Event Overview: Modular for BC Roadmap to Housing SolutionsApril 29, 30 & May 1, Penticton Lakeside Resort
Who Attended?
Municipality Leaders
Indigenous Groups
MHABC Members
Social Housing
Industry Representatives
Event Recap
This year's SOLD OUT Summit brought together MHABC members, municipality leaders, industry representatives, and interested parties to take part in actionable sessions, networking opportunities, and collaboration on the benefits and necessity of factory-built housing within our province.
The three-day event included:
- 31st Annual Gerry Brown Memorial Golf Tournament
- Summit Networking Social
- Two days of impactful presentations and networking opportunities
- The MHABC Presidents’ Banquet (raffles, plated dinner, awards, entertainment)
Summit Success
The MHABC Board of Directors would like to thank our event partners and sponsors for their support in assisting us in making this event a massive success. We would also like to recognize the phenomenal speakers who provided engaging presentations and comprehensive dialogue during question and answer periods.
Esteemed Speakers
Lisa Helps
as Executive Lead for BC Builds Project Origination & Process Innovation, BC Housing
Lisa is currently working as Executive Lead BC Builds Project Origination and Process Innovation at BC Housing. Previously she was the Housing Solutions Advisor to Premier Eby for the start-up of BC Builds, a new housing program that uses public land, low-cost financing, and other innovative tools to get more housing built more quickly for working people in B.C. Prior to that she was a two-term Mayor of Victoria, British Columbia. As Mayor, Lisa worked hard to create deep collaboration across the community to get Victoria ready for the future and built connection across the Province as Co-Chair of the BC Urban Mayors Caucus to advance shared priorities for cities. Areas of focus included economic development and prosperity, housing, climate action, resilient infrastructure, and reconciliation.
Dr. Mohamed Al Hussein
Professor, University of Alberta
Dr. Mohamed Al-Hussein is a professor and Industrial Research Chair (IRC) in the Industrialization of Building Construction at the University of Alberta, and a highly sought researcher and consultant in the areas of lean manufacturing, construction process optimization, CO2 emission quantification, and building information modelling (BIM), with the development of modular and offsite construction technologies and practices forming the hub of his research.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist
Through his engaging economics reports Bryan has become Central 1’s local celebrity, with his work featured by various media outlets including the Globe and Mail, BNN, Bloomberg and BC Business. He authors many of the Central 1’s flagship research reports and weekly notes for clients and the public. Yu is vice-president of the Canadian Association for Business Economics and a director of the BC Paraplegic Foundation.
Gord Rattray
Retired Executive Director, MHABC
Gord served as the Executive Director of the Manufactured Housing Association of BC from May of 2011 until his retirement this past October. Having over 25 years of prior experience within the forest products industry, and management of non-profit associations, Gord strongly understands the dynamics of small communities and the major contributions private sectors make to local economies.
Paul Binotto
MHABC Advisor – Provincial Advocacy/Steering Committee Program
Paul is championing Guillevin’s role as a leader in the Electrification and reduced Emission efforts in British Columbia. In his role he is focused on innovative and sustainable equipment and programs with an emphasis on affordable Energy Management to reduce building emissions. Paul has a history in Modular construction and is a strong advocate for the BC Modular Industry.
Laura Kershaw
Account Manager, Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Laura Kershaw is an Account Manager with CMHC in the British Columbia Okanagan Region. In this role, Laura is responsible to provide training to all mortgage professionals on all forms of mortgage financing including the financing of manufactured homes. Laura has over 20 years experience as a housing industry specialist and at CMHC she is regarded as the subject matter expert on manufactured home lending and insurance. During her 11 years with CMHC, Laura has partnered with MHABC on many educational events related to the financing of manufactured homes.
Steve Arnold
BES Building Energy Solutions – Principal Head of Operations
With over eighteen years of hands-on experience in building engineering and management, Steve has successfully implemented innovative design solutions across various sectors in Canada, the US, and the UK.
Gilles Lesage
Owner and Advisor/Trainer, Total Home Solutions Inc.
Gilles has been evaluating and testing homes since 2004, first as a home inspector and shortly after as an Energy Advisor for existing homes, new home construction, multiple unit residential buildings and site testing large buildings. He has been training new and prospective Home Inspectors and Energy Evaluators since 2013. With the introduction of new code requirements here in BC, Gilles has been heavily involved with industry education and implementation of the BC Energy Step Code while participating on multiple committees and other stakeholder groups to help promote and facilitate the transition to these higher levels of full building performance.
Ken Kunka
Flywheel Building Solutions
Ken graduated from the Confederation College (Thunder Bay) with a degree in Architectural Technology Design and has worked within the building industry alongside framers, consultants, and designers in his role as a Building Official for over 30 years. Ken also held the title of Building and Permitting Manager with the City of Penticton for the past 13 years. Having worked on both sides of the counter, Ken’s background in municipal regulations, leadership, marketing, design, and construction has provided him with a unique perspective on the daily operations and challenges that all building industry partners face. Ken has a solid understanding of how critical proper communication, building industry-wide relationships, transparency, and shared education are to move the building industry forward together.
Elizabeth Manhas
FortisBC
Elizabeth Manhas is a Key Account Manager at FortisBC, specializing in energy solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of commercial and residential clients. With close to 10 years’ experience in the energy sector and a passion for customer satisfaction, Elizabeth is dedicated to creating strong relationships and delivering innovative solutions to help customers thrive in an ever-evolving energy landscape.
