Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion will turn 89 this year, on Valentine’s Day as it happens. Coincidentally, the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) will also celebrate its 89th birthday in 2010.
At this point, you’re only a paragraph into my first column in Metro and you’re already thinking, “What the heck is BILD and why should I care?”
BILD is the trade association representing high-and low-rise developers and builders, professional renovators and all the other companies that service the development and building industry in the GTA.
Our members are behind virtually every high-rise residential construction crane you see in the City of Toronto (and increasingly the suburbs), as well as all those single-detached, semi-detached and townhome communities in Halton, Peel, York and Durham Regions as well as south Simcoe County.
Collectively, BILD members will construct more than 30,000 new homes and condos in the GTA in the coming year (split approximately 50/50). That’s a lot of jobs and investment, not to mention dreams come true for homebuyers, be they first-timers, move-ups or move downs.
From Day 1, back in 1921, we’ve been fighting for fair taxation and regulation in the name of housing affordability and choice. When we’re not advocating, we’re educating or informing members through workshops, seminars and ongoing communications designed to ensure they are as up-to-date as possible.
Some other quick facts about BILD include that our more than 1,300 member companies are proudly affiliated with the Ontario and Canadian Home Builders’ Associations, the National and Toronto Fall Home Shows, as well as Habitat for Humanity Toronto.
This is my first guest column in Metro and I look forward to our dialogue. In the meantime, you can check us out at bildgta.ca, newhomes.org (for homebuyers) and renomark.ca (for homeowners looking for a professional contractor).
