2025 EOC PDF Registration Now Open! 

JUNE 10-12, 2025 | ST. JOHN’S, NL

The 2025 EOC Professional Development Forum will be held June 10-12 in St. John’s, NL; please note the non-typical Tuesday start. New for this year, we are planning an optional, fun social activity on Tuesday during the day (this will be an add-on cost for those who wish to participate), so plan to come early! We will be staying at the JAG Hotel, steps from the famous George Street and known for its musical theme throughout. We are excited to offer a full day media relations course from the Gardiner Centre, a leader of professional development delivery in Eastern Canada. There will be EO-led roundtable discussions to further engagement and learning within the EOC. If you need help convincing your Board of the value of attending the PDF, we can support you with a letter from the President of our Board of Directors. We also offer a bursary for those who show financial need to attend. The deadline for bursary application is May 9th. The draft agenda, hotel information, bursary information, and registration link can be found here.

CHBA’s Home Building Week in Canada – Info for EOs

MAY 11-15, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
Hotel Deadline April 11

Registration is open for CHBA’s upcoming Home Building Week in Canada, which kicks off with National Committee and Council meetings during the first half of the week, including the EOC meeting and Annual Meeting of Members. These meetings provide perspectives on industry challenges, association initiatives, and strategic planning. EOs are significant in coordinating member participation, managing voting processes at the Annual Members Meeting, and facilitating communication between national and local levels. The latter half of the week is conference programming, which offers inspiring speakers, fun networking opportunities, the Association Leadership Awards and the CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence Glitter & Groove Awards Bash. The hotel room block expires on April 11 at 5 PM EST and online registration closes on May 6. Read everything EOs/HBA staff need to know about the event here, and find the event pages here.

CHBA’s Municipal Benchmarking Study is a Local Advocacy Tool 

CHBA has released the 3rd edition of the Municipal Benchmarking Study, delivered by Altus Group. The study compares 23 Canadian municipalities (whose HBAs are members of CHBA’s Urban Council), examining how their processes, approvals timelines, and charges and fees contribute to housing affordability and supply issues in major housing markets across Canada. This edition of the study also provides further detail on how a municipality’s performance on these measures influences housing outcomes as well as the indirect costs to the construction process that accumulate on a development as its application gets delayed goes through the application process. The study is intended to help establish standards that municipalities can and should aim to meet, and that industry should call for, with supporting data and best practices to show the way – a valuable advocacy tool at the local level. And embargoed copy was shared with HBAs that were included in the study so that they could share the results with their municipalities in advance of the release, if desired. The full Municipal Benchmarking Study is available here.

February EOC Call Recap: Making Reserves Work 

Cherry Chan, CEO of OTUS Financial Solutions and nonprofit financial expert, joined us to discuss how associations can better utilize excess reserves. Many default to GICs, missing growth opportunities. EOs learned how to align reserve funds with their strategic plan to support long-term sustainability. The recording is on the Info HUB here. You can also check out her post on 5 Ways Non-Profits can Generate Revenue Beyond Dues, Donations and Grants. To connect directly with Cherry, you can email her. 

March EOC Call Recap: RenoMark Update and Open Discussion 

The RenoMark program now has nearly 680 verified members, growing steadily with about three new members joining each week. Exclusive marketing materials, including brochures and certificates, are available to verified members. Bulk orders for pop-up banners and promotional items, such as truck decals and window clings, are being explored, with HBAs potentially assisting with distribution. Open discussion included updates on the benchmarking study media coverage and how local HBAs are handling messaging, City Hall partnerships, steel tariffs, the federal election, and ongoing advocacy on GST for housing. You can watch the recording here.

EO Success Stories

Congratulations to our EOC MC Chair and BILD Alberta’s CEO, Scott Fash! Scott has been awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal for his exceptional leadership in advancing housing affordability across Alberta. This national honour celebrates Canadians and Albertans who have made significant contributions to their communities and country. From the announcement: "Through Scott's leadership, BILD Alberta has been instrumental in pushing for pragmatic, solutions-focused housing policy that helps ensure more Albertans have access to homes that meet their needs and budgets. This recognition is a reflection not just of his efforts, but of the growing importance of housing attainability in the public conversation." Kudos to Scott!

Resource Corner

Reminder: update your HBA’s calendar and add eoc@chba.ca to your newsletter’s distribution list so CHBA is aware of your HBA’s activities, too!

Mark Your Calendars!

CHBA staff and the EOC Management Committee organize timely and informative programming for HBAs on various topics related to HBA operations, membership, and professional development. Please let us know if you have a topic you would like the EOC to explore through a call, workshop, or webinar. Also, a reminder to update your HBA calendar so everyone knows the great things you are doing at your local HBA and add eoc@chba.ca to your newsletter distribution list so National can see the great things you’re doing.

Below are notable dates and upcoming sessions:

• Dates for Standing EOC Calls (third Tuesday of every month at 2 pm ET, topics TBD): April 15 (note: The EOC call will be replaced in May by the EOC session in Victoria, and the June call will be replaced by the EOC PDF in St. John’s).
• May 11-15, 2025: CHBA’s Home Building Week in Canada | Victoria, BC 
  • Registration is now open!
  • EOC Meeting Monday, May 12, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, followed by the EOC Dinner 7:30-10 pm
• June 10-12, 2025: EOC Professional Development Forum | St. John’s, NL

Introducing New CHBA Staff!

Colin Bayne joins the CHBA as the Director, Net Zero Home Labelling Program, bringing over 15 years' experience creating, and growing programs in the not-for-profit space. Colin has an extensive background in marketing and communications, customer service and customer experience and is excited to bring his energy towards growing the CHBA Net Zero Home Labelling Program.

Brendon Fraser joins CHBA as the Technical Advisor, Renovations, Net Zero Housing. He comes with experience in the construction and technical world as an architectural designer, working on Part 9 residential projects alongside renovators, engineers and building officials, as well as designing and stamping plans with his BCIN. He will be focusing on outreach and data collection on the Towards Net Zero Renovations initiative, as well as developing case studies for the program to help guide the next generation of CHBA Net Zero Renovators.