Every year, volunteer members, HBAs and their staff work tirelessly to build strong communities, strengthen the industry, and give back to cities, towns and neighbourhoods across Canada. The CHBA Association Leadership Awards honour the leaders within our association – both individuals and our local and provincial homebuilders’ associations. This year’s honours were given in person when members and staff met in Ottawa for the spring CHBA National Committee and Council Meetings. Congratulations to the very deserving recipients.
Member of the Year: Rick Weste
The prestigious Member of the Year award is a long-term achievement award for efforts over many years, and this year it was bestowed on Rick Weste of BILD Lethbridge Region. Rick was President of the Canadian Manufactured Housing Institute and was instrumental in bringing the modular sector together to form the CHBA Modular Construction Council, serving as the first Chair of the Council and on the CHBA Board of Directors from 2017 to 2019, helping the factory-built side of our industry bring its important voice in participating in CHBA meetings with Members of Parliament during our Day on the Hill events. A member of the Technical Research Committee since 2015, he served as Chair from 2019 to May 2022. This dedicated and engaged member has attended national codes committee meetings, including volunteering on committees such as the Standing Committee on Energy Efficiency Task Group on Performance Improvement (Architectural), and has provided ongoing advice to National staff to guide codes work during some very challenging times on the technical front. He’s also now a member of the CHBA Executive Committee, and we thank him for his ongoing commitment to the Association.
HBA of the Year: Manitoba Home Builders’ Association
The HBA of the Year Award recognizes overall excellence by an HBA in delivering a strong and positive voice for the homebuilding industry, and in supporting the business success of members and their ability to provide affordability, quality and choice in housing for consumers. This year, it went to the Manitoba Home Builders’ Association (MHBA). MHBA developed a New Member Information Package and a member recognition program. It also helped lead the establishment of a formalized skills gap analysis process for the construction sector, engaged with education and research entities to increase training opportunities and identify forward-thinking research projects within the industry, sponsored a “Tooling up Teens” video series to promote the building trades as a career of choice, and presented two future leaders within a local College Polytech carpentry program with awards. This and more was done while participating in more than 180 formal meetings with three levels of government, external stakeholders, and industry partners in 2021 on a wide variety of public policy and industry advocacy issues. The association also had successful spring and fall Parade of Homes, with more than 77,000 visitors.
EO of the Year: Lanny McInnes
The Executive Officer of the Year Award recognizes an EO who has demonstrated excellence as the chief staff officer of an HBA, and this year it goes to Lanny McInnes of MHBA. He’s been at the helm since 2017 and rapidly became the trusted, well-informed voice of the industry in the Manitoba region, including strengthening the association’s relations with the Urban Development Institute. Lanny was actively involved in developing the first long-term growth plan for the area, taking a leadership role and representing the industry. Under his leadership, MHBA improved its financial position, despite declines in revenue due to pandemic restrictions on events. Staffing roles were optimized, membership applications increased, communications with members and the public were enhanced, and a new onboarding process was implemented. Lanny engaged often with the media, contributing weekly articles to the local news outlet and partaking in local television and radio interviews to discuss current industry-related trends or challenges. And those are just a few examples of how this Executive Officer has strengthened MHBA and served its members and the industry in Manitoba.
Community Service Award: CHBA New Brunswick
The CHBA Community Service Award recognizes a local or provincial HBA for their community service or charitable projects that demonstrate the commitment of the housing industry to making a difference to the quality of life of their communities. CHBA-NB is a long-time supporter of a poverty reduction program funded by the province, city and community. Its main involvement is with a Christmas PJ drive, which aims to ensure that all children up to age 18 have a new pair of pyjamas while they wait for Santa. In 2021, they also provided hand-knitted socks, hats, sweaters and mitts to children by working with senior citizen. Staff collect pyjamas and cash donations from members each year, with about a 30-per-cent participation rate among members. It’s great to see members and HBAs contributing to their communities.
