Monday, July 11, 2022

BC NDP shake up Board for BC Housing with multiple replacements


It was the ultimate Friday news dump for the province's NDP government, with a nothing to see here, keep on moving, have a nice weekend kind of vibe to it all.

That as Housing Minister and Attorney General David Eby announced by way of a media release at 6:33 PM on Friday evening, that the province had named new members for the Board of Directors for BC Housing, the agency which oversees the provincial social housing programs.

"David Eby, Minister Responsible for Housing, has announced changes to the composition of the BC Housing Board of Commissioners. 

 Effective immediately, the board is comprised of Allan Seckel (chair) and recently appointed board members Jill Kot, Sheila Taylor, Mark Sieben and Russ Jones. 

 The board will continue overseeing governance of the organization and will ensure the implementation of best practices in view of the recently released external review conducted by Ernst & Young. 

 The review was initiated by the B.C. government in 2021 to ensure that BC Housing can deliver its expanded budget and mandate in consideration of government’s historic $7-billion investment in affordable housing over ten years and the rapid growth of the Crown corporation. 

 The remaining board members announced in June 2022 will begin their appointments on July 18, 2022."

Those remaining members to take their place on July 18th include: Clifford White and Doug White, the announcement of their appointments and the first hint of significant refocus for the Housing agency was outlined on June 30th.

Seven previous members of the Board were relieved of their duties after Friday's announcement.

The major remaking for BC Housing comes following a report delivered to the Housing Minister in June, which was critical of Operations at the Housing agency.

The Board of Directors Page on the BC Housing Website still had the old members listed for much of the weekend, with the new collective now in place as of the start of the business day.  

Though details on their biographies seemingly something still to be assembled.

There appear to be a few blank spaces to fill in when it come
to then new Board of Directors for BC Housing
(click to enlarge)

Prep work is underway for demolition and new housing for
the McKay Street area

The change of leadership could be of note for the Prince Rupert area which has a significant urgency towards providing for affordable and supportive housing for the community.

For North Coast MLA Jennifer Rice, the work ahead is that of keeping the community informed on how BC Housing plans to address those issues.

And with the late Friday announcement in mind, as to whether the Board dismissals and review of the BC Housing work to date will impact on some of the high profile housing projects either underway or under consideration in Prince Rupert

Her answers to how the Board Shake up may shake out,  good serve to alleviate any concerns that the glacial pace of renewed housing for the region doesn't slow down any further.

Notes on Housing in the Northwest can be explored from our archive page.

Items of interest from Victoria can be reviewed from our Legislature archive

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