By Sarah Caron, Director of Renovation Services, CHBA
Renovators are a core group within CHBA’s membership. There are more than 1,000 renovator companies and nearly as many trade contractors in the association from coast to coast. At the national level, CHBA is your voice with the federal government, doing critical advocacy work to help your business. And we’re always looking for ways to help members’ businesses achieve greater success.
Renovators have identified education and building code training as the most important areas where CHBA can help. In partnership with local HBAs, CHBA is currently offering energy efficiency training to renovators via the Local Energy Efficiency Partnerships (LEEP) and Net Zero initiatives, such as the Towards Net Zero Renovations Bootcamps. In addition, the Adaptiv Home Renovation Course was developed by CHBA to address accessibility and aging-in-place within the Canadian context.
Quarterly webinar series
CHBA is launching a quarterly webinar series in 2024. These free, one-hour webinars will focus on specific topics of widespread interest by renovators. The webinars will feature subject matter experts and include a one-page resource when possible. The topics will be updated annually.
Topics identified as highest priority:
• Energy efficiency
• Accessibility and aging-in-place
• Incentives or tax credits for homeowners
• Contracts
HBA training hub
There are many HBAs offering high quality training to their members. Some of these courses are offered in-house, while others are available through a third-party provider. Many of these courses match the skills identified by renovators as important to their business, such as project management, accounting and customer service.
In 2024, CHBA will take a more active role in connecting renovators to the training available across the country. This will include highlighting the various courses available on the CHBA website, in CHBA’s Renovator Review newsletter (which is emailed every two months to renovator and trade contractor members), and within CHBA’s Building Excellence magazine.
Information sharing and networking
Renovators have identified the need for information sharing and opportunities for networking. CHBA’s Canadian Renovators’ Council (CRC) provides a formal conduit between CHBA and the provincial HBAs to address renovators’ needs. There is also an opportunity to increase engagement and input from renovators at the local level.
Renovators’ forum
In 2024, CHBA will invite the Chairs of all HBA Renovators’ Councils (or a local renovator representative if there is no council) to participate in a renovators’ forum. This group, along with the CRC and Local/Provincial Executive Officers, will meet virtually two times a year to discuss a variety of topics to inform CRC and CHBA priorities for renovators.
Online messaging platform
In an effort to boost even more engagement from renovators across the country, CHBA will launch an online messaging platform as part of the revamped CHBA website coming in 2024. This will allow renovators to chat, ask questions, and solicit business advice from their peers anywhere in the country. The goal is to tap into the collective knowledge of the industry to find solutions for immediate business or technical issues.
How can CHBA support your renovation business? Reach out to Sarah Caron (sarah.caron@chba.ca), Director of Renovation Services with your suggestions.
