The House that Mayor Dean Murdock built: Why was a UDI Director/UDI Capital Region Chair, appointed by Saanich’s Mayor, to the Saanich Housing Affordability Standing Committee?

The House that Mayor Dean Murdock built: Why was a UDI Director/UDI Capital Region Chair, appointed by Saanich’s Mayor, to the Saanich Housing Affordability Standing Committee?

The Saanich Housing Affordable Standing Committee is a successor to the Mayor’s Standing Committee on Affordability and Supply. Appointments to the Committee are made by Saanich’s Mayor, according to the Committee’s Terms of Reference

The Committee generates development policies for the district, that can then be presented to the elected officials at council meetings, who if they choose can make those District policies and Bylaws.

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Excerpts from minutes of the committee:

By Sasha Izard
Dec 9, 2025

Background:

The Mayor’s Standing Committee on Housing Affordability and Supply, was a District of Saanich committee that advanced development policies that could be implemented if voted on by elected officials. The committee existed during the mayoralship of Fred Haynes. In the fall of 2022, during the Oct 2022, General Local Government Election, Fred Haynes was defeated by Dean Murdock for the position of Mayor by a mere 152 votes.

The positions of the two mayors on many issues, particular on housing, were very close, something Haynes himself pointed out in a CFAX debate during the election.

Both of the mayoral candidates for the district in 2022, were supported in the election by Homes For Living at the time, a brand new political pressure group and third party election advertising sponsor, advancing a development agenda.

This is what it said under Homes For Living’s rankings of Saanich candidates in 2022:

After the election in early 2023, the Mayor’s Standing Committee on Housing Affordability and Supply, was renamed The Housing Affordability Standing Committee and a new Terms of Reference was approved on Feb 6, 2023.

Mayor’s Standing Committee on Housing Affordability | District of Saanich

The following is from the Terms of Reference:

The full terms of reference can be viewed in Appendix 1 at the end of this article.

Or viewed at the following link: Wayback Machine

As per the Terms of Reference Saanich’s mayor appoints the members of the committee, which includes four elected, and up to four non-elected members of the community.

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Who is John Bourcet?

In the May 26, 2025 minutes of the committee, a new name appears as a committee member, John Bourcet, who as per the Terms of Reference, must have been appointed to the position by Saanich’s Mayor Dean Murdock.

The minutes can be read at the following link, or in Appendix 2, at the end of this article.

HASC May 26 Minutes FINAL 2.pdf

The Minutes noted that committee members Present, included the 4 elected officials, Councillors, Judy Brownoff, Karen Harper, Phelps Bondaroff, and Mayor Dean Murdock. Among them was one unelected person, John Bourcet.

In the minutes, John Bourcet was seconding motions put forth by elected officials:

So, who is this John Bourcet sitting on the committee among the elected officials, and seconding motions by them?

At the time of writing, he is the Chair of the UDI Capital Region, the Southern Vancouver Island Chapter of the Urban Development Institute, an actively registered lobbying organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry, which many regard as the most power lobby for development and real estate interests in the Province of British Columbia. Many of the events held by the organization, have been heavily subsidized by taxpayer dollars over the years and are frequented by elected officials and bureaucrats, including by the Premier David Eby himself.

Screen capture: From UDI.org’s leadership page under the Capital Region Advisory Committee heading (Dec 4, 2025)

Not only is John Bourcet the Chair of the Capital Regional Advisory Committee (UDI Capital Region), he is a UDI Director, which means that he is a Director of the UDI in BC, which is based in Vancouver.

Bourcet’s name can be seen under the Board of Directors of the UDI bottom left at the time of writing (Dec 4, 2025).

John Bourcet’s LinkedIn profile at the time of writing (Dec 4, 2025), has his being listed as Chapter Chair of the Urban Development Institute (Capital Region)

Screen capture from John Bourcet’s LinkedIn profile:

John Bourcet – Woodsmere Holdings Corp. | LinkedIn

Although the time frame is Jan 2024 – Present 2 years, is provided for his position at the UDI Capital Region, Bourcet does not appear to have been the Chair as mentioned for that full time; rather having been appointed to that position sometime in 2025. The time frame on his LinkedIn profile, appears to indicate the time he has served on the UDI Capital Region’s Board.

In 2024, John Bourcet was listed as a Regional Committee Director (UDI Capital Region) with a different company name Kang & Gill Construction. As seen earlier, in 2025 the company that is listed under his UDI leadership profile is Woodsmere.

Leadership | UDI – Urban Development Institute (Source: Waybackmachine).

A Committee too far?

The UDI likes to use the term “bridging the gap”, but sometimes bridging the gap has led to concerns that various levels of government have crossed the line in their relation to the UDI.

