This month, I started my term as CHBA National President. Matt McCurrach, who visited more than 25 local and provincial HBAs across the country during his time as President, has officially passed the baton.
I’ve spent several years getting to know Matt, who’s from BC, and I’ve had the opportunity to see how well he connects with people from all facets of our industry. As someone who really, truly cares about members’ challenges, he has a knack for articulating our experiences for the national level. During my term as President, I know I’ll have some big shoes to fill, but I promise that I’ll aim to follow in Matt’s footsteps with the same passion he has for the association. On behalf of all members, I’d like to extend a huge thanks to Matt for all his hard work and commitment, and I look forward to continuing to work with him on the executive in his role as Past President.
Understanding the association
My company, K&P Contracting, which was started by my father-in-law in 1976, has been a part of the association for a good long time. In 2013, when I officially joined the business, I got involved with my local association, CHBA Newfoundland and Labrador (CHBA NL), on various committees. I even served as the interim Executive Officer of CHBA NL for a couple years, which helped me get to know the joys and challenges of running a local association. In 2015, I had the privilege of representing CHBA NL on CHBA’s board of directors and later became chair of CHBA’s Canadian Renovators’ Council (CRC) in 2018. These experiences helped me understand how the association works for me at all three levels. That’s why in 2020, knowing the value of the association’s federated model, I took on the task of joining CHBA’s national executive committee.
Being a part of the executive committee means I’ve had the privilege of participating in a ton of association meetings over the years. This has given me a peek at the home building environment across the country. I’ve come to understand that members’ challenges vary from coast-to-coast, but in a lot of ways have many similarities. In my time as president, I want to hear about those challenges from you in detail, so we can include those insights in CHBA policy and best represent you in meetings with government officials. Whether at CHBA’s Day on the Hill (where leaders of the association come together in Ottawa to meet with federal MPs to speak about our needs) or in our year-round federal advocacy efforts, your on-the-ground experiences do wonders in helping CHBA support our industry. My goal as president will be to hear more of your stories to bring them to policymakers and show them how policies impact Canada’s goals of building more housing in communities across Canada.
Educational opportunities and initiatives
Our industry has grown more challenging in recent times, and as a builder and renovator myself, I’ve come to lean on the association for valuable insights for my own business. There are so many educational opportunities and initiatives available to you that I’m excited to share, so that you can make the most of your membership. I also credit the association for some of the personal and business connections I’ve made with fellow members – I treat them as friends, not competitors, because we always have each other’s backs. This is a huge benefit of membership and one that I’m keen to demonstrate during my travels.
All in all, I’m excited to lace up my boots and visit with you in the coming months, to not only share the good work that CHBA National does to support everything going on at your local and provincial associations, but to hear how things are going for you. I look forward to meeting with you during my presidential term to find out how the association can best support you and your business.
Read more about CHBA President Curtis Mercer in the Member Profile on page 14.
