HAVAN’s 2024/2025 BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COUNCIL CHAIRS ANNOUNCED
Vancouver, BC – Members of the Homebuilders Association Vancouver (HAVAN) elected Alisa Aragon-Lloyd, founder and CEO, Bridgestone Financing Pros as their 2024/2025 Chair at HAVAN’s Annual Election Meeting on Wednesday, October 9, 2024.
A HAVAN member for more than 12 years, Aragon-Lloyd has spent her entire career in the residential housing sector – working with multiple major developers, a property management company, a project marketing firm, and over half of her career in finance.
While continuing to run the day-to-day operations of her business, Alisa has been an active member of HAVAN, serving six years on the Board of Directors with the last two years in the roles of Second Vice Chair and First Vice Chair. In addition to her time on the Board, she also is Past-Chair of HAVAN’s Suppliers Council, Past Vice-Chair for HAVAN’s Membership Committee, and an enthusiastic volunteer and liaison to HAVAN’s many programs offered to foster advocacy, connections and education amongst members. Aragon-Lloyd resides in Coquitlam with her husband and son, and succeeds outgoing Chair, Henri Belisle, president TQ Construction.
Aragon-Lloyd addressed the 150 members in attendance at the annual dinner meeting emphasizing the need to be laser-focused on government relations and advocacy, with both provincial and federal elections on the horizon stating, ‘These are critical moments, and our voice as an industry must be heard.’
Wendy McNeil, HAVAN Acting CEO, congratulated Aragon-Lloyd on her new appointment, as Chair of the Board, and welcomed all new and returning members to the 2024/2025 HAVAN Board, while offering a heartfelt thanks to retiring members Lynn Harrison, Harrison Marketing Resources, Randy Chin, RBC, and Dave Deamer, Polygon Homes.
Also elected to the 2024/2025 HAVAN Executive Committee are: First Vice-Chair Jonathan Meads, Vice President, StreetSide Developments, a Qualico Company (Surrey); Second Vice-Chair, Kevin Hatch – Twin Lions Contracting Ltd. (North Vancouver); Secretary/Treasurer Chris Mould, MNP LLP, (Surrey), with Henri Belisle, TQ Construction, (Burnaby) as Past Chair.
Elected to the 2024/2025 HAVAN Board of Directors are:
Ben Nishi, FortisBC, (Surrey); Cheri Stefanucci, Abstract Homes & Renovations Inc. (Vancouver); Dan Glavind, Dick’s Lumber & Building Supplies, (Burnaby); Garett Wall, Centra Windows (Langley); Jamie Banfield, Jamie Banfield Design Inc. (Port Moody); Katerina Vastardis, Designs by KS (Vancouver); Larry Clay, Clay Construction Inc. (Langley); Liam Robertson, Kuhn LLP (Abbotsford); Mark Cooper, Shakespeare Homes & Renovations Inc. (North Vancouver); Matt Robinson, Monarch Floor & Window Coverings, (Burnaby); Rob Griesdale, Blackfish Homes, (North Vancouver); and Ryan Bianchini, Polygon Homes (Vancouver).
To view the board slate, including bios and photos, click here.
HAVAN is proud to be a member-driven association supported by 9 councils and committees. Introducing the 2024/2025 Council/Committee/Special Task Force Chairs:
Government Relations Committee: Rick Mann, Ilse of Mann Construction (replacing outgoing Chair Kevin Anderson, Zenterra Developments Inc.)
Education & Technical Committee (E&T): Mike Cairns, Innotech Windows (replacing outgoing Chair Shaun St-Amour, Clay Construction Inc.)
•Technical Advisory Group (E&T subcomittee): Shaun St. Amour, Clay Construction Inc.
Marketing & Communications Committee: George Affleck, Curve Communications (replacing Michael Marsland-Root, Red Five Design moving to Vice Chair)
Membership Committee: Steve Chandra, Alleylane Homes
Designers Council: Sarah Gallop, Sarah Gallop Design Inc.
