CHBA-Victoria's Annual Crystal Ball was another very well-attended success, thanks to

Lee King, Corporate Representative, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation

Philip Hochstein, President, Independent Contractors and Businesses Association

Bev McIvor, President, Victoria Real Estate Board

Cameron Muir, Chief Economist for the BC Real Estate Association

Inflation and interest rates are expected to remain stable, while housing affordability remains a big issue in our community.

Congratulations to our Festival of Trees Committee – Elaine Piluso, Cheryl Neal,
Margaret Dale, and Lenore English for winning their second consecutive People's Choice Award at the Festival of Trees in support of the BC Children’s Hospital.

Will there be a Threepeat? No pressure!

Also congratulations and thank you to all of our members who supported this event with their generous donations.

The following companies have submitted Membership applications and are up for first reading in March are:

Swiftsure Woodworkers Ltd. - Roy Sandsmark
Scansa Construction Ltd. - Kory Gronnestad
Terry Johal Developments Ltd. - Terry Johal
Westeck Window Manufacturing Inc - Sean Durand
Carmanah Technologies Inc. - Christine Farrington
Pure Design Firm - Leah Rourke and Jenny Martin
Trail Appliances Ltd. - Rob Richardson and Dan Shea

There is also one company who’s Membership application is up for second reading in March; ConstructoGroup - Stephen Lentz

Vancouver Island's most popular Home and Garden Show is coming to Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre - March 2, 3 & 4. The show features 150 home renovation booths, plus Neil Davies, Jane Lockhart, Shell Busey, Carolyn Herriot, Jennifer Berkeley, the chefs from the Canadian Culinary Federation, and more than 2000 sq ft of garden exhibits.

A special thank you to Gold Sponsors: Terasen Gas, BC Hydro PowerSmart; Silver Sponsor: WorkSafeBC, and Media Sponsor: Times Colonist.

For more info on the show go to www.chbavictoria.com.

You can purchase VIP Passes for your staff and clients for only $7 each. VIP Passes are limited – call the office today.

Watch & listen for the Home & Garden Show ads in the Times Colonist, Black Press Community papers, A-Channel, Shaw Cable, the LED board at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, The Q, CFAX, The Ocean & Jack FM. We are EVERYWHERE!! Watch for the 24-page Home & Garden Supplement in the Thursday, March 1 Times Colonist.

We are still looking for Volunteers during the weekend of the show! If you haven’t signed up yet, call or email the office or Home Show Chair, Steve Copp, (920-9004 or stevecopp@shaw.ca) we will schedule a time for you and your name will be entered for some great prizes.

• 2 box seat tickets to see Nelly Furtado on March 21(courtesy of Steve Copp)
• Victoria Salmon Kings jacket (courtesy of Ron Bickford)
• FREE Green Fee at Arbutus Ridge Golf Club
• FREE Green Fee at Olympic View Golf Club
• 1 of 3 pairs of Victoria Salmon Kings tickets
• One night complimentary accommodation for 2 at the Fairmont Waterfront, Vancouver!!

If you have an interest in donating a skill, money or product to the Flex-Plex Housing Affordability project with Habitat for Humanity, please send an email to info@chbavictoria.com.

So far we have a good response from members, but we want to be sure that everyone interested have an opportunity to participate. Those expressing interest will be invited to a meeting with the Project Management/Construction team to discuss the requirements of the project.

The following Certified Residential Builder courses are coming up:

·        Project Management – March 9 (online portion to be completed in advance)

·        Financial Management - March 30 & 31

·        Sales & Marketing - April 13 & 14

Call CHBA-Victoria at 383-5044 to register. Courses will be held subject to sufficient registration.

Don't miss the 5th Annual Open Shop Construction Conference, May 3 - 5, 2007 at the
Delta Ocean Point.  Speakers include Premier Gordon Campbell.

For more info go to www.iosc5.com

A great time was had by all during CHBA-Victoria's Annual Ski Trip to Mount Washington. The weather was a little bit challenging, but the snow was "pure butter." On the trip back, the bus was frequented by visits from "The Police."

For next year, there's talk of a professional development seminar at Whistler!

First on board with a Gold Sponsorship for the 2007 CARE Awards is National Home Warranty Programs. A big thank you to Ray Windsor and Gordon Houston for their support, which goes a long way to assist CHBA-Victoria's many activities - from education and training to addressing building policy issues and regulations.

Working with CHBA-BC, we are in the middle of discussions with the BC government and HPO re: guidelines for the new building code. There will be more on this upcoming.

On February 2 the gold Georgie Awards were distributed and we congratulate two of our members for winning the gold! 

Best Townhouse Development
Abstract Developments Inc. 

Best Residential Renovation under $75,000
G.E. Miller Builder & Contractor, Inc.

Pacific Sport Institute is looking for donations for the new complex to be built at Camosun College. To donate, contact Susan Haddon, Director of College and Community Relations at
370-4231.

CHBA-Victoria has a new copy of the 2006 Building Code for viewing at your convenience.