UDI Lower Mainland and Greater Vancouver Board of Trade joint submission to the Ministry of Forests.

While UDI and the GVBOT recognize the importance of archaeological conservation, we are very disappointed with the Ministry’s lack of consultation with stakeholders, including the business community. The HCATP initiative will substantially impact the BC economy, and the ability of builders to provide much needed new housing supply.

After consulting with our members on the proposed changes, we are calling on the Ministry not to proceed with any changes to the Heritage Conservation Act (HCA) until:

• Meaningful consultation can be conducted with the development sector and other key industries who are drivers of the BC economy, along with local governments; and
• Robust testing and economic analyses have been completed to ascertain the cost, risk and time impacts of the proposed changes on housing and development projects, which are likely to be substantial and would be occurring at a time when the business community is facing numerous challenges.