January 10, 2019

Submitted by email: [email protected]

RE: Climate Ready BC

The British Columbia Real Estate Association (BCREA) welcomes the opportunity to provide input on the BC Government’s Climate Ready BC consultation.

As your questions suggest, BC communities are at risk of or already experiencing the effects of climate change. For example, the devastation left by flooding in Grand Forks and wildfires near 100 Mile House is far reaching and will take years to address. In fact, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, insured losses due to severe weather, which averaged $400 million annually until 2009, have been at or exceeded $1 billion every year since.

The effects of climate change impact where and how people choose to live in this beautiful province. REALTORS® see this every day. Together, BCREA, the province’s 11 regional real estate boards and about 23,000 REALTORS® are committed to ensuring that BC takes a proactive, coordinated and effective approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation.

While everyone who lives in BC has some responsibility, leadership from the provincial and local governments is absolutely essential as we all work together to preserve our enviable quality of life.

This letter describes what we have already done and recommends specific actions for the future.

How are BCREA and REALTORS® adapting to the risks and opportunities of a changing climate? For many years, BCREA has been active in this area on several fronts.

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For a long time, we have advocated for financial incentives to allow property owners to improve the energy efficiency of their existing buildings. Although consumers tend to pay more attention to countertops and finishes than energy efficiency, many REALTORS® are well-versed in building features that conserve energy and water.

REALTORS® also investigate other climate change risks for their clients, including potential floods and wildfires.

The economies of communities impacted by wildfires are basically suspended until the fire risk is diminished. Certainly, many real estate transactions are halted, as potential property buyers are unable to secure insurance. To try to deal with this, in 2019 BCREA worked with the Insurance Bureau of Canada to raise awareness about the importance of obtaining home insurance early in the sales process.

Since 2013, BCREA has urged the BC Government to take the lead in working with the federal and local governments to update existing floodplain maps and keep them current. Floodplain maps are essential foundations of knowledge about where water will go during a flood event. Existing and potential property owners need this information, and so do local governments so they can make reliable decisions about community development and emergency planning.

BCREA has done far more than simply advocate on this issue. We have completed several research projects designed to inform and build the capacity of local governments, many of which simply do not have the resources or expertise to map their floodplains. BCREA has also worked with other organizations on related projects, including consumer resources and professional guidelines for engineers.

What education and training will help British Columbians and communities prepare for future climate changes?

BCREA has the following recommendations for the provincial government.

Energy efficiency BCREA strongly supports a long-term, widespread investment in financial incentives to help property owners voluntarily retrofit existing buildings. The BC Government has demonstrated a commitment in this area, though the funding seems to be short term.

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We believe consumers need to have confidence in the individuals who carry out energy audit and rating work, and the professionals need to be prepared to provide coaching services to fully assist property owners who choose to undertake retrofits. We support the Certified Retrofit Professional designation, as proposed in the Clean BC Job Readiness consultation. However, BCREA also believes steps need to be taken to ensure capacity across the province, not just in urban areas; we urge the government to have certified professionals in place before other measures take effect.

For new buildings, we agree with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia that the BC Energy Step Code should be thoroughly monitored and evaluated before further specific commitments are made.

Floodplain maps and wildfires We ask the BC Government to create a province-wide plan to map flood hazards for all BC communities, and ensure those maps are reviewed every five years—as part of community planning cycles—and updated as needed. This aligns with the mandates of the federal departments of Environment and Climate Change, as well as Natural Resources, which have been instructed to work with provinces and territories and Indigenous Peoples to complete all flood maps in Canada.

Please provide local governments and First Nations with financial and technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of local governments to develop floodplain maps and implement flood management. Technical assistance should include checklists, templates and other resources that are updated as new information becomes available.

BCREA recommends the provincial government develop, and review every five years, floodplain mapping guidelines and specifications to reflect current technologies and realities, improve consistency, and build technical capacity to support the use of a broader suite of technical tools.

We also recommend the development of a firm understanding of the consequences wildfires have on flood risks. This could lead to the creation of technical support for communities that have experienced wildfires to help them minimize the expected flood damage.

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Finally, we encourage the province to help property owners understand the actions they can take to protect their homes from wildfires and floods. Some excellent resources already exist, but increased awareness is important.

We look forward to further opportunities to discuss these and other initiatives designed to contribute to the BC Government’s long-term climate change adaptation strategy. If BCREA can assist, please contact me directly (604.742.2787; [email protected]).

BCREA is the professional association for more than 23,000 BC REALTORS®, focusing on provincial issues that impact real estate. Working with the province’s 11 real estate boards, BCREA provides continuing professional education, advocacy, economic research and standard forms to help REALTORS® provide value for their clients.

To demonstrate the profession’s commitment to improving Quality of Life in BC communities, BCREA supports policies that encourage economic vitality, provide housing opportunities, respect the environment and build communities with good schools and safe neighbourhoods.

Sincerely,

Darlene Hyde Chief Executive Officer

Copies: Hon. , Minister of Environment and Climate Change Strategy ([email protected]) Hon. , Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General ([email protected]) Hon. Selena Robinson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing ([email protected]) , MLA – Kamloops-North Thompson ([email protected])

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Mike Morris, MLA – Prince George-Mackenzie ([email protected]) , MLA – Kamloops-South Thompson ([email protected])