The campaign season is upon us as candidates for Council gear up for the October 16 civic election. Every four years, councillor and mayoral candidates are out in full force at industry events and in your neighbourhoods knocking on doors. The opportunity to talk directly to a candidate is the best way to get to know their platform and their personality, so you can make an informed decision on who gets your vote.
Your time is valuable, and the candidates are busy spreading their messages, so what can you ask them that is short and valuable?
BILD Calgary Region has provided you with two key questions to ask any candidate, in Calgary or the region, to help get a sense of whether they are knowledgeable about our industry, if they have even considered our Industry, and if they are a champion for business.
Top of mind for most businesses and citizens, understandably, is the economy. Our first suggested question will help determine what the candidate would do to ensure resiliency in the economy and what they would do to make sure members of our industry have job security.
The second question will help understand whether the candidate believes in Council controlling (regulating) our industry or if they believe in the market deciding which housing choices consumers have. This question is fundamental to BILD Calgary Region’s advocacy work. Currently, a ‘creep’ of regulation and policy is slowly eroding choice and affordability for our citizens and BILD Calgary Region is working to stop, and ultimately reverse this trend. The market should be the driver for growth, choice, and competition, all things that create a healthy housing market.
BILD Calgary Region will not be making suggestions on who you should vote for; however, we do encourage you to consider whether candidate’s platforms are beneficial to our industry, and most importantly to you as a member of the industry.
For our part, BILD Calgary Region will meet with, and educate, candidates about our industry. It is important that candidates understand that, if elected, they will be spending a great deal of time on planning and development issues that affect our industry.
Two Questions to ask:
- As you know, it is easier to keep jobs than attract new ones. If elected, how would you help the home building and development industry be more resilient, especially during tough economic times?
- Which do you believe should drive development and housing choice; market forces or Council approved policy and regulation?
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