANA Construction, and AAA Doors Ltd.”
(Photos provided by: https://www.linkedin.com/company/careersnextgen/)
On Modular Home Building
“Another area explored was the role of factory-built construction methods as our industry looks to increase productivity while grappling with the labour supply shortages. The primary focus of this discussion centered on establishing a more controlled construction environment for modular housing. The ultimate objective is to adopt an “assembly line” approach that can enhance the efficiency of homebuilding. In the Calgary Region, BILDCR will persist in advocating for affordability, innovation, and choice, and we view modular housing as a viable path to offer these benefits to both current and future Calgarians.”
On Renovations
“CHBA staff proposed solutions to address Renovators’ priorities. This includes creating a training hub to connect renovators with existing high-quality training, establishing a Renovators’ Forum for local input into commercial renovation centers, and promoting engagement in training related Save to Net Zero projects. More information on Renomark will follow shortly so please ensure you are signed up to receive communications emails with CHBA National.”
CHBA National recently communicated a newsletter that covered the highlights from the conference which can be viewed here.
