Longtime homebuilders' staffer let go
Facing what's expected to be a flat housing market in Kamloops in 2013, the Central Interior chapter of the Canadian Homebuilders Association has let its longtime executive officer go in an effort to cut costs.
The CHBA announced on Wednesday, March 6, that it was parting ways with Patsy Bourassa, who oversaw the local association for 10 years.
President Brian Hayashi said Bourassa did an "outstanding job" as executive officer, but the association's budget has become more restricted in the years since the 2008 financial downturn.
"A lot of the members have been cutting back and they are having problems attending all of our events and sponsoring to the extent that they used to," Hayashi said, pointing to political uncertainty at the provincial level and the April 1 transition back to the PST from the HST as other factors weighing on homebuilders.
"Even though the association is in really good financial shape right now, we're recognizing that it's getting more and more difficult to meet our budget," Hayashi said.
He said the organization's board will take on a greater leadership role following Bourassa's departure, while continuing to look for ways to trim its budget.
"The board is just being prudent, or cautious, in lowering our budget expectations," he said.
Market analysts have predicted the Kamloops housing market will start to gain some new momentum, but probably not before 2014.
The association is also seeing buyers shift away from the single-family homes many of its nearly 200 members build, toward multi-family options, Hayashi said.
He said the CHBA appreciates Bourassa's decade of stewardship.
"She's brought the organization from basically a one person hole-in-the-wall office to an association that's well-recognized — and she's got a list of personal achievements that'll fill a page."
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