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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.
View full obituary
On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, the Region of Durham's council adopted Report #2020-P-14: Durham Region's response to Proposed Amendment 1 to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (ERO Posting #019-1679) and Proposed Land Needs Assessment Methodology for A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (ERO Posting #019-1679).
The staff report recommended:
It is recommended to Regional Council:
A) That Report # 2020-P-14 be endorsed and submitted to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing as Durham Region’s response to Environmental Registry of Ontario (ERO) Postings #019-1680 and #019-1679 regarding Proposed Amendment 1 to A Place to Grow, 2019 and proposed changes to the Provincial Land Needs Assessment Methodology. Key comments and recommendations are that the Province:
i) update Schedule 3 of A Place to Grow to implement population and employment forecasts as proposed in the Reference Forecast that includes a 2051 population forecast of 1,300,000 and a 2051 employment forecast of 460,000.
ii) include only a 2051 total population and employment forecast in the updated Schedule 3 of A Place to Grow (referred to as “Mock B”) and not provide the interim forecasts for 2031 and 2041.
iii) not proceed with the amendment to A Place to Grow that allows municipalities to develop their own higher growth forecasts, which could result in the siphoning of growth from other municipalities across the GGH and exacerbate the challenges for underperforming municipalities.
iv) not proceed to delete Policy 4.2.8.2 a) ii of A Place to Grow, as this change could erode environmental protection of habitat of endangered and threatened species, particularly in communities that are outside the boundaries of the Greenbelt Plan.
v) amend its municipal comprehensive review conformity date from July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023 to account for the impacts caused by the continued changes to Provincial Policy and the remaining outstanding Provincial decisions.
vi) expand the proposed Land Needs Assessment Methodology to include detailed steps, assumptions, data sources and processes that will align with the latest amendments to A Place to Grow.
vii) remove the requirement under subsection 17 (17.1) of the Planning Act which requires municipalities to provide a copy of the proposed Regional Official Plan (or Amendment) to the Minister 90 days before notice is issued of a public meeting and/or open house to help expedite the completion of the Region’s municipal comprehensive review.
viii)reconsider, as part of Amendment 1 to A Place to Grow, the existing hard cap of 10 hectares for Settlement Area Boundary Expansions within the Greenbelt Plan Area. Instead, municipalities should be permitted to consider larger Settlement Boundary Expansions to support the long-term viability of small urban settlements, subject to the completion of a servicing capacity study, and provincial approval through an MCR process.
ix) reconsider, as part of Amendment 1 to A Place to Grow, additional permissions to expand rural employment areas to accommodate new employment opportunities and provide the ability to establish new rural employment areas, subject to certain conditions such as availability of servicing, protection of the natural heritage system and ensure compatibility with surrounding uses.
B) That a copy of this report be forward to Durham’s area municipalities for their information.
Download/View Report
In October, the Durham Region Home Builders' Association will be hosting (perhaps virtually) their Annual General Meeting and electing their board of directors for 2020-2022.
The following positions are available for election:
Elected directors will serve a two year term.
DRHBA's top priority is advocacy work for the building industry as a whole. We also provide networking opportunities and great events for our members. We are looking for individuals who are willing to share their time, knowledge and experience to further the interests of the building community. We believe that each director brings a unique skill set and perspective to the table.
Directors will be required to attend four board meetings per year (November, February, May and September), and will be asked to join one of our committees. We ask that you share your time and expertise, whether that means speaking at a council meeting or helping to plan one of our gala events.
Being on the Durham Region Home Builders' Association's board of directors is a great way to meet others in the industry, get more involved and be on top of what's going on in the building world.
If you are interested in becoming a director, please forward the nomination form to Stacey at s.hawkins@drhba.com by Friday, August 28, 2020. All resumes will be forwarded to the nominations committee for review. If there are more qualified applicants than positions available, an election will be held at the Annual General Meeting in October. Qualified candidates will be able to provide a bio and photograph to be published in a future news bulletin.
If you have any questions, please contact Stacey at 905-579-8080 ext. 2 or s.hawkins@drhba.com.
Download nomination form
The City of Pickering will be hosting an electronic meeting from 2:30 - 3:30 PM on Thursday, August 13th, targeted to builders and developers of infill projects within the City to share the draft planning recommendations resulting from the Infill and Replacement Housing in Established Neighbourhoods Study (the Study). If you are interested in joining the meeting, please respond to Margaret Kish at mkish@pickering.ca by noon on Wednesday, August 12th. Please ensure that you provide the email address that you wish to be contacted at so that you can be connected via audio and video for the meeting. You will be provided with an electronic link and instructions prior to the meeting.
The City of Pickering is undertaking the Study to determine how to manage infill and replacement housing construction in established neighbourhoods within the South Pickering Urban Area. The Study is now in its third and final phase.
There will be a short pre-recorded presentation by the project team at 2:30 pm followed by an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the Draft Planning Recommendations Report and Draft Urban Design Guidelines (the key deliverables of Phase 3 of the Study). You are encouraged to review the Draft Planning Recommendations Report on the City’s website at pickering.ca/InfillStudy prior to the electronic meeting.