Darren Bassett
General Manager, SRI Homes Kelowna
Darren is Chair of the Modular Construction Council at the Canadian Home Builders Association and the General Manager of SRI Homes Kelowna, a 110, 000 sq ft plant located on Okanagan Indian Band land in Lake Country. Darren has over 35 years of experience in composite, forestry, and modular manufacturing operations. Over the past six years, Darren has utilized his certified black belt in lean manufacturing to successfully manage the production of single, multi-family, and multi-story residential and commercial buildings. Since 1992, the SRI Kelowna plant has manufactured over 10,000 homes for the BC market.
Ryan Smith
Divisional Director of Planning, Climate Action and Development Services City of Kelowna
Ryan has worked with the City of Kelowna for 19 years, first as a development planner, then Subdivision Approving Officer, Urban Planning Manager, Department Manager of Community Planning, and now Divisional Director of Planning, Climate Action and Development Services. Ryan’s background within the building industry has allowed him to work on the development of townhouse and resort projects, and share his knowledge teaching modules for the MATI Community Planning Course and various Capilano University Courses.
The MHABC would like to acknowledge that the 2024 BC Modular Housing Summit will take place upon the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Syilx People in the Okanagan Nation.
Conference Partners
Summit Sponsors
Agenda At a Glance
Monday, April 29, 2024
- 11:00am – Gerry Brown 31st Annual Memorial Golf Tournament (Penticton Golf & Country Club)
- CANCELLED – Pre-Summit Delegate Networking Wine Tasting (off-site activity)
- 6:30pm – 9:00pm – BC Modular Housing Summit Welcome Social
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
- 7:30am – Buffet Breakfast/Program Partner Trade Show Visitation
- 8:30am – Summit Opening Remarks/Welcome
- 8:45am – Opening Session #1 – Modular for BC – A Roadmap to Housing Solutions (Paul Binotto, MHABC Advisor – Provincial Advocacy/Steering Committee Program, Gord Rattray - CGR Management/MHABC Advisor)
- 9:30am – Coffee Break/Networking/Program Partner Trade Show Visitation
- 9:45am – Concurrent Session #2A – Economic Report – Interest Rates, Inflation, and the Housing Industry (Bryan Yu - Central 1 Credit Union)
- 9:45am – Concurrent Session #2B – StepCode and Modular Construction (Gilles Lesage - Total Home Solutions Inc.)
- 10:45am - Coffee Break/Networking/Program Partner Trade Show Visitation
- 11:00am – 3:00pm – Partner/Spousal Program (Offsite wine tour and lunch out)
- 11:00am – Concurrent Session #3A – Federal Initiatives Update on Supporting Increased Housing, Indigenous Housing, and Support of Provincial Housing Initiatives (Laura Kershaw - Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation)
- 11:00am – Concurrent Session #3B – 2024 BC Building Code and the Local Government Requirements Impacting Manufactured Housing (Ken Kunka, Flywheel Building Solutions)
- 12:00pm – Buffet Luncheon/Innovation Awards Overview/Guest Speaker: Ryan Smith, - Director of Planning, City of Kelowna
- 1:15pm – Session #4 – The Human Benefits of Modular Manufacturing (Dr. Mohamed Al Hussein - University of Alberta, Dr. Ahmed Bouferguene - University of Alberta, Osama Moselhi - Concordia University)
- 2:00pm - Coffee Break/Networking/Program Partner Trade Show Visitation
- 2:15pm – Session #5 – Modular & Housing Affordability Panel Session (Darren Bassett – SRI Homes Kelowna, Elizabeth Manhas – Fortis BC, Steve Arnold – Building Energy Solutions)
- 3:00pm – Networking Power Hours (Delegate break to meet individually with other attendees)
- 6:00pm – Presidents’ Banquet Reception/Raffle
- 7:00pm – Presidents’ Banquet/Awards/Evening Entertainment - Socialize and play casino-style table games in a networking-based atmosphere (no real money involved - each ticket holder will receive complimentary chips to play for fun)
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
- 8:30am – Buffet Breakfast/Networking/Program Partner Trade Show Visitation
- 9:00am – Session #6 – Lisa Helps, BC Housing "The BC Builds Program and the Power of Partnerships
- 10:00am – Coffee Break/Networking/Program Partner Trade Show Visitation
- 10:15am – Session #7 – Steve Arnold, BES (Building Energy Solutions) "Innovations in Efficiency and Emission Reduction in the Heating & Cooling of Modular Buildings
- 11:15am – Buffet Lunch & End of General Summit Program
- 12:00pm – MHABC Annual General Meeting
- 1:00pm – Coffee Break
- 1:15pm – MEMBER’S ONLY SESSION – Modular 101 – Your Involvement within the Provincial Housing Program (Paul Binotto, MHABC Advisor – Provincial Advocacy/Steering Committee Program, Gord Rattray - CGR Management/MHABC Advisor)
- 2:15pm – MEMBER’S ONLY SESSION – Modular Advocacy & You! (Paul Binotto, MHABC Advisor – Provincial Advocacy/Steering Committee Program, Gord Rattray - CGR Management/MHABC Advisor)
- 3:00pm – End of Summit
*Presenter/topics subject to change without notice.
31st Annual Gerry Brown Memorial Golf Tournament
36 golfers took to the greens for the 31st Annual Gerry Brown Memorial Golf Tournament held at the gorgeous Penticton Golf & Country Club.
Lowest Net Winners - Michael Daprocida, Gurleen Kaur, Micahel Unger, Brandon Vigne
Lowest Gross Winners - Kirk Fraser, Adryan Techroeb, Andrew Cuthbertson
Industry News
The Northern Flickee – Seamlessly Blending Innovative Building Techniques with Modern Comforts
May 14, 2024
Chateau De Vine - Sustainably Built for Longevity and a Brighter Tomorrow (Naturally)
May 14, 2024
A Few Points on Modular Housing Financing
March 8, 2024