Renovators & Custom Homebuilders Council: Mark Cooper, Shakespeare Homes & Renovations Inc.
Suppliers Council: Tom Bremner, Castle Builder Financial (replacing outgoing Chair Chelsea Julian, Upper Canada Forest Products)
•Golf Committee (Suppliers Council subcommittee): Dan Glavind, Dick’s Lumber & Building Supplies
Women’s Council: Meredith Yuen, Marino General Contracting (replacing outgoing Chair Laurel James, Novell Design Build)
Young Professional Committee: Kyle Darvasi, Mira Floors
To view committee/council/task force full executives and initiatives, click here.
BC LEADERSHIP STILL UP IN THE AIR…
HAVAN had hoped to provide information on election results and an industry perspective on how the election ended. But waking up on Sunday morning, we were left with a big question mark about who would be leading the provincial government, based on very close polls, required ballot recounts and uncounted absentee mail-in ballots.
About 54.7% of registered voters cast ballots, totalling 2,037,900 individual votes across the province.
Admittedly, pollsters were correct in predicting a very close contest between the incumbent NDP party and the upstart BC Conservative Party, and a likely third-place BC Green Party and it was razor-thin! A party needed to secure 47 seats to reach a majority government in the 93-seat legislature.
As it stands now:
NDP Elected 40 seats Leading in 6 Potential 46 seats
Conservatives Elected 40 seats Leading in 5 Potential 45 seats
Greens Elected 2 seats Leading in 0 Total 2 seats
What happens next? Recounts are taking place in Juan de Fuca-Malahat and Surrey City Centre where NDP candidates lead Conservatives by fewer than 100 votes. Other ridings where there is a margin of 1/500th of the total ballot count, may also request a recount. These recounts will take place next Saturday (October 26th).
Of the ridings in Metro Vancouver, very close counts include Surrey-Guildford (102 votes), Surrey City Centre (96 votes), Coquitlam-Burke Mountain (268 votes) and Maple Ridge East (326).
With approximately 49,000 absentee and mail-in ballots still to be counted next weekend, even a change in one or two ridings can make the difference in who will be the next Premier of British Columbia and who will be the local Members of the Legislature. Definitely, a nail-biter!
We will wake up next Sunday morning, hopefully with more certainty of the political outcomes and direction for the next four years. Look for further details in next week’s MMB.
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 …
- Follow the BC elections live count on GLOBAL as absentee and mail-in ballots are tallied with any recounts facilitated. As mentioned above, this is a razor-thin race, and it isn’t over yet!
- The City of Vancouver will be combining the development and building permit process in January 2025 for multiplex applications with up to four dwellings on a single site and no more than two units per building in an effort to deliver the third ‘3’ in their promised 3-3-3-1 permitting process plan. With 100 applications anticipated in the first year, and over 300 already received, it will be interesting to see if the process is enough to reduce the backlog. Feedback from members is always welcome.
- HAVAN’s recent GR report DEVELOPMENT COST CHARGES UPDATE: Rising Development Costs Threaten Housing Delivery in Metro Vancouver continues to receive extensive media coverage since its release on October 8th from major news outlets including Vancouver Sun, Daily Hive Urbanized, Storeys, Journal of Commerce and more. In addition to the media coverage, I continue to receive communication from member and non-member associates, and will be liaising with industry on this very important issue and its impact on delivery of housing for our region. Watch this space as the dialogue continues.
- The fall issue of the Rennie Report is out and quotes Ryan Wyse, Market Intelligence Manager as saying ‘although BoC rates have been cut some of the optimism in the market has faded,’ stating ‘some of this has to do with an economy that remains in a state of imbalance.’
- A home built in 1908 is being reconstructed by HAVAN member Best Builders to CHBA net-zero standards, and will become Canada’s first 115-year-old home to receive such extensive treatment that will enable it to produce as much energy as it consumes.
