We the signed, call upon the Provincial Crown Corporation BC Assessment to end its paid membership with the Urban Development Institute aka the UDI, a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry.

The UDI offers political influence to its paying corporate member companies that profit from development, construction, and real estate.  It actively lobbies the government on their behalf, while simultaneously advising the same government on policies that it has positioned itself at all levels to help the government implement.  These are often the same policies that it has been advancing through the UDI's own 'advocacy'/lobbying efforts.

This is something that many have considered to raise concerns regarding what many have perceived to be a fertile fermenting ground for conflict of interest to take place between lobbyist organization and state, in ways that may go undetected by the general public, and even in some cases by elected officials themselves.

BC Assessment has denied that they are a paying member of the UDI. However, evidence from freedom of information, shows the opposite to be true.  A receipt for membership renewal, as recently as April of 2024 has shown that BC Assessment is still a paying member of the organization.

BC Assessment denied that it is a paying member of a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry. However, the evidence shows otherwise. – CRD Watch Homepage

BC Assessment is still a member of the Urban Development Institute, despite it’s claims that it is not.

Why is the Provincial Crown Corporation so reticent to come clean on the issue of its membership with the UDI?

Without an answer, one is only left to speculate.  It may be that the answer might have to do with BC Assessment’s policy of what it calls “highest and best use“.

The policy of highest and best use could be seen to have the effect of nudging property owners to maximize the density on their properties, including through subdivisions, or perhaps more likely to sell their lots, as their taxes are raised based on land-lift, or even the potential for land-lift, and the gentrification it brings.

Thus, this process offers in addition, the potential of a feedback loop pushing the densification of communities further and further; as densification, upzoning and gentrification induces even more densification, and gentrification. To see a similar arc of development historically, compare what happened to the City of Vancouver over the last half century.

With such low density properties e.g. single family homes coming up for sale, the properties can then be purchased on the market by developers and speculators, including investment pools such as Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) further driving the financialization of the housing stock and continuously driving upzoning and land prices in the process, making housing less and less affordable in terms of square meter cost to those who need it.

The developers/investors with their purchased housing stock could then merge properties, upzone, and develop to higher densities and heights, which while providing them with potentially astronomical profits, make the housing for the community-already-there, less and less affordable with the once again increasing land-lift and increased property taxes.

With an increasing ownership of the share of housing stock, REITs, various corporations and other big holders of the housing stock, can then apply a cartel-like hold on housing prices and rental prices, something that has been observed, including in the form of “rent-fixing” including involving the use of algorithm-based/artificial intelligence software to do so.

For BC Assessment to be a paying member of an organization that has consistently lobbied the same government on behalf of its paying corporate members that profit from development and real estate – for government policies that push upzoning and increasing densification, then the policy of “highest and best use” that has an effect of driving these, at the expense of individual property owners and through passing added costs on to renters; could be seen as a clear conflict of interest.

It could be seen as the Provincial Crown Corporation operating against the public interest by advancing specific corporate profit-driven interests, while in addition refusing to tell the same public the truth about its membership status with a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry that advances to government those same corporate interests.

It could be seen as regulatory capture.

Using the proceeds of tax dollars through BC Assessment to help finance a registered lobbying organization that advances the for-profit interests of private companies involved in real estate and development to government is a grossly inappropriate use of public funds by a public institution.

For these reasons, it is imperative that the Crown Corporation BC Assessment and the BC Ministry of Finance that is responsible for it, set the record straight; admit that BC Assessment is a paying member of the UDI, and end its paid membership with the registered lobbying organization, as soon as possible.


For more information: please contact BCPetition@mail.com

Resources:

BC Assessment denied that it is a paying member of a registered organization on the BC Lobbyists Registry. However, the evidence shows otherwise. – CRD Watch Homepage

How Crown Corporation BC Assessment’s Paid Membership with the Urban Development Institute is Being Obscured – CRD Watch Homepage