The Draft Planning Recommendations Report provides the analysis of the Preferred Strategy proposed in Phase 2 of the Study and proposes detailed recommendations for the City to address compatibility of new infill and replacement housing in established residential neighbourhoods.
Your comments will inform the staff report to the Planning & Development Committee meeting on September 14, 2020. Separate notification will be provided in advance of this meeting.
Your comments and/or questions regarding the Draft Planning Recommendations Report can be forwarded to:
Margaret Kish, MCIP, RPP
Principal Planner, Policy
City Development Department
Tel: 905.420.4660, ext. 2196
Email: mkish@pickering.ca
For more information please visit our website at pickering.ca/InfillStudy
Oshawa City Council adopted report CNCL-20-154, which contains the City's comments on the Proposed Amendment 1 to A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshow, and the Proposed Land Needs Assessment Methodology.
The following recommendations were adopted:
At the July 13th Oshawa Council meeting, councillors voted to receive report CNCL-20-149 regarding requiring 15% of new homes built have "visitable" features, including wider entrance ways, an accessible bathroom on the main floor, no stairs to the entrance, etc.
Of note in this report is that staff will request the Province of Ontario to amend the Ontario Building Code in consultation with municipalities and the building and development industry to permit municipalities to establish their own approach to accessible units. If the OBC is ultimately amended by the Province, the preparation of accessibility standards would be undertaken in consultation with the public, building and development industry and other stakeholders (O.A.A.C.) and presented to Council for approval.
Background:
In the Fall of 2019, the Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee provided the following recommendation to council:
"Whereas the O.A.A.C. Built Environment Subcommittee is finding numerous site plans with only inaccessible townhomes and stacked townhouses;
Therefore the City require that all residential projects be designed with 15% accessible units with visitable features, including no stairs to entrances doors as well as entrance door and washroom door widths sufficient for mobility devices."
Council referred the recommendation back to staff to have the matter discussed with Oshawa's Building Industry Liaison Team (BILT).
DRHBA was present at the October 29, 2019 meeting where representatives voiced concerns over mandating accessibility, which was followed up by a letter. It was pointed out that many builders offer this option to purchasers already.
As a result, staff presented Report CNCL-20-67 to council on May 25, 2020.
In the report, the following recommendations were made:
It should also be highlighted that the staff report noted that "municipalities are not permitted to require houses, triplexes, and boarding or rooming houses with fewer than eight boarders, to exceed the minimum standards established by the OBC for barrier-free design or otherwise."
At the council meeting, Councillor Rosemary McConkey moved "That the Report CNCL-20-67 be amended to add the following as Parts 2 and 3:
2. That the Province of Ontario be requested to implement changes to the Ontario Building Code to require a portion of all new single-detached dwellings, semi-detached dwellings, row townhouse dwellings proposed in developments in excess of 6 new dwelling units to contain an accessible front entrance, an accessible width front door and an accessible washroom on the ground floor; and,
3. That all Durham Region municipalities be notified of the recommendation directly above and their respective councils encouraged to support this resolution."
Councillor Brian Nicholson moved "That Parts 2 and 3 to Report CNCL-20-67 be referred to staff for a report back to the next meeting of City Council." This recommendation was carried.
Councillor McConkey then moved "That Part 1 of the recommendation contained in Report CNCL-20-67 be referred back to staff." This motion lost.
The vote to adopt the recommendation contained in Report CNCL-20-67 carried.
At the July 6, 2020 council meeting, Clarington council voted to approve a zoning bylaw amendment and passed Bylaw 2020-050.
This by-law adds restrictions to building new homes and renovating current homes in the specified area.
The passed bylaw can be viewed here.
In July, students returned to Durham College (DC) to complete the practical components of their programs which were impacted by the closure of the college campuses in response to COVID-19.
Three-quarters of these “stranded” students are studying skilled trades and will spend the rest of the summer acquiring the hours and hands-on experience required to complete their studies and qualify for graduation.
As they have resumed their training, the college has resumed its Building for Skills campaign, in support of DC’s Whitby campus phase IV expansion. Slated to open in September 2021, this new 60,000 square foot building will include shop labs, classrooms and student spaces, allowing 750 more learners prepare for careers in the building construction and industrial skilled trades each year.
Funding for the $35 million building project is coming from a number of sources. DC is covering 70 per cent of the cost through a loan and use of reserves, and is seeking $10 million from the community through the Building for Skills campaign. Prior to closure, $4.2 million had already been secured, thanks to the Region of Durham, the Town of Whitby and several individuals and foundations.
DC is doing what it can to address the demand for skilled workers, from employers looking for talent, to students looking for space in the college’s programs so they can learn the skills needed to secure work or open businesses in the skilled trades. DC seeks to raise the remaining funds to support this expansion from companies, organizations, foundations and individuals that see value in opening more doors for those interested in careers in the skilled trades.
To learn more about how you can help please contact Jennifer Clark, senior development officer, Office of Development and Alumni Affairs (Jennifer.clark@durhamcollege.ca or 905.259.4598).
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1-1255 Terwillegar Avenue
Oshawa, Ontario
L1J 7A4
Copyright © 2019, Durham Region Home Builder's Association, All Rights Reserved Durham Region Home Builders' Association is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. 1-1255 Terwillegar Avenue Oshawa, Ontario L1J 7A4