Kevin also credits the association’s surveying and data-gathering capabilities. He explains that “informing government policy requires having well-substantiated, objective information,” and that the CHBA is effective at gathering that intelligence. Also, Kevin says, the association is “constructive and respectful” in their dialogue with government, and he believes that respect goes a long way. “Often we’re in a position where we have to oppose something that’s being proposed, but if you can do that in a respectful and informed way, and bring intelligent arguments one way or the other, then you’re able to have good dialogue with policy makers,” he says. “No policy maker is trying to do something wrong,” he adds. “They’re trying to make the best decisions with the best information they can get their hands on, and an important role of the association is to provide that best information and the view from the industry.” “When you’re advocating with government it’s really important to understand what they are trying to achieve, what their goals are,” he continues. “A lot of the time, what we work on is trying to find the alignment. Government might want to do something, and we don’t agree with how they are trying to do it, but maybe there’s a way that what they’re trying to achieve can align with what’s important to our industry.” As an example of finding that alignment, Kevin points to the ongoing debate on energy efficiency in housing codes. The government has declared some ambitious timelines, and the CHBA has pushed back – but it’s not because they don’t share the same goals. “We know climate change is a big issue,” Kevin says. “We’ve been a leading organization for decades on energy efficiency. We literally wrote the book on it.” He’s referring to the CHBA Builders’ Manual, which is a 450+ page textbook on how to build energy-efficient housing in Canada. The latest edition, which members can purchase for a discount, even addresses how to build net-zero housing – i.e., homes that produce as much energy as they consume each year. “So we’re very supportive of energy efficiency,” Kevin explains. “The challenge right now is an acceleration of regulation to try to get that energy efficiency into the code as fast as possible. There’s a goal of being ‘net-zero ready’ by 2030.” Again, the CHBA is mostly on board with that goal. The problem, however, is the technology is not yet affordable for most Canadians. “So what we’re doing is telling government that, ‘Yes, we want to get there as well.’ In fact, we already know how to get there. It’s just expensive right now. So what we need to do is work together to find the technical solutions to make it more affordable. We want to see the timelines for regulation align with affordability, so that we’re not making housing less affordable for Canadians.” Kevin admits that the alignment isn’t 100 per cent there yet, but that the dialogue is progressing well. He is confident that industry and government will find a way to achieve their common goal together. APRIL 2022
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