KNOWLEDGE CENTRE
 HBA Knowledge center
The knowledge centre is a valuable tool that provides CHBA's leadership with access to a wealth of information and resources. It serves as a centralized hub for all the latest news, trends, and best practices in the housing industry.
The knowledge centre features a wide range of resources, including industry reports, research studies, policy briefs, and case studies. It also offers access to training materials, and other educational resources that can help CHBA's leadership stay up-to-date with the latest developments in the housing industry. By leveraging this platform, the organization's leaders are better equipped to navigate the complex challenges that the industry faces and to identify new opportunities for growth and innovation.
CHBA's Day on the Hill
CHBA's Day on the Hill
Info for EOs and Members regarding CHBA's Day on the Hill
About CHBA's Day on the Hill
Each year, CHBA hosts an advocacy day called Day on the Hill during which select members of CHBA leadership, and the EOs who support them, attend meetings with parliamentarians to discuss federal housing-related issues. This invite-only (due to a limited number of meetings) event takes place over three days and includes a mandatory prep day, a meetings and reception day, and a debrief at the CHBA Board of Directors meeting on Day 3.Who Attends
Due to the number of MP meetings and limits on number of persons per meeting, this event is by invitation only, though interested EOs and/or HBA leaders can request to participate as well. The initial invite is to CHBA’s national Board of Directors and the members of CHBA’s Urban Council, as well as the EOs who support them in their capacity on the Board/Council.As meetings invitations are accepted by MPs additional scheduling openings occur and additional participants are invited based on geography. Also, MPs sometimes request that a member of their riding attend—if no such member is already participating, an invite will be sent out to secure that local presence. These additional invitations are sent out closer to the event based on the meetings that are secured.
HBA staff or volunteer leadership members who wish to attend but who are not on the Board or Urban Council may indicate their desire to attend. If possible, depending on scheduling availability, there may be an opportunity to be included. Typically it is possible to accommodate those requests. Please note that this option is not one that should be widely communicated with members due to the limited spots available for the event.
Mandatory Prep Day
The first day is a mandatory prep day, typically starting at 11am so many can travel that morning. During the prep session attendees are briefed extensively on several topics, including the current political climate, CHBA recommendations to the federal government, and strategies for having a successful meeting. Attendees are placed into their meeting groups (which are pre-determined as early as possible beforehand) and informed of who they will be meeting with the following day. Attendees are given the opportunity to practice as a group how they will approach the meeting, familiarize themselves with CHBA recommendations, practice what each person will say, and how they will answer questions or skepticism from MPs/parliamentarians.Meeting and Reception Day
The second day consists of meetings and a reception. CHBA, usually with the help of an external government relationship consultant, coordinates approximately 60 meetings to take place on a single day. CHBA members and staff are put into groups of about 4 people based primarily on geographic proximity (those who reside in the same city or region). The aim is for each group to have 4 meetings in that single day. Meeting times are based on the ability of MPs who may change, cancel, and add in a meeting with very little notice. As such, CHBA participants are required to reserve the whole day for these meetings.
After the in-person meetings, an evening reception is organized. All MPs and their staffers are invited, including those who were not able to attend a request for an in-person meeting, and all CHBA participants are required to attend. The reception is used as an additional opportunity to share CHBA messaging and to forge relationships.
Debrief Day
The third day of the event is for a Board of Directors meeting that starts with a debrief of the Day on the Hill event. Participants are given the opportunity to provide feedback from their perspective, and to hear feedback and summary results from the meetings. Next steps by CHBA and/or follow-up are explained at this time.
Travel and Accommodations
CHBA pays for the travel (airfare, cabs, etc.) to Board members and members of the CHBA Urban Council. It is the responsibility of attendees to arrange their own travel. CHBA reserves a block of rooms with a discounted rate in a local hotel, and is the responsibility of attendees to book their room within the block before the cut-off date. Accommodations are not covered by CHBA, with the exception of members of the CHBA Executive Committee and Committee/Council Chairs. As with the CHBA Fall Meetings and the CHBA Conference, CHBA does not pay any costs for Executive Officers (with the exception of the EOC Chair), other HBA staff, or for other member volunteers who wish to participate (through request by themselves or through invite from CHBA). Click here for CHBA's full travel policy and reimbursement forms.
Communication
Invitations to the event come from the CHBA National Office (the email dayonthehill@chba.ca is used to organize this event). This initial email requests that invitees confirm their intention to attend the event by registering for it using CHBA’s event registration. A calendar invite blocking off the times that are known, including the mandatory Prep Day and the Board of Directors' Meeting/Debrief, will also be sent. Specific meeting times with parliamentarians will be confirmed on the prep day, and are still subject to change given the volatile nature of MPs’ schedules. Because changes occur often as parliamentarian availability changes, participants should keep the entire day reserved for meetings, though they may be able to do some personal work in between. All communication and scheduling with parliamentarians is done through the CHBA National Office.
Participants are encouraged to tweet a thank you to the MP and staffers they met with after each meeting. Instructions and example messaging will be provided to attendees during the Prep Day. HBAs are encouraged to retweet or share any social media messaging on behalf of your HBA and large membership.
CHBA Messaging + Prep Materials
Meeting participants will be provided with CHBA’s main messaging before the event so that they can familiarize themselves with key policy positions and recommendations to government. During the mandatory Prep Day, this messaging will be further explained, including examples of how to start and personalize the conversation, how to redirect lines of inquiry back to CHBA recommendations, and how to respond to skepticism or opposition. Participants will be given time to practice delivering the key messaging in their groups and to come up with a group strategy for the flow of the meeting.
Post-Event Activities
Participants are provided with feedback forms to be completed after each meeting with an MP. One meeting report form is to be completed per group, per meeting. This feedback includes any follow-up action that the MP has requested (e.g. a request for more information on a particular topic). CHBA follows up with parliamentarians to thank them for taking the meeting and provides them with any additionally requested information. CHBA also provides the larger CHBA membership with a high-level summary/analysis of the day and key takeaways.