BILD kicks off Parade of Homes
Nine builders taking part in this year’s Parade of Homes
BILD Lethbridge kicked off its annual Parade of Homes in the city with a pancake breakfast, champagne mimosas and a new logo on Friday morning at the Coast Lethbridge Hotel.
“This is one of the major events where citizens of Lethbridge get to go out into their city and see the art of the possible,” said BILD Lethbridge Region executive officer Bridget Mearns. “They see the best the city has to offer them.”
Nine local builders are taking part in this year’s Parade of Homes, explained Mearns, and they are ready to showcase all they have to offer to an eager public.
“There is a lot of pride amongst our builders,” she said. “A lot of effort goes into these homes, and it is a lot of people that are part of that effort. So it is not just the builder — it’s their trades people, it’s their designers and their suppliers. A lot of effort, hard work and passion go into these homes, and it shows.”
Not only did Friday’s kickoff breakfast serve as a launch for the 52nd annual Parade of Homes, it also served as an official launch for the new BILD Lethbridge Region brand, which was formed last year when the Canadian Home Builders Association decided to amalgamate with the Urban Development Institute.
“We’re so excited about it,” said Lethbridge BILD president Mike Schmidtler. “For years and years, the homebuilders and land developers have had a lot of common issues, but we have always had two different associations. Now they are together, and we can speak with one voice when we talk with the province or the City. Initially, we thought it was going to be very difficult, that people would lose some autonomy in their message. But as we got into it, it was very evident both sides wanted to make this happen.”
The amalgamation and 2018 Parade of Homes serves in some ways as a backdrop to a difficult period in the city’s housing industry — one alluded to by Mayor Chris Spearman in his comments to those in attendance at the breakfast launch.
“In all honesty, it is a challenging year,” said Spearman. “It’s a buyer’s market, and things are moving slowly. Things aren’t going as well as everyone of us would like ... But one thing we can all be proud of is the housebuilding industry in this city. The way that you work together. Your spirit and enthusiasm, the spirit of entrenpreneurialism and the way you employ apprentices in your businesses and support each other. What a great contribution to our economy.”
Mearns acknowledged the mayor’s comments, and said BILD was working toward quantifying how these challenges are translating into new housing starts.
“There is a number of things we are looking at moving forward,” she said. “Top of mind is affordability of ownership in Lethbridge, and looking at finding ways so the cost of housing in Lethbridge doesn’t continue to increase and become unaffordable for people who live in the city.”