REGISTRATION OPENS JANUARY 7

Start the year off right with the economic, demographic, housing and industrial/commercial market information that will help you formulate a strategic planning perspective for 2026.  

• Hear from industry professionals what they expect the new year to bring and the impact this may have on your community;
   
• Learn how the current geopolitical climate is influencing market decisions and about the emerging importance of Canada’s north;
   
• Receive the latest update on BC Builds, with over 30 projects already underway and many more in the pipeline;
   
• Find out about the recently launched Provincial housing acceleration program DASH (Digitally Accelerated Standardized Housing): a new open-source platform that combines digital tools, permit-ready designs, and a coordinated supply chain to help communities build multi-family homes faster and more affordably. This is an exciting and transformative tool that is already being integrated with local government regulatory guidelines in BC.

Our Speakers:

Ryan Biln
Economist, Canadian Real Estate Association

As one of the CREA economists, Ryan Biln helps provide housing market intelligence to boards, associations, members, and various other stakeholders in the real estate industry. Ryan has a BA in economics from Carleton University and a MA in economics from the University of Ottawa.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Ryan enjoys being outdoors, staying active, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Lisa Helps

Executive Lead, 

BC Builds/DASH Project Origination and Process Innovation
BC Housing

Lisa is currently working as Executive Lead, BC Builds/DASH 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 connections 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.

Esther de Vos

Executive Director, BC Housing

Dr. Esther de Vos serves as the Executive Director of Research at BC Housing.  As a pracademic with housing research and public policy expertise from both academic and operational perspectives, Esther is passionate about housing and wellbeing and working towards everyone having a home to call their own.  She holds the Certified Practitioner credential from the Chartered Institute of Housing Canada and her Doctorate of Social Sciences (Royal Roads University) focused on social housing in Canada and tenant wellbeing.  Esther also holds a Master of Public Administration (University of Victoria), a Bachelor of Laws (University of Alberta), and a Bachelor of Arts (University of Alberta).  She has taught courses on public policy as Associate Faculty for Royal Roads University since 2019 and will be teaching affordable housing policy and planning at UBC in Winter 2026.

Blair Chisholm RPP MCIP
Chief Operating Officer,

Pooni Group

Blaire is the Chief Operating Officer of the Pooni Group, RPP, past president for NAIOP BC (2025) and an active member of the Urban Development Institute’s liaison committees in Coquitlam, Port Moody, North Shore and Richmond. She has over 20 years of experience in Planning, Community Engagement, and Communications for projects that require a deep understanding of community and public policy context. At Pooni, she has guided hundreds of ventures through all phases of the development process in over 25 Canadian municipalities to ensure community voices are heard and understood while her clients' needs are met. Blaire has been facilitating the conversation around city building since 2007 at Pooni Group. She leads the planning team and manages PG’s largest redevelopment projects.