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2020 AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE IN HOUSING - OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS
The Awards of Excellence in Housing honors exceptional achievements and admirable service in the respective fields of the Associations’ Members. Awards range from new home design, renovation, safety, best trade / supplier to the prestigious Builder of the Year, Custom Builder of the Year and Development of the Year.
Entering the awards can be a lengthy process and we want to express our appreciation to those who take the time to participate. We hope we have worked out some glitches from past years and it is our hope that our website will be a smoother experience and appreciate your patience and feedback.
If you should encounter any difficulties during the entry process, please contact our office with the details and we will guide you through and ensure any and all errors are taken care of as quickly as possible.
Deadline for submissions is November 13, 2020
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Today the City of Lethbridge launched the Secondary Suite Lookup tool
The City of Lethbridge has a secondary suites webpage that outlines the process of building a legal secondary suite. Today it launched a tool that allows the public to look up if a secondary suite is an approved one.
The Secondary Suite Registry is an online tool designed to enable residents and tenants to look up a property and determine if the secondary suite has received development approval and has been inspected by a Safety Code Officer.
Legal secondary suites are built to specific building codes that are designed for the safety of the tenant. There are also development considerations specific to Lethbridge on where they are permitted, and other design considerations such as a separate entrance and additional parking requirements.
Dangerous illegal secondary suites have long been a concern of BILD Lethbridge. Illegal suites are often unsafe and can result in tragic consequences. We saw a reminder of that last week, with charges being laid on two people following a fire in Lethbridge that killed a man living in an illegal basement suite in July 2019. Charges laid in fire that killed basement tenant in Lethbridge
As the demand for secondary suites increases the potential for dangerous illegal suites to pop up increases. BILD Lethbridge Builders and Developers work together to design neigbourhoods and build houses to accommodate secondary suites demand. BILD Lethbridge renovators and contractors are also committed to building quality legal suites.
BILD Lethbridge sees the Secondary Suite Lookup tool as a great step in helping the renters and residents to find legal secondary suites. BILD Lethbridge will continue to call for a crack down on illegal suites for the safety of Lethbridge residents.
Bridget Mearns, Executive Officer
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CHBA National - 2019 Economic Impact Fact Sheets
CHBA released their annual Economic Impact Fact Sheets, which highlight the extensive reach the residential construction industry is having on the Canadian economy in each of Canada's communities.
The new home construction and renovation industries are crucial to every community and the Canadian economy at large, creating jobs at the local level that help our communities thrive.
In Lethbridge...
Lethbridge Reports:
Economic Impacts of New Home Construction - Lethbridge
Home Renovation & Repair - Lethbridge Area
Total Impacts - Lethbridge Area
The fact sheets reflect estimated economic impacts of residential activity for the past year based on Stats Canada and CMHC data. All provincial and municipal factsheets can be found here.
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CHBA National released new publication
Residential Construction in Canada: Economic Performance Review 2019 with 2020 Insights
The new publication provides a holistic overview of the housing market and the significant economic impacts of the residential construction industry in Canada. The report is CHBA’s breakdown and analysis of relevant Statistics Canada and CMHC data, with more in-depth analysis, explanations, and graphs.
Click here for full report
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City Council Highlights for September 21, 2020
City Council meets every other Monday. The next meeting is October 5. You can find the agenda here
Here are some highlights from the September 21 City Council meeting.
* City Council voted 8-1 to pass a referral motion sending a request from the Performing Arts Centre Advocacy group to the steering committee for a recommendation back to council by Nov. 2. Dianne King, on behalf of Performing Arts Centre Advocacy Group, asked that council defeat a resolution to discontinue the project and authorize the steering committee to continue working on the project. The motion stated that the City of Lethbridge is undergoing operational reviews to look for efficiencies and opportunities for reinvestments, and that the Province of Alberta has signaled austerity and has not supported expressions of interest for all of our projects submitted through the CIP. Coun. Jeff Carlson then proposed a referral motion, which was passed, to send this OBR to the PAC steering committee, then back to council with a specific recommendation.
* City Council voted unanimously to provide continuing support regarding the implementation of the Municipal Housing Strategy, following a presentation from Martin Thomsen, Manager, Community Social Development. Thomsen says safe and affordable housing is foundational in ensuring a community thrives. All of society suffers when there is not an adequate supply of safe and affordable housing.
* City Council voted unanimously in favour of an agenda add-on OBR proposed by Coun. Rob Miyashiro regarding local EMS dispatch. The passed motion includes that the Mayor send a formal request to AHS and the Provincial Government urging them to continue with local dispatch of EMS services.
*City Council voted unanimously to refer to administration a presentation by Michael Kelly, Real Estate and Land Development Manager, on the Affordable/Social Housing Capital Project Grant. Kelly says the Community and Economic Recovery Committee have been discussing opportunities for development-based incentives to support business owners and potential investors. Council policies have been proposed to be amended to provide those opportunities. Proposed changes are: Name changed to Affordable/Social Housing Capital Project Grant; Social Housing in Action Committee has been decommissioned so references are deleted; No maximum level of funding available for a project; Eligible projects extended to Social Housing.
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Construction projects at colleges and a university will bring about 300 good jobs to Medicine Hat, Standoff and Lethbridge
Together, the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta, with the support of municipalities or post-secondary institutions, will provide more than $52.7 million to complete four infrastructure projects in southern Alberta as approved through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP).
