The David Eby Confession: Premier Eby talking to the ‘Condo King’ Bob Rennie, finally spilled the beans in front of the camera, on how UDI lobbying played key role in the creation of the Provincial Housing Bills.

By Sasha Izard
Nov 11, 2025

The video has now been released of the Rennie and Eby meeting at a UDI event earlier this fall, that almost certainly cost taxpayers thousands of dollars. An excerpted section of Eby speaking to Rennie is above.

UDI, don’t waste your time taking it down from public view. I’ve already backed it up.

Previously, I wrote about the event with the following article:

David Eby Before and After: How David Eby’s former criticisms of the political influence of the so-called ‘Condo King’ of Vancouver Bob Rennie, when Eby was a member of the opposition; turned once in power, to Eby becoming Rennie’s political follower. – CRD Watch Homepage

Nothing illustrates that better than the dialogue with Eby and Rennie further down.

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UDI President and CEO Anne McMullin opened the event by saying,

“As you can see this is a sellout crowd”.

A UDI slide toward the beginning of the Oct 3, 2025 presentation welcomed the elected officials present, many if not all of whom were present at the event, were very likely using taxpayer dollars for the entry fee. The entry fee for each elected official was $300.

3 years prior to the event, on Sept 28, 2022, the UDI had a lineup of bands formed by developers, play at the Paradox Hotel in Vancouver. The band “The Sellouts”, was followed by “The Approvals” that day, the Chair of the UDI at the time Jon Stovell, playing in that latter named band.

Home – Urban Development Institute

“It’s through the continued support of our members and sponsors, that we’re able to advocate for the development industry, and provide meaningful opportunities to connect and cooperate”

– UDI President and CEO Anne McMullin at the 2025 UDI, Eby and Rennie meeting.

Yes, that is you branches of government that are paying members of the UDI. You are paying with taxpayer dollars for the development industry to lobby you.

See: Public Release of the Urban Development Institute (UDI)’s hidden members directory dated to the beginning of 2024. The directory contains dozens of government branches that are hiding their memberships in the registered lobbying organization for development and real estate interests from the public. – CRD Watch Homepage

One of the main sponsors of the event was the Federal Crown Corporation, the Canada Lands Company.

“We are especially grateful today to Canada Lands Corporation, IN-Form Projects, and our lead sponsor Dentons, for their generous support of this afternoon’s luncheon. So thank you all very much for your support.” – Anne McMullin 2:38

No potential for conflict of interest of course, having a federal crown corporation significantly subsidize the lobby event.

After McMullin’s remarks, the Chair of the UDI in BC, Rick Ilich addressed David Eby.

At the 10:20 point in the video he said toward Eby in attendance,

“I have a feeling I shouldn’t sit next to the window in the Helijet, next time I see you right?” [Followed by Ilich laughing].

I found this comment a bit ironic, having just written several articles on related themes:

Plane Flights and Helijets, where taxpayer dollars go from the City of Victoria, for Development Lobby Events – CRD Watch Homepage

An Expensive Party: Victoria Employee flew to Nashville and back, to hang out with developers at their “Social Event”. Cost to the taxpayer: almost $2000 – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of Articles regarding Jet Flights for City of Victoria Staff to development lobby events, that were charged to the City. – CRD Watch Homepage

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Eby and Rennie’s talk included near the beginning at the 12:33 mark, Rennie saying to Eby, “This is our fourth or fifth talk together”. Eby nodded after in response.

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At the 16:43 mark the Premier said “Thanks for having me for lunch”, followed by an awkward: “Uh, it depends on how you say that sentence.”

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At the 21:35 point Eby stated the following:

See: Offshore on shore? Prime ecological land on the shore of Oak Bay, up for sale for over 50 million dollars – reveals giant Elephant in the Room loophole in the so-called “Foreign Buyers Ban”. – CRD Watch Homepage

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The Confession:

People talk about conspiracy theories, as if they forget that theory is the initial stage of scientific method and inquiry, the word theory coming from a root meaning ‘to take a look at’, compare to the word theatre from the same root.

Next to follow scientific method, comes conspiracy hypothesis, then comes conspiracy testing, and the final stage if all the prior criteria have been met, becomes proven conspiracy; yet it’s only the initial stage that gets focussed on in discourse. Why is that?

