The Peterborough The Kawarthas Home Builders Association

3 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 11 THE PETERBOROUGH & THE KAWARTHAS HOME BUI LDERS ASSOCIAT ION Since 1956, the Peterborough & The Kawarthas Home Builders Association (PKHBA) has represented the professional home building industry throughout Peterborough and The Kawarthas area. Its mission is to facilitate the development of sustainable businesses for its members; advocate for effective government policy; maintain positive consumer experiences in the marketplace; and exchange experiences, information, and best practices. A non-profit organization, the PKHBA is one of 27 local associations affiliated with the Ontario Home Builders Association (OHBA); and one of more than 50, affiliated with the Canadian Home Builders Association (CHBA). Navigating a challenging marketplace According to Rebecca Schillemat, Executive Officer of the PKHBA, homebuilding can be a “tricky business.” She highlights that now may be a particularly “tricky time” for homebuilders in Canada. “A lot is happening with the building codes in Canada, right now,” she explains. “All of the provinces have their own, and they’re working on harmonizing to have one national code. So, there are a lot of meetings going on. We’re getting information and sharing it with members and getting their feedback, so when these legislative changes come, the various governments are in mind with what is already happening in the industry. “ She continues. “ If someone in an office says you have to build a certain way, and he’s never built a house, it’s not going to make sense to the people who build houses. So, that’s a big piece of advocacy that we are working on right now: education on what the changes are and then the exchange of information on what makes sense and what should and shouldn’t be changed.” Good relationships with local governments are, by necessity, another key part of PKHBA’s strategic plan. “Our municipalities are very key stakeholders,” Schillemat states. “The municipalities change the bylaws; they decide what the building guidelines are; they approve the building permits. We’ve got the City of Peterborough that we meet with fairly frequently; we meet with their planning and building departments and their councilors. I find our association has had a very good relationship with them for several years. Part of that is because we have opportunities to go to meetings together and share ideas. We also have the City of Kawartha Lakes and the County of Peterborough that we communicate with, but we’re still working on getting more regular meetings with them. So, we are working toward having more open communications with other departments and other levels of municipal representatives.” At the municipal level, Schillemat says the association is advocating for more predictability in the building cycle. “Like knowing how long it will take to get a permit