In early 2023, the District of Saanich withdrew its paid membership in the lobby, after numerous members of the public had voiced major potential conflict of interest concerns in that relationship, focussing around Abstract Developments, the applicant of a controversial project on Rainbow/Sevenoaks, when not only was one of their key employees advancing the project Adam Cooper, the Chair of the UDI at the time, but he was listed as having a Direct Interest in the UDI’s activities under the BC Lobbyists Registry at the time, and Abstract’s office address on Cook Street was provided on it.

Saanich bails on membership in developers’ organization – Victoria Times Colonist

Cooper was replaced soon after as UDI Capital Region Chair, by Ben Mycroft who held that position for the years (2023-2024) and (2024-25). Based on the change of the leadership roster on the UDI’s website John Bourcet has been appointed as UDI Chair for 2025-2026, and perhaps beyond.

The following is an excerpt from the agenda for the Dec 8, 2025 Saanich Committee of the Whole. Under item C.1. SAANICH HOUSING STRATEGY: PRIORITIES PLAN 2026 – 2028 Report of the Director of Planning dated December 8, 2025, which was posted an attachment: “2025-12-15-housing Strategy”, a strange heading for it, as the Dec 8 Committee of the Whole is scheduled before the 15th of December.

This is the content of that attachment:

Virginia Holden’s presence on the committee is interesting, but not surprising. Holden having worked previously with the Provincial government, and appearing in a number of photo ops with it, is the Executive Director of the Greater Victoria Housing Society, which has engaged in numerous projects with UDI member companies, something I outlined in an article a couple years ago.

What is the Greater Victoria Housing Society (GVHS) and what is their relationship to the UDI development/real estate lobby and the Provincial Government of British Columbia?

Carley Friesen, the “Senior Planner of Housing” mentioned at the 2nd page in the attachment in the document, was a featured speaker a UDI event at the Union Club this year:

FOI reveals content of discussion regarding Bill 44 and ‘missing middle’ upzoning at the Union Club between Saanich Staff and the UDI, a registered lobbying organization that advances development/real estate interests. “For background, in June 2024, we rezoned approximately 25,000 lots in Saanich.” “Neighbours may not know until they see signs of construction”. “Saanich wanted similar outcomes as Province” – CRD Watch Homepage

Both Friesen and Wynn-Williams who appeared on the committee at the Nov 10, 2025 Housing Affordability Standing Committee meeting, served previously on Saanich’s Housing Strategy Task Force as “members of the community at large. The Task Force was referred to by the press when it was created as a “stakeholder task force” and has been noted (in the CRD Watch article above), had a very high amount of Task Force members that had connections to the UDI, either directly as in a Director Greg Gillespie, and top UDI educator Mark Holland, as well as indirectly through companies or organizations that are UDI members that various members have been involved with or worked for.

Last year, on May 7, 2024 Mayor Murdock was also a featured speaker at a UDI event at the Union Club. Later that evening Saanich Council, despite considerable community opposition, and without adequately informing the public in advance, decided to render the Local Area Plans legally non-binding by removing them from the Official Community Plan Bylaw. The council, that evening also passed both third and fourth readings of a newly updated Official Community Plan, that was not required to be completed by the Province until over a year and a half later at the end of 2025.

Index of articles regarding the Saanich Official Community Plan (OCP) and the “decoupled” Local Area Plans (LAPs) – CRD Watch Homepage

FOI Request to BC Transit yields information about the UDI event: “Pathways to Progress: Uniting Land Use and Transit Strategies for Sustainable Growth” which took place the same day that Saanich adopted its new Official Community Plan and rendered its Local Area Plans legally non-binding. – CRD Watch Homepage

More Freedom of Information data surfaces, this time from Saanich, regarding the May 7, 2024 UDI event at the Union Club: “Pathways to Progress: Uniting Land Use and Transit Strategies for Sustainable Growth” – CRD Watch Homepage

A section from the draft minutes of the Nov 10, 2025 Housing Affordability Standing Committee was included in the attachment to the Dec 8, 2025 Committee of the Whole agenda Item C.1 as seen above.

The full draft minutes of that meeting can be read in Appendix 3, at the end of this article.

This was the heading of the Draft Minutes:

Below is the section of the draft minutes outlining the comments of John Bourcet (they were included in the attachment to the Dec 8 COW agenda item C.1 in regard priorities for phases 2 and 3 of Saanich’s Housing Strategy.

“J. Bourcet stated that many priorities currently lean toward non-market housing and cautioned against losing sight of market housing supply. He noted that adding amenities without nuance may limit developer flexibility and recommended an economic strategy with oversight. He also pointed out the conflict between protecting and promoting rental housing and the impacts of tenant assistance policies during redevelopment. To improve processes and timelines, he encouraged a shift toward incentive-based approaches, clearer staff support to help developers meet housing goals, and a review of development permit guidelines that may be extending processes and reducing certainty.”

Keep in mind that John Bourcet (J. Bourcet) is the Chair of the UDI Capital Region, and a Director of that lobby in British Columbia.

