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Welcome to the Urban Development Institute - Pacific Region
Events and Education
Please select your location for upcoming events:
 March 11, 2010 - Open for Business: The City of Calgary
March 16, 2010 - Open for Business: The City of Langley
March 18, 2010 - Luncheon: Tsawwassen First Nation, Chief Kim Baird
March 26 & 27, 2010 - School of Development, The Art of Approvals
Upcoming events! More information to follow!
April 22 - Luncheon
May 12 - UDI Annual Golf Tournament at the University Golf Club
May 20 - Annual General Meeting, keynote speaker: Bob Rennie.
June 17 - Luncheon
Check out our U40 (UDI members under 40) events here!
Victoria >> all upcoming Victoria events
Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
Noon-1:30pm
Embassy Inn, 520 Menzies Street
Tentatively: The Glass Half-Full - A Positive Look at the Present Economy
$30 Members $50 Non-members and Guests
All registrations payable unless cancelled 48 hours in advance.
udivictoria@shaw.ca
Okanagan >> all upcoming Okanagan events
Headline News
UDI Members: Please note that the Members Only password has been changed. Please email mpayan@udi.org to receive access.
A Message from VANOC: Welcoming the Paralympic Games
To our fellow Canadians, thank you for graciously welcoming the world with glowing hearts. To our guests from abroad, thank you for joining us and being part of an incredible Olympic experience.
The fun isn't over! Today marks the beginning of the 10-day Paralympic Torch Relay so leave your flag in the window and prepare to welcome 1,350 Paralympic athletes and officials from 44 countries for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games!
Three great ways to get involved in the Paralympic Games:
1. Show your support for the 600 torchbearers who will carry the Paralympic Flame — see when the relay will be in a town near you >>>
2. Attend the awe-inspiring Paralympic Opening Ceremony. Tickets are on sale now and range from $30 to $175 >>>
3. Cheer on athletes from around the world in alpine skiing , cross-country skiing, biathlon, ice sledge hockey and wheelchair curling. Tickets start at just $15, and groups of 20 or more can save up to $10 per ticket!
Green Rezoning Policy - City of Vancouver
The City of Vancouver's Green Rezoning Policy will be considered by City Council Standing Committee on Planning and Environment on Thursday, February 4th. This is a critical issue for all developers, that the City will require LEED Gold certification on all rezoning by January 1, 2011.
WHISTLER ADVISORY DESIGN PANEL – Call for Nominations
The Whistler Advisory Design Panel is seeking 1 professional land developer who is a registered member of the Urban Development Institute of Canada to serve for the 2010 term, with a commitment for 9 months, April to December 2010.
The Panel’s Terms of Reference are viewable here.
- Duration of appointment – 1 year, renewable for 3 years
- Volunteer position, appointed by Council
- Meetings held 3rd Wednesday of each month, usually from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm (majority of meetings will be held in Whistler)
- Travel allowance ($10/meeting travel from Whistler/ $50/meeting travel from Vancouver/Lower Mainland)
- Lunch is provided
- For review – matters concerning the context and design of development proposals in Whistler
Please submit a letter of interest and your resume to lwhittaker@udi.org by March 10, 2010.
Final Olympic Transportation Update
On behalf of the Olympic and Paralympic Transportation Team (OPTT), we are able to provide you with the information that was released this morning as part of the third and final transportation update for the 2010 Winter Games.
The focus of today’s release is the temporary changes to the road network that will be in place to support the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, as well as an update on the TravelSmart 2010 initiative.
Click for links to a news release, fact sheet, and series of maps for your reference - also, you are invited to an upcoming Game Plan Open House. For further information and reference, please visit the following websites:
HST Transitional Rules on Housing - release November 19, 2009
Below are the press release and transitional rules for HST as it applies to housing. Please note, the threshold has been increased to $525,000 from $400,000 and the rebate has been increased to $26,250 (from $20,000).
News Release
Transitional Rules on Housing
Please note this clarification from the Minister's Office: For pre-sales, any home sold before midnight on November 18, 2009 is grandparented and any home sold on or after November 19, 2009 are subject to HST transitional rules.
We are currently reviewing the rules and will provide more information shortly.
Brownfield Redevelopment
The School of Construction and the Environment at BCIT are holding a series of courses in Brownfield Redevelopment in support of BC’s Brownfield Renewal strategy. The purpose of the program is to provide current and prospective practitioners in the brownfield redevelopment industry with the relevant knowledge and skills within an interdisciplinary framework. Starting in December 2009, the suite of part time studies courses will include an introduction to brownfield redevelopment, planning and environment, legal and finance, technical and environmental strategies, and land development and real estate of brownfield redevelopments.
For further information, contact Steve Finn, Program Head, BCIT Brownfield Redevelopment Program at steve_finn@bcit.ca or visit http://commons.bcit.ca/brownfield.
HST General Transitional Rules - October 15, 2009
The Government of BC has released proposed general transitional rules for the HST. Please see here for the official Government news release and Ministry of Finance notice.
Please note: (emphasis added) "The general transitional rules do not include transitional rules for new residential real property. The Province is currently finalizing these transitional rules and will be releasing them in the coming months."
More information can be found here:
HST Transitional Rules - September 2009
Presentations from September 15th UDI HST Forum (click on names below to download):
Maureen Enser, Executive Director, UDI (Speaking notes and Powerpoint)
Jordan Goss, Manager, Tax Policy Branch, BC Ministry of Finance (PowerPoint)
Ivan Bastasic, Director, Financial Institutions and Real Property Division, CRA (PowerPoint)
Lalith Kottachchi, Director, Sales Tax Division, Federal Dept. Finance (PowerPoint)
The BC government is intending to adopt the Ontario HST Transitional Rules: these rules can be reviewed here (click to download).
Added September 15 - The following is now available on the CRA Web site:
Subject: GST/HST NOTICE244, Harmonization of the Ontario Retail Sales Tax with the Goods and Services Tax – Questions and Answers on Housing Rebates, Transitional Rules for Housing and Other Real Property Situated in Ontario. Link here.
Government News Release on HST
BC Provinical News Release here.
VICTORIA – British Columbia intends to harmonize its provincial sales tax with the federal Goods and Services Tax effective July 1, 2010, to boost new business investment, improve productivity, enhance economic growth and create jobs, Premier Gordon Campbell and Finance Minister Colin Hansen announced. Read more...
Introducing our new U40 group!
Click here for upcoming U40 events!
Members in the News
John Scott, 'Building Blocks'. Profile article in Business in Vancouver (July 21-27, 2009)
>> more Members in the News
April 21, 2009 - New UDI 'Interim Membership'
The Urban Development Institute is offering a new temporary category of membership for industry professionals who, through economic uncertainty, have lost employment with current UDI member companies.
This new “Interim Membership” offers:
- Six month posting of a synopsis of your experience on the UDI website (Our website is visited by hundreds of companies daily).
- Member rates to all UDI seminars, luncheons and events.
- Networking opportunities with others in the industry.
In order to qualify for this six month membership, you must have a letter of sponsorship from your former company. The dues are $10 for six months and are payable with your completed application. We accept Visa, MasterCard, Amex or cheque. (This membership is renewable for an additional 6 month period for a maximum of 12 months).
We are happy to offer you this opportunity to keep in touch with other industry professionals and hope you use it to your best advantage.
If you have any questions, please contact: Maggie Carate, Coordinator of Member Services, UDI Pacific Region, mcarate@udi.org, or 604-669-9585 ext 226.
>> more important news >>
Thank you to the generous sponsors of our Annual UDI Golf Tournament!
  
 
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