When I first started this job at the beginning of June, I met with the majority of city council to introduce myself. In these meet and greets I said two things – at the beginning of each meeting I said that I didn’t have a set agenda or list of …
First, I’d like to thank the Executive for selecting me, and to Pierre Dufresne for encouraging me when I reached out to him about this opportunity. I also wanted to thank Nicole, Shirley and Heather in the GOHBA office for being so welcoming, for working so hard over the past …
By: Jason Burggraaf, Executive Director of the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association Homebelievers are people just like you and me. We’re scrimping and saving to buy a home. Or we’d like to downsize but even with the windfall we couldn’t stay in our community. We’re concerned about how far away …
Building Codes and Housing Affordability We are constantly required to perform a range of cost benefit analyses to cope with today’s complicated life. Most of these take the form of simple decisions that are done in our heads. Would route A or B be faster given the weather conditions and …
Intensification and Resident Conflict Certain infill builders were recently called to task by the Councillor for Ward 15 (Kitchissippi), Jeff Leiper, for their inappropriate conduct in his ward. The concerns listed were manifold but basically boiled down to a lack of respect shown by these companies towards local residents and …
Despite many years of having been warned about the perils of suburban living, the message still does not appear to have been heard. Smart Growth proponents and a number of city planners have been consistent in their message: suburban living is not only expensive in terms of infrastructure and creating …
The Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) has been in existence in one form or another for over a century. In its most recent incarnation, it has been a quasi-judicial body responsible for enforcing government planning and land use policies. The Board ruled on a wide range of commercial and industrial conflicts …
The homebuilding industry across Canada has been heavily focused on influencing government policy affecting housing affordability for the past 5 years. The Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s annual housing advocacy day took place on Parliament Hill, March 7th when members from across Canada held over 75 meetings with MPs. Some very …
As Municipal leaders work hard to implement Stage 1 of the LRT project we sense widespread optimism for Ottawa’s future. With Stage 2, and potentially Stage 3, our communities will connect from Parliament Hill to the suburbs. The LRT project will connect us all socially, physically and environmentally but as it unfolds, …
Earlier this winter, I was driving my car in the middle of one of Ottawa’s heavy snowstorms. It was very cold, with poor visibility. I was relieved to be driving a fairly late model vehicle complete with snow tires, a very efficient heating and defrosting system and windshield wipers that …