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Selling out North Saanich: The BC NDP appointed a housing advisor for the municipality, based in the United States

By Sasha Izard
July 11, 2026

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Recently, I wrote the following article:

Undue Influence: BC NDP Government Appointed Giant Commercial Real Estate Company as Housing Advisor to North Saanich – CRD Watch Homepage

After writing the article, I was informed that CBRE, the company that was appointed as housing advisor to North Saanich, is actually based in the United States.

At the time of writing, according to Wikipedia:

CBRE Group, Inc. (an initialism of Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis) is an American commercial real estate services and investment firm, with corporate headquarters in Dallas, Texas, and global financial headquarters at Lever House in Midtown Manhattan.^[1][3] It is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm based on 2022 revenue.^[4][5][6]

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Conclusion:

Nothing more needs being said. Appointing a giant US-based commercial real estate firm as housing advisor to a municipality is nothing but a clear sign of the forced corporate capture of our municipalities and of foreign interference in that process in domestic Canadian matters such as urban planning.

No one should be deluded into thinking the BC NDP represent anything other than multi-national real estate interests, when it comes to forced housing policy on municipalities.

It is time to turf this corporate tyranny from our municipalities.

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See also:

In March 2023, prior to the release of the BC Provincial Housing Targets for select municipalities, the Urban Development Institute (UDI), not only lobbied the Province on Enforceable Housing Targets, but also on an Advisor for municipalities “should they be appointed”. – CRD Watch Homepage

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Eby and Vancouver ‘Condo King’ Bob Rennie offered oversupply as solution to the ‘housing crisis’ in 2021 dialogue, facilitated by the UDI development/real estate lobby. – CRD Watch Homepage

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2018CITZ0018-001307