Yes, the NDP’s dealings with the UDI lobbyists, have been conspiracy by the very etymological meaning of the word. The word conspiracy comes from the Latin spiritus ‘breath’. We get respiration from the same root. The word meant for people to breathe whispers together, that others couldn’t hear, or at the very least sounded muddled from afar.

And that’s exactly what translates in my view, to lobbyists being provided Non-Disclosure Agreements by the government, as they advise the government behind closed doors on housing policy that would override the powers of other levels of government and/or force their hands on zoning decisions without public hearings – hardly democratic actions, to put it mildly.

You can see signed copies of the Non-Disclosure Agreements here, as revealed by the government’s response to Freedom of Information requests that I made:

The Government of British Columbia had top figures in the most powerful lobbying organization for development and real estate interests in the province, sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) as they advised the Province on adopting mandatory/enforceable targets for municipalities and for other upcoming housing legislation to be able to override local government autonomy. – CRD Watch Homepage

For sometime, I was called conspiratorial by the usual gaslighters, then they became drastically quieter on that front, when after a considerable amount of time passed, thousands of pages of costly Freedom of Information, started pouring in; confirming what I proposed 2 and a half weeks before the major housing bills (44, 46, 47) were even passed in the fall of 2023.

Documents obtained from Freedom of Information:

The Government of British Columbia finally posts Freedom of Information response on its “Open Information” catalogue regarding Housing Target Consultations that the Province made with Municipalities; after almost a year and a half since the FOI request was made. – CRD Watch Homepage

Index of articles revealing major lobbying influence on B.C. Provincial Housing Bills and Housing Targets. – CRD Watch Homepage

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So why couldn’t the government led by the BC NDP be honest and straightforward and just tell from the beginning that they were following the UDI, with the housing bills? Why did it take 2 years for them by their leader, to admit it?

To me, the answer is obvious: the BC NDP were playing their role in crisis capitalism, just like they did when they tore up the Royal BC Museum before that. Move things forward so quickly as a fait accomplis, that it takes the public and local government politicians years to catch up and even figure out what they’d really done, with many of those politicians of course, pretending they didn’t notice for much of that time.

Mayors, like lobbyists, were also forced to sign NDAs, as UDI-oriented policies were forced on their municipalities by the Eby government, which the UDI held clearly under its overarching sway.

“Statement from View Royal Mayor Sid Tobias on Bill 15 and Bill 7” “Secrecy, NDAs, and the Collapse of Trust” – CRD Watch Homepage

Now with the cat having leaked out of the bag, it’s out in the open. Maybe that’s why the Premier was finally so loose with his words at the event; there was simply not much left to hide in this regard, but finally admit it: the BC NDP were serving the UDI (a registered lobbying group on the BC Lobbyists Registry) when they forced these policies on municipalities.

The Premier’s own words and Bob Rennie’s response can be seen in the screenshots below:

Eby speaking to Rennie: 42:48 onward:

Note: the correct word was”built”, not billed.

Rennie then spoke:

Rennie added: “etc.”

The ‘Condo King’ suggests a real estate czar. Himself maybe?

Index of Articles Related to BC Bill M216 – CRD Watch Homepage

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

2 responses to “The David Eby Confession: Premier Eby talking to the ‘Condo King’ Bob Rennie, finally spilled the beans in front of the camera, on how UDI lobbying played key role in the creation of the Provincial Housing Bills.”

Gord Persson

January 1, 2026 at 1:34 pm

All this stuff id so much more crooked than anyone had imagined. Somehow needs to be broken down and organized as it is now totally overwhelming and I fear most people will not read it. WHY IS THE TIMES COLONIST NOT RUNNING FRONT PAGE ARTICLES. OR THE VANCOUVER SUN AND EVERY OTHER PAPER IN THIS PROVINCE. Perhaps criminal investigations are warranted?? But in the end, life will carry on as it is and nothing will happen.

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1. CRD Watch
  
  January 1, 2026 at 3:53 pm
  
  As has been documented, the Times Colonist and the Van Sun have worked together with the UDI for many years.
  
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2 responses to “The David Eby Confession: Premier Eby talking to the ‘Condo King’ Bob Rennie, finally spilled the beans in front of the camera, on how UDI lobbying played key role in the creation of the Provincial Housing Bills.”

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