BUILDING DURHAM

On Tuesday, September 22, 2020 Oshawa hosted a joint meeting of the Development Services and Community Services committees where IBI Group provided a presentation concerning the results of Phase 1 of the Oshawa Parking Study.

A copy of the presentation can be found here.

DRHBA will be participating in a BILT meeting in October that will include a discussion on this topic.  If you have any comments or questions you would like brought forward, please email them to s.hawkins@drhba.com.

On Monday, September 21, 2020, Whitby's Committee of the Whole vote unanimously to pass the Whitby Green Standards, with mandatory Tier One requirements to be implemented immediately.

The Durham Region Home Builders' Association strongly opposed the Whitby Green Standards and presented three delegations at the meeting.  Tiago Do Couto, first VP and chair of the GR committee spoke about the impacts of the Standards on land development; Johnathan Schickedanz, president, spoke about the building codes and the risk of rushing into mandating building beyond code; and Emidio DiPalo, immediate past president, spoke about issues surrounding affordability and the legality of the standards.

DRHBA has been very active on this file and spent a great deal of time and effort to provide comprehensive feedback to Town staff and to highlight our concerns with council.  Engagement included:

• Ongoing internal DRHBA meetings
• Attended virtual stakeholder session - April 29, 2020
• Letter sent to WGS Committee - May 11, 2020
• Letter sent to Council - May 11, 2020
• Letter sent to WGS Committee - May 29, 2020
• Legal opinion sent to Council and Committee - May 29, 2020
• Virtually met with Councillors Yamada and Leahy - June 8, 2020
• Met with OHBA/RESCON/BILD on WGS - June 11, 2020
• Attended virtual meeting with Town staff - June 23, 2020
• Attended virtual meeting with Town staff - July 29, 2020
• Virtual meeting with MP Ryan Turnbull - August 18, 2020
• Letter sent to Council - September 3, 2020
• Virtual meeting with MP Ryan Turnbull - September 15, 2020
• Three delegations at Committee of the Whole - September 21, 2020

Despite DRHBA's best efforts to inform Town staff and council of the real issues with the Standards, council opted to disregard our feedback and vote unanimously in favour of the Whitby Green Standards.

DRHBA will be continuing this discussion and would like to hear from interested members on this issue.  Please forward your questions, comments and concerns to s.hawkins@drhba.com.

Enbridge has released details on their new residential geothermal program.  This is a great option for builders attempting to build a Net Zero Development.

View/download brochure

The Town of Whitby has released an updated draft of the Whitby Green Standards.

The Standards include the following documents:

• Whitby Green Standard Brochure Final Draft
• Whitby Green Standard Draft Plan of Subdivision Checklist
• Whitby Green Standard Site Plan Checklist
• Whitby Green Standard Reference Guide
• Whitby Green Standard Training Guide

While at this time the committee is not accepting comments, the Durham Region Home Builders' Association still strongly opposes the Whitby Green Standards in its current form.  To that end, DRHBA submitted a letter to council on Thursday, September 4, 2020 and will be delegating when the Standards are brought to Whitby's Committee of the Whole on September 21.

If you have any comments or concerns about the Whitby Green Standards, please contact Stacey at s.hawkins@drhba.com.

Devon Biddle, P.ENG passed away at the cottage surrounded by all his loving family on Friday, August 28th, 2020 on his 75th birthday.

Beloved husband and best friend of Linda for 53 years. Loving father of Nancy McCallum (Gordon), David (Alexis) and Allan (Irene). Cherished Grandad of Cameron, Claire, Jane and Kipling. Dear brother of Tamara Hopkins (late Robert), Anthony Biddle (Karlene) and Kimberly Biddle (Susan). Fondly remembered by his family and friends.

Devon attended University of Toronto, where he met his two great loves, Linda and engineering. Following his graduation in 1967, he established the engineering firm D.G. Biddle & Associates in 1974. This legacy continues to this day to contribute to the growth of Oshawa and Durham Region.

His own good fortune inspired him to contribute to causes and initiatives he cared deeply for, both locally and internationally. These included Oshawa Parkwood Rotary, Rotary International, Parkwood Estate, Camp Samac, Ontario Tech University, University of Toronto and many others. He cherished his family and was dedicated to building a wonderful life for them. This included the spectacular cottage on Balsam Lake that he built much of with his own hands. This became the place for family and friends to gather, celebrate and have fun creating lasting memories. It is there he spent his final days. He was an adventurous spirit and travelled the world, visiting every continent, but always returning to his favourite destination, HOME. A private family service was held in the Chapel on Friday, September 4th.  In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Parkwood Rotary Foundation would be appreciated. Online condolences may be made at www.oshawafuneralhome.com

James "Jim" Roy passed away on Sunday, September 6, 2020 with his family by his side after a valiant fight. 

