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The “Hong Kong Model, transit density – Setting expectations and having clear guidance. MDE [Minister David Eby] First step target approach”.

UDI Executive Committee Meeting in April 13, 2022 with David Eby when he was the Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing.

By Sasha Izard
Jun 2, 2025

In a recent article, I wrote:

BC Ministry of Housing violated Freedom of Information Legislation: Ministry’s non-responsiveness in delivering its completed FOI results regarding its dealings and communications with a registered lobbying organization (the UDI), was deemed a refusal to comply with the legislation, by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC), which subsequently compelled the Ministry to deliver the results after. – CRD Watch Homepage

In going through the third and final phase of this Freedom of Information response, which took over a year to receive since my initial FOI request was made, I came upon an interesting record:

The UDI Executive Committee features the top figures in the UDI Pacific Region, the main branch of the Urban Development Institute in British Columbia. It has met with top figures in the Provincial government on a number of occasions, and the government has been very shy, even evasive, in providing any information about this and other UDI Committees unless compelled to by Freedom of Information legislation. The UDI also does not want the public to see information about these committees now.

See: Too much heat: The UDI pulls down its list of backroom committees that meet with the Government of British Columbia and Local Governments – CRD Watch Homepage

This particular meeting with MDE, which stands for Minister David Eby in April 13, 2022 had as the meeting subject:

“Hong Kong Model, transit density – Setting expectations and having clear guidance.
MDE – First step target based approach
Role of FN in transit oriented development
MST separate table etc.”

The S.13 in red is a redaction a form of government censorship, that the government can and readily uses to prevent the public from seeing policy advice and recommendations made for a public body. This also can be used to cover lobbying content.

“Section 16 is a discretionary exception to disclosure which gives the head discretion to refuse to disclose information that may be harmful to intergovernmental relations. “

Section 16 – Disclosure harmful to intergovernmental relations or negotiations – Province of British Columbia

The UDI has a focus on intergovernmental relations in its Constitution. See: The Urban Development Institute (UDI) Pacific Region’s Constitution: A Society for “unselfish use of land”. – CRD Watch Homepage

I made a quick Google search for “average price of housing in Hong Kong”.

This was the result:

“Hong Kong Holds Spot as Priciest Residential …”

So why were David Eby and the top honchos in the development lobby discussing the Hong Kong model?

“Setting expectations and having clear guidance.
MDE – First step target based approach”

The UDI Executive Committee had proposed to Eby “Global Housing Targets.” in a meeting with him a month earlier.

The Urban Development Institute lobbied the Province of BC to implement what they called “Global Housing Targets”. The Province would deliver new Housing Bills in response. – CRD Watch Homepage

Public release of UDI March 10, 2022 presentation slides, agenda, and lobbying letters to David Eby. – CRD Watch Homepage

The second part of the description of the April 13 meeting is also interesting:

“Role of FN in transit oriented development
MST separate table etc.”

See: The development lobby’s idea of reconciliation: “First Nations will soon become the largest developers in the Province”. – CRD Watch Homepage

The day after the April 13, 2022 meeting between Eby and the UDI’s Executive Committee, the following Cabinet Concept Paper was made: “Provincial Intervention in Local Zoning to Allow More Homes”. This was a precursor to what would happen with Bill 44 (which effectively accomplished the UDI’s call to eliminate single family home zoning across the Province) and can be read about in the following article:

Freedom of Information reveals that the Province of B.C. was working to implement what the registered lobbying organization, the Urban Development Institute, had been pushing for. This culminated in the recent Housing Bills that override local government authority on zoning.  – CRD Watch Homepage

As in the article, a week earlier was the following:

The UDI is a registered lobbying group on the BC Lobbyists Registry:

Urban Development Institute / Anne McMullin, President & CEO – 12-Month Lobbying Summary – Lobbyists Registry – Office of the Registrar or Lobbying of BC



See also:

Notes from UDI Exec – CRD Watch Homepage

The Urban Development Institute lobbied the Province of BC to implement what they called “Global Housing Targets”. The Province would deliver new Housing Bills in response. – CRD Watch Homepage

Transit Oriented Areas – CRD Watch Homepage

How the proposed “RapidBus” lanes in the Capital Region, including on McKenzie, were used as part of the UDI development lobby’s push for enforced densification/upzoning along rapid transit corridors, during their lobbying to David Eby in 2022 – CRD Watch Homepage

Thrown under the Bus: how so-called rapid transit is being used to force high density on communities, while greenwashing the developers’ for-profit agenda. – CRD Watch Homepage

A 2017 letter from the UDI to the Federal government offered a series of recommendations, including density targets around transit stations/corridors and for the adoption of TODs (Transit Oriented Developments). – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles regarding proposed plans for Quadra/McKenzie and transit-enabled development upzoning. – CRD Watch Homepage

Freedom of Information reveals that the Province of B.C. was working to implement what the registered lobbying organization, the Urban Development Institute, had been pushing for. This culminated in the recent Housing Bills that override local government authority on zoning.  – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles regarding lobby events and other meetings between government and lobbyists. – CRD Watch Homepage