Letter to select members of the Metro Vancouver Board by MLA, George Anderson, draws on Homes For Living, and the UDI for support of Bill M216.
Nov 21, 2025
By Sasha Izard
BC NDP MLA, George Anderson who put forward Bill M216, the “Professional Reliance Act” sent a letter by email on Nov 14, 2025 to select members of the Metro Vancouver Board, according to one of the board members, Lisa Muri. Muri received the email, as did some others, but some other board members did not receive it.
Why did the letter not go to everyone on the board?
Why did the letter not go to every municipality in the Province?
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Anderson’s pitch for his bill in the letter included support in the letter from the Urban Development Institute, the most influential and powerful lobby for real estate and development in the Province, which is actively registered on the BC Lobbyists Registry. Metro Vancouver Director/Mayor of Burnaby Mike Hurley, less than a month prior to the letter, quoted Premier Eby, pointing out that the UDI got everything they wanted in terms of housing policy from the Province of BC.
See:
Director Hurley (Burnaby Mayor) lambasted the UDI’s stranglehold over Provincial housing policy at the Oct 17, 2025 Metro Vancouver Mayors Committee Special Meeting: “You got everything you wanted”. – CRD Watch Homepage
Index of articles revealing major lobbying influence on B.C. Provincial Housing Bills and Housing Targets. – CRD Watch Homepage
MLA Anderson also included support in his letter, from Homes For Living (HFL), a political pressure group in the Greater Victoria region. HFL was a third party advertising sponsor during the BC general local government election of 2022. HFL advances a development agenda and meets with MLAs to convince them of policy changes, but unlike the UDI, they do not register lobbying activity under the technicality that they are volunteers and not paid.
See: Index of Articles and other Media Coverage about Homes For Living – CRD Watch Homepage
Anderson’s letter also included a link to the website of Strong Towns Nanaimo one of the earliest and most detailed supporter of his proposed bill. Strong Towns Nanaimo, is a local branch of a US-based development oriented lobby group called Strong Towns, which I documented in the first article that I wrote on this proposed bill.
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The following is the letter from MLA Anderson. The attachments that he sent with his email are included as appendixes at the end of this article.
The letter:
From: Anderson, George <G.Anderson@leg.bc.ca>
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2025 1:17:10 PM
Cc: Anderson.MLA, George <George.Anderson.MLA@leg.bc.ca>
Subject: Working together, the Professional Reliance Act
Dear Mayors & Councillors,
My name is George Anderson. I am the MLA for Nanaimo-Lantzville.
Recently, I tabled a Private Members Bill M 216 Professional Reliance Act. The goal of the Act is to uplift the work that is already occurring in British Columbia.
Several municipalities, such as the City of Prince George, Town of Ladysmith, City of Surrey, and many others across British Columbia already utilize professional reliance or a certified professional program.
On November 6, 2025, I met with the Union of British Columbia President Cori Ramsey and Executive Director MacIsaac regarding the bill, and I am hopeful that UBCM and I can work together to deliver what British Columbians expect of us.
Attached to this email you will find the following:
- A briefing note on the bill, with a Q&A fact sheet;
- A letter of Support from Homes for Living a Non-Profit based in Victoria; and
- A Joint Letter of Support signed by the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and Urban Development Institute.
Lastly, you will find an op-ed that I’ve written titled “British Columbia can Build the Homes we need faster, if We Trust the People Who know how to build them.” It makes the case for reform that lets municipalities accept certified work from provincially regulated professionals to accelerate housing approvals without lowering standards. Moreover, the piece uses examples of where this practice is already in place in British Columbia, such as in Vancouver, Surrey, the town of Ladysmith, and City of Prince George.
Lastly, I have included a few articles on the bill:
https://www.beautifulnanaimo.ca/posts/2025/11/01/bill-m216
https://businessexaminer.ca/victoria-articles/item/editorial-professional-reliance-act-could-speed-up-home-building-significantly/
https://nanaimobulletin.com/2025/10/30/nanaimo-lantzville-mla-introduces-bill-to-streamline-housing-approvals/
As a former City Councillor and Regional District Director, I have tremendous respect for the work that all of you do to build our communities.
If you have suggestions on how we can make this bill work for your community, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office to set up a meeting or send your comments directly to me.
Sincerely,
George
George A.G. Anderson | MLA, Nanaimo – Lantzville
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Appendix 1: Attachment to MLA Anderson’s letter: “Briefing Note re: Professional Reliance Act“
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Appendix 2: Attachment to MLA Anderson’s letter – Homes For Living letter:
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Appendix 3: Attachment to MLA Anderson’s letter: “2025-11-14 UDI-GVBOT Joint Letter – Bill M216 Professional Reliance Act.pdf”
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Appendix 4: Attachment to MLA Anderson’s letter: “Opinion: British Columbia can Build the Homes we need faster, if We Trust the people who know how to build them By George Anderson, MLA for Nanaimo–Lantzville”
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See also: The Usual Suspects: Big Business including aligned groups such as The Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, the UDI lobby, and YIMBY pressure group Homes For Living, are pushing Bill M216 in British Columbia, which would override municipal sovereignty and the public voice, if passed. – CRD Watch Homepage
Index of Articles Related to BC Bill M216 – CRD Watch Homepage
CRD Watch Homepage 
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