On Nov 9, 2025 just 9 days after making that statement on the Committee, John Bourcet was listed on a business item for the Saanich Advisory Design Panel. In the item Bourcet was listed as Applicant for Woodsmere Holdings Corp., for a proposal for a rezoning to “construct a 249-unit mixed-use (commercial and multi-family rental developmental 2 buildings”, with variances requested.

While the Minutes of the Nov 19, 2025 Advisory Design Panel have not yet been made available at the time of writing, it is notable that among the members of the Advisory Design Panel is Greg Gillespie (see below), a former UDI Director, who served on Saanich’s Housing Strategy Task Force.

Woodsmere Holdings Corp, the company Bourcet is the applicant for, appears from their website to have a focus in rental units. The rental prices of those units are not at the time of writing listed on their website, but I suspect they aren’t the CMHC definition of affordable.

Screen capture of the homepage of Woodsmere’s website. (Dec 7, 2025):

At the Oct 3, 2025 UDI meeting which featured BC Premier David Eby sitting down once again for a lengthy UDI interview with the so-called ‘Condo King’ Bob Rennie – Woodsmere was introduced by UDI President and CEO Ann McMullin as a new UDI member.

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. – CRD Watch Homepage

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Conclusion:

John Bourcet is not only a Director of the UDI, and the Chair of the UDI Capital Region; he has strong monetary incentives in real estate/sssdevelopment through Woodsmere Holdings Ltd., and he is the applicant of a proposal for a potential 249sss mixed-use commercial and rental development in Saanich.

Why is he advising the District of Saanich on its housing policy, and seconding motions of elected officials on the Housing Standing Affordability Committee? The company he works for Woodsmere, does not appear to offer affordable housing, according to CMHC definition of affordable.

Why was he appointed to that position on the Committee by Saanich’s Mayor, Dean Murdock? It is not that the Mayor is ignorant of the UDI. The Mayor was a featured speaker at a UDI event at the Union Club last year, the same day that Saanich’s Local Area Plans were rendered legally non-binding, and a new Official Community Plan was adopted over a year and a half before it was required to be by the Province.

When I first met Dean Murdock in 2022, a number of months before he became Mayor, I sat down with him for coffee. Having read about his being a proponent of pre-zoning on transportation corridors in the paper, something the UDI has lobbied various levels of government on extensively, I asked him if he had heard of the UDI. He immediately, responded: Yes, it’s the development lobby!

That was the first time I heard of the UDI referred to as the development lobby, although I already recognized it as such from its own materials at the time on its website UDICapitalRegion.ca, which has since been taken down.

Despite being an actively registered lobbying organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry, the UDI prefers to create an image of itself as an educational institute that just happens to also be there to educate elected officials and government bureaucrats, while it is simultaneously lobbying them and offering political influence to its paying member companies, but Murdock knew better at the time. It’s the development lobby.

The following was from the front page of the UDI Capital Region website before it was taken down at the end of 2023:

“PRIMARY AREAS OF FOCUS

Government Relations

We are the public voice for Capital Region’s development industry, liaising with local governments and the media to promote balanced, well-planned and sustainable communities.”

“Your voice in the Capital Region’s development industry

Join the team of industry leaders and professionals who are influencing the issues that affect your bottom line.”

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

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Once again, the following from the draft minutes are the outlines of the UDI Capital Region Chair Mr. Bourcet’s comments from his position on the Saanich committee at the Nov 10, 2025 Saanich Housing Standing Affordability Committee meeting, which have been included as an attachment for the Dec 8, 2025 Committee of the Whole, agenda item C.1 in regard to Saanich’s priorities for phase 2 and phase 3 of its Housing Strategy:

“J. Bourcet stated that many priorities currently lean toward non-market housing and cautioned against losing sight of market housing supply. He noted that adding amenities without nuance may limit developer flexibility and recommended an economic strategy with oversight. He also pointed out the conflict between protecting and promoting rental housing and the impacts of tenant assistance policies during redevelopment. To improve processes and timelines, he encouraged a shift toward incentive-based approaches, clearer staff support to help developers meet housing goals, and a review of development permit guidelines that may be extending processes and reducing certainty.”

Are these the comments of a party without vested interests, or are these the type of comments one would expect of a Director of a registered lobbying organization, and Chair of its Chapter on Vancouver Island, while he simultaneously seeks a rezoning from the District of Saanich for a massive project for the rental company that he works for?

Why should such comments be taken into consideration in developing Phase 2 and 3 of Saanich’s Housing Strategy?

Mayor Murdock, we the people of Saanich, want to know.

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A sequel to this article can be read here:

The Fox in the Henhouse? Chair of Development/Real Estate lobby Chapter/lobby Director, now reappointed to Saanich Mayor’s Committee, voted in favour of phase 2 and 3 of the District’s Housing Strategy. Council followed suit unanimously. – CRD Watch Homepage

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