Jim was the beloved husband and soulmate of wife Stephanie Roy.

A graduate of Ryerson University, Jim went on to be the proud owner of Dunedin Construction and later Duntri Construction. Jim was involved in community as a member of the Kiwanis Club of Oshawa and the Oshawa Navy Club. He served as President of the Durham Builders Association (1980) and then President of (OSWCA) the Greater Toronto Ontario Sewer and Watermain Contractors Association.

Jim was incredibly proud of his two daughters and five grandchildren; Sue (Dave) Maquignaz and their children Ben and Brooke, and Carey (Dave) Fair and their children Riley, McGregor and Berkley, as well as his brother Alan Roy and his children Kevan, Ashley and Robbie. He was adored by his in-laws; Monica (Michael) Semeniuk, Anita (Tony) Russo, John (Jo-Ann) Wrobel and Halena MacDonald and all his nieces and nephews.

Jim enjoyed a full life of travelling, boating, golfing and socializing with friends. We will miss Jim’s laughter, his mischievous sense of humour and of course his love of the Toronto Argos.

“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well! And Jim did just that.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date to share memories of Jim’s life.

Memorial donations may be made to the Oshawa Navy Club. Online condolences may be left at www.armstrongfh.ca

The Town of Whitby is currently undertaking an update to its Development Charge Background Study and By-Law in partnership with Hemson Consulting Ltd.  The study is expected to be completed in 2021.

Currently, the Town of Whitby is in Consultation Period #1 and is seeking feedback on two draft components of the study until October 9, 2020.

Information pertaining to the Development Forecast and Service Level History can be found in staff report CS 33-20.

Hemson has also prepared three videos:

• Presentation #1 - Study Process & Policy
• Presentation #2 - Development Forecast
• Presentation #3 - Historical Service Levels

If you have any comments or concerns, please contact Stacey at s.hawkins@drhba.com.

The Ontario Tools Grant portal is now live.  Construction sector apprentices can receive up to $600 to help pay for tools and equipment.

Visit the Portal

Enbridge is hosting a free webinar series: Learn with the experts: Deep Energy Retrofits.

Click here for more information

Longtime DRHBA member Barry Harding, owner of Hardco Construction passed away on August 21, 2020 after an intense one-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

Barry passed away very peacefully - quietly in his sleep- at home, as was his wish. His courage, determination and sheer strength of will during his final days were awe-inspiring. He was a beloved husband to Nellika Richardson (nee Coppelmans), loving father to Marshall Harding (Amanda) and Allison Harding, and brother to Larry Harding, Sherri-Lyn (Wayne), and Rob Harding (Jennifer).

Barry founded Hardco Construction (Water and Sewer Main) with his brother Larry Harding on February 25th, 1987. His business was his work, his passion and his hobby. He was never happier than when he could find a better, faster, more effective way to make things happen. Eleven years later Hardco was recognized with a Business Achievement Award from the Whitby Chamber of Commerce for a fast growing company of over 50 employees - although at that time Hardco employed over 100 employees.

It was important to Barry to support his community. He sponsored local minor sports teams: soccer, baseball, lacrosse, and hockey as well as The Durham Winter Games. Hardco supplied Santa's Float in the Rotary Club's Christmas Parade as well as supporting fund raisers for various health initiatives including Cancer Research and Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. Barry loved being active, and was never one to sit still.

An incredible athlete, Barry raced Motor Cross competitively with a Professional License across Eastern Canada and the US between the ages 20 to 25 with his best friend Brian Ward. In his 30's Barry transitioned his motor cross skills to long distance mountain bike racing here in the Durham Region. In 1997 Barry took 1st place in the 44km Dagmar Chico Season Finale in the 35-and-over Category with a time of 2hrs and 15min and spontaneously ran in the Toronto Marathon and clocked a time that would qualify him to run the Boston Marathon. He was an avid water skier, boater, swimmer and lover of rock and roll music - a fun-loving, yet humble and kind man, he will be missed by all the people whose lives he touched. Barry was predeceased by his mother, Doris, and father, George Harding and his sister-in-law Cindy Harding.

An outdoor Visitation/Celebration will be held Wednesday Aug 26th, 2020 at Mount Lawn Cemetery from 12pm-5pm, 21 Garrard Rd Whitby, L1N 3K4. Please register your preferred hour of attendance with the funeral home at 905-443-3376. The Funeral will be by invitation only but will be available online through Live Streaming on Thursday, August 27th, 2020.

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