CRD Watch Homepage

“From Policy to Practice: Regional Planning Perspectives” UDI luncheon held on April 16, 2026

By Sasha Izard
April 24, 2026

—————————————————————————————————

As recent events in the Cowichan Valley have shown, a popular revolt against top down regional planning advancing a development agenda over local interests and food security, can cause a rapid about turn in policy formation.

A recent UDI event, focusing on the Metro Vancouver area and regional planning, is worth looking at especially in lieu of Metro Vancouver Hurley’s remarks last year and some recent related CRD Watch and other articles:

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

Exposing the “Shadow Planners”: Special Presentation for Metro Vancouver region (CRD Watch) with video and materials – CRD Watch Homepage

Eby achieves the goal lobbied to him by the UDI 4 years previously, by overriding West Vancouver’s local government autonomy on zoning. – CRD Watch Homepage

The District of North Vancouver has discontinued its UDI membership. – CRD Watch Homepage

Metro Vancouver ponders $389-million cut to developer fees to support housing | Daily Hive | Urbanized

—————————————————————————————————

Regional governance was previously the most standardized tool used by the development industry to advance its agenda, by overriding localized governance, through Regional Growth Strategies with Housing Needs Reports that mandate conformance from OCPs to advance a construction agenda on municipalities, all enabled by Provincial Legislation of course.

The development lobby however dissatisfied with the lack of enforcement of housing targets at the regional level, lobbied the Province to put much more binding enforcement with incentives and penalties for non-conformance by local governments to the development industry’s agenda.

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

—————————————————————————————————

Still we should not forget the development industry’s influence at the regional government level.

The Metro Vancouver Regional Government maintains its UDI membership, that costs annually well over $5000. The CRD, the regional government has abandoned its UDI membership, but has still held meetings with the UDI, even though the Regional Housing Advisory Committee RHAC where the UDI had a permanent seat, was suspended pending ongoing review, with the UDI losing its permanent seat on the committee, and the committee if it ever opens again, will allow general public attendance:

CRD Cleaning up its act on the Regional Housing Advisory Committee – CRD Watch Homepage

—————————————————————————————————

The following are the event details of the April 16, 2026 UDI luncheon event titled:

“From Policy to Practice: Regional Planning Perspectives”

“Event Details

Policy decisions made today are determining which projects advance and which stall across Metro Vancouver.

On April 16, join UDI and senior municipal leaders for an in-depth discussion on how planning policy is translating into housing delivery in Vancouver, Burnaby, and Coquitlam.

This is not a high-level overview. It is a practical conversation about implementation, friction points, approval realities, and how municipalities are navigating growth pressures in a challenging market.

As we move into a municipal election year, regional priorities will continue to evolve. Understanding how policy intent aligns with on-the-ground delivery is critical for land strategy, approvals timelines, and capital planning.

This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the planners shaping growth decisions and to gain practical insight into what is working, what is shifting, and what to anticipate next.”


From Policy to Practice: Regional Planning Perspectives | Urban Development Institute

Archived version: From Policy to Practice: Regional Planning Perspectives | Urban Development Institute

————————————————————————————————-

Featured speakers at the event included 3 city staffers in the Metro Vancouver area in addition to the president of Anthem:

Tracy McRae – Vice President, Development of Anthem

Andrew Merrill – General Manager, Planning & Development at City of Coquitlam

Johannes Schumann, Senior Director Development Services, Approving Officer of City of Burnaby

Josh White – General Manager, Planning, Urban Design & Sustainability at City of Vancouver

—————————————————————————————————

—————————————————————————————————

See also:

Victoria quits the UDI: Why is Vancouver still funding the developer lobby? | CityHallWatch: Tools to engage in Vancouver city decisions

List of articles and other resources regarding the Metro Vancouver Region – CRD Watch Homepage

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

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

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

Upcoming UDI event at the Union Club featuring Saanich staffers, sponsored by Rennie the company of the so-called “Condo King” in Vancouver. – CRD Watch Homepage

How the Development and Real Estate Lobby Pressed Mandatory Housing Targets, Mass Upzoning, Captured Official Community Plans, and Made the Shutting Down of Public Hearings the Norm in British Columbia Under the NDP Government – CRD Watch Homepage

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

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

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

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. – CRD Watch Homepage

List of articles and other resources regarding the CVRD. – CRD Watch Homepage