The Canadian Home Builders Association of Newfoundland Labra

4 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 11 them to build their homes, but it’s very difficult finding skilled tradespeople to build them.” Meanwhile, there is some good news on the federal level. “There’s a great program out currently called the Canada Greener Homes grant program,” Foster reports. “It offers Canadians a rebate on certain energy efficiency retrofits. You get an energy auditor to come into your home and tell you where you might have deficiencies or some things that might need to be fixed. For example, the program would allow you to get a rebate on a heat pump. So, it’s a great opportunity to make your home more efficient. And it should be going on for another six years.” The local scene The housing industry is unregulated in Newfoundland and Labrador. Therefore, it is up to the consumer to conduct due diligence when hiring a contractor. So, Foster would like to see some form of contractor licensing come to pass in the province. “Currently, the only province in Canada that has contractor licensing is British Columbia,” she says. “So, we would love to see contractor licensing come in so that there are some standards set in place for builders; that you’re not just getting ‘chuck and a truck’ as some people call it.” “Through this program, we would help add some more consumer protections to the sector; you would know you would be getting someone who is going to build your home to code, that they have taken additional training, they know what they’re doing, and they’re trying to be the best of the best. That’s what we’ve been aiming for, for a while.”