HAVAN Members,
By now, many of you have heard former HAVAN CEO Ron Rapp passed peacefully last Thursday, July 18 surrounded by family and friends. We are re-posting the following message from Ron’s partner, Jill Kapuscinski, to ensure all members have been reached.
It is with great sadness that I share with you the passing of Ron Rapp, former CEO of HAVAN, on July 18, 2024, after a 10-month battle with very aggressive Acute Myeloid Leukaemia.
Throughout this journey, Ron continued, as HAVAN CEO, to be a positive, informed and influential spokesperson and champion of HAVAN’s mission, values and goals. Ron was honoured to be the voice of HAVAN, speaking on behalf of the membership to promote positive change in the home building industry.
Ron was very moved by the visits and the messages of support, admiration and thanks from members, industry contacts, friends and coworkers past and present.
Ron was lovingly supported by myself, his sons Cristien, Nick and his wife Martha, Devin and his wife Jhonna, and best friend Rudy during his final days. Sharing memories and stories, laughter and tears, Ron’s joy from the love we all shared brought him peace.
I was proud to be Ron’s partner and will miss him and the love we shared deeply.
Details of Ron’s memorial and of donation recipients in lieu of flowers will be shared in the coming days.
I offer my sympathy to all who will mourn and miss him.
We ask at this time to respect Jill’s privacy as she has requested no calls, texts or emails. HAVAN staff are also dealing with this heavy news and taking time as needed, so we request patience at this time.
As mentioned in Jill’s message, a celebration of life will be organized in a few weeks and details will be shared when ready. In the meantime, HAVAN has set-up a digital memory board where you can send condolences, messages, and even share fond memories of a man who made such an incredible impact on this industry, association, and the people around him. This album will also be shared with the family.
HAVAN continues to work with CHBA BC and CHBA to advocate for all levels of government to work together to address the challenges of the housing industry including zoning restrictions, density limits, and NIMBYism.
Looking to stay up-to-date on Metro Vancouver’s residential housing industry? Sign up for Wendy’s weekly Monday Morning Briefing and other HAVAN emails here.
QUICK BITES …
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Last Wednesday, the Government of Canada announced the largest public transit investment in Canadian history: the $30B Canada Public Transit Fund (CPTF) with conditions in place tying funding to the creation of housing. ‘…if municipalities want federal funding, they have to change their zoning by-laws to build more housing near transit.”
Those changes include:
- Eliminating all mandatory minimum parking requirements within 800 metres of a high-frequency transit line;
- Allowing high-density housing within 800 metres of a high-frequency transit line;
- Allowing high-density housing within 800 metres of post-secondary institutions; and
- Completing a housing needs assessment for all communities with a population greater than 30,000.
According to the federal government, the Canada Public Transit Fund will be a “permanent ongoing program” and funding is expected to begin flowing in 2026. The $30B number is for the first 10 years of the program and an average of $3B is expected to be delivered each year. Each year, approximately $2B will be delivered via the Metro-Region stream, $500M via the baseline funding stream, and another $500M via the targeted funding stream.
- Economists expect another Bank of Canada rate cut could be in store when it meets this coming Wednesday.
- According to Shaun Cathcart, CREA’s Senior Economist, ‘..What’s happening right now is that sales were up from May to June, market conditions tightened for the first time this year, and prices nationally ticked higher for the first time in 11 months.” Will another rate decrease spur on buyers? People are cautiously optimistic.
- BC Housing’s June Monthly New Homes Report is out. So far in 2024, total home registrations saw marginal increase at 0.7% from 2023. Registrations for multi-unit homes increased 2.5%, while registrations for single detached homes decreased 9.8%, with purpose-built rental units decreasing 3.6% year over year.
- Learn the Basics of Urban Planning One-Day On-line Class – July 27, Saturday, 9:30 am – 2:30 pm PST with Eric Aderneck, rpp, mpl, bcom, dule. Learn what urban planning is, why we plan, types of plans, planning concepts and terms, the process of preparing and implementing plans, how municipal plans and policies interconnectedly influence real estate development, and how it all contributes to city building.