Endorsed by Alberta’s government, infrastructure improvement projects are moving forward at the University of Lethbridge, Medicine Hat College and Red Crow Community College, and to a French community-based project in Calgary.
This ICIP funding will help the University of Lethbridge provide an open administrative space and offices for Indigenous elders and student counsellors. The renovated space will also feature an Indigenous gathering space for talking circles led by elders, celebrations and other events, complete with a new smudging exhaust system. Read More...
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CHBA FALL WEBINAR SERIES PRESENTS - LOOKING AHEAD AT THE ECONOMY & HOMEOWNERSHIP IN CANADA
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An interactive panel discussion with industry experts
October 7, 2020 | 9:00 AM – 10:30 PM MST
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In this panel discussion, industry experts will share their perspectives on the economic impact that COVID-19 has had on Canadians and what effects that impact may have on homeownership as Canada enters a period of economic recovery. The discussion will be moderated by Kevin Lee, CEO of the Canadian Home Builders Association.
Expert Panelists
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Michael J. Linehan
Vice President & National Head – RBC Mortgage Specialists
In his position, Mike is responsible for mortgage acquisition within RBC’s Career Sales Force. The mortgage team exceeds 1700 employees who originate and support well in excess of $40 Billion dollars annually in residential mortgages and Royal Credit Lines.
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Peter Norman
Vice President and Chief Economist at Altus Group
Peter is a well-known professional land economist and forecaster. Widely quoted in the Canadian media, Mr. Norman is a frequent expert witness on economic matters and leads a national team of economic consultants advising private and public sector organizations across Canada, providing economic intelligence and strategic information.
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Kiki Sauriol-Roode
Vice-President, Business Development, Genworth Canada
In her position, Kiki is responsible for key national lender relationships, along with the development and execution of sales strategies directly linked to increasing market share and brand awareness as she supports the lending, real estate and building industries in Canada.
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If you would like to submit information to the Member Bulletin Board email to info@bildlethbridge.ca
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Become a shareholder of Exhibition Park
For over 120 years, Lethbridge & District Exhibition has been an integral part of the heartbeat of #SouthernAlberta, hosting events, providing entertainment but most importantly bringing the community together. In 2021, Lethbridge & District Exhibition will embark on a journey that will define the next 100 years. Not just as an organization but as a community in Southern Alberta.
Take advantage of this unique opportunity and become a part of local history! Join our growing team of shareholders, volunteers and community members and become an influential part of the next 100 years! |
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CHBA Nova Scotia Looking for Judges for 2020 Awards
We are gearing up for the start of the 2020 CHBA NS Kohltech Peak Awards, with a submissions deadline of October 8, 2019. As a valued CHBA member, we wanted to reach out to see if you would be interested in judging the 2020 Awards. If you are interested in participating as a judge in the 2020 awards program please respond by Monday, October 12 and please indicate which category you would be interested in judging ( Renovations, New Homes or Marketing). Our process is fairly simple. All files will be organized by category in one master dropbox file and then broken down by company submission. Each application will be accompanied by a judging form with all of the companies who have submitted applications and the judging criteria for that specific category. All we need you to do is fill in the forms with your score.
As well, if you are unable to judge this year and have someone in mind that could help us please feel free to send along with their email address or phone number and we will certainly reach out to them to see if they would be of interest. We hope that you will consider being a part of this prestigious awards program.
Crystal Ingram, Executive Assistant | Canadian Home Builders’ Association – Nova Scotia
Phone: (902) 450-5455 | Email: crystal@chbans.ca
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Pandemic Has Increased Homebuying Intentions Among Young Canadians
Canadian Mortgage Trends
There may be uncertainty on the horizon for the country's real estate market, but young Canadians are undeterred and remain optimistic about the prospect of buying a home. Read More...
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Net interprovincial migration slips into negative territory
ATB Economic - The Owl
Alberta lost over 2,700 residents to other parts of the country during the second quarter (April to June). This followed three quarters of net gains.
Only three provinces experienced a net gain from interprovincial migration in the second quarter with British Columbia leading the country at 7,940, followed by Nova Scotia (1,443) and New Brunswick (310).
People move around the country for a wide range of reasons, but perceived economic opportunity is a key factor. Given that Alberta’s economy was reeling from both the pandemic and the oil price crash during the second quarter, it is not surprising to see interprovincial migration slip into negative territory. Read More...
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$48-million to rebuild Red Crow Community College campus after 2015 fire
Lethbridge News Now
STANDOFF, AB – Significant grants have been announced to re-build the main campus of Red Crow Community College (RCCC) on the Blood Reserve.
A fire in August 2015 resulted in over $10-million in losses, completely destroying all electronics, books, artifacts, and other items.
The federal government will contribute $20-million to the project while another $28-million will come from “municipal/other sources.”
The campus, totalling 9,888 square metres, will provide training to create a “talent pipeline” for key industries in the region such as agriculture and agri-business, and to support long-term regional development. Read More...
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D YK that the Association partners with Exhibition Park to bring Southern Alberta the Home & Garden Trade Show held each year?
Did you know as a Member of BILD Lethbridge you receive 10% discount as a vendor when you participate in the Trade Show?
Although 2020 Home & Garden was cancelled. Planning for 2021 Home & Garden is underway.
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COVID-19 Resource List
The BILD Lethbridge website has a dedicated page that contains links to the provincial, federal and municipal programs and updates for your easy reference. You can find it HERE .
Other helpful main links:
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QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? COMMENTS?
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