CRD Watch Homepage

Index of Crown Corporations and Statutory Entities that have acted evasively about their UDI memberships.

By Sasha Izard
March 23, 2025
and updated with the addition of subsequent articles.

The Urban Development Institute, is a registered lobbying organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry for real estate and development interests, with hundreds of paying corporate members representing billions of dollars of investment, and in addition dozens of government entities from crown corporations and statutory entities to local and regional governments among its list of paying members.

The UDI has been hiding its members directory from the public with 2 phases of pulldown – the first from its websites in the fall of 2023, and the 2nd from the 3rd party web host memberzone.com at the beginning of 2024. However, a backed up copy was made and has been posted on CRD Watch.

At the beginning of 2025, the UDI also pulled down its list of committees that meets with local governments and the Province of B.C.

In 2024, I made a series of groundbreaking investigations. I say groundbreaking, because the supposedly free press wouldn’t touch the subject with a 10 foot pole – of crown corporations and statutory entities that have been evasive about their paid memberships in the registered lobbying group.

I will continue to cover this disturbing pattern of government evasiveness vis a vis their branches paid working relationship with the development/real estate lobby. After 9 articles were completed, and more to arrive in the future, I decided it was time to formally create a directory just for them on CRD Watch!

————————————————————————————————–

1. BC Assessment denied that it is a paying member of a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry. However, the evidence shows otherwise. – CRD Watch Homepage 

2. How Crown Corporation BC Assessment’s Paid Membership with the Urban Development Institute is Being Obscured – CRD Watch Homepage 

3. BC Assessment claims that its employees received reimbursements for memberships in a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry that represents private companies involved in development and real estate. – CRD Watch Homepage

4. After a Comedic Exchange of Emails, BC Transit Admits that it has a Membership with the Urban Development Institute. The Implications of that for BC, may be more Tragic than Comic. – CRD Watch Homepage

5: The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia (LTSA) is a paying member of a registered lobbying organization for real estate and development. – CRD Watch Homepage

6. It’s Official: B.C. Provincial Government entities are reimbursing government employees for expenses spent on a registered lobbying organization representing corporate interests, involved in development and real estate. – CRD Watch Homepage

7. The federal department Public Services and Procurement Canada had (or still has) paid memberships in a lobbying organization for development and real estate interests. – CRD Watch Homepage

8. BC Housing estimates charging an outrageous $1768.50 combined, for 3 Freedom of Information Requests to do with basic financial and other information regarding payments to a registered lobbying organization that represents development and real estate interests. – CRD Watch Homepage

9. The mysterious case of BC Housing’s paid memberships in a registered lobbying organization for real estate and development interests the Urban Development Institute (UDI), and how it revealed that a top BC Housing official was pushing for the crown corporation’s membership renewal in the UDI, while they were also simultaneously a UDI director. – CRD Watch Homepage

10. Part 2: The mysterious case of BC Housing’s paid memberships in a registered lobbying organization for real estate and development interests the Urban Development Institute (UDI), and how it revealed that a top BC Housing official was pushing for the crown corporation’s membership renewal in the UDI, while they were also simultaneously a UDI director. – CRD Watch Homepage

11. BC Housing claims records don’t exist regarding a previous membership in a lobbying organization, but at the same time estimates charging me over $1000 to find information about that membership. – CRD Watch Homepage

12. B.C. Crown Corporation SNAFU: The UDI claims that BC Housing owes them money for an invoice that BC Housing can’t find. BC Housing also can’t figure out how it paid the UDI over a thousand dollars to “renew” a specific membership with the lobbying organization, when BC Housing claims it didn’t have that specific membership previously. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) prefers to shut their eyes to the situation. – CRD Watch Homepage

13. BC Housing Launched a Quasi-Judicial Attempt to Deny me Access to Information. They Failed. – CRD Watch Homepage

14. How is it that BC Housing’s Provincial Director of Redevelopment has simultaneously been the Director of a branch of BC’s most powerful lobbying organization for real estate and development interests? And why were they made administrator of BC Housing’s paid membership in that same branch of that same lobbying organization? – CRD Watch Homepage

15. $10,000 a pop, and VIP Tables included: how BC Housing has been funnelling taxpayer money ($62,500 in less than 5 years) into the UDI, a registered lobbying organization for development and real estate, through $10K sponsorship agreements. – CRD Watch Homepage

16. The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) determined that $1768.50 combined, for 3 Freedom of Information Requests is a reasonable cost estimate – no reconsideration was allowed by the OIPC. The estimated cost is now up to $1,876.50. – CRD Watch Homepage

17. BC Housing’s out of control spending spree: $82,249 spent in only 3 and a half years, on costs related to a single lobby for real estate and development. – CRD Watch Homepage