The City of Burnaby has announced the 10 directors selected for the board of the Burnaby Housing Authority.
The housing authority, a municipal corporation, will have a mandate to build and manage housing, including non-market rentals, market rentals and non-market ownership housing such as co-ops.
The board will be made up of a majority of six independent directors from the development, private or non-profit housing, financial and legal sectors, and four internal city representatives, three from council and one senior exempt city staff.
Board members announced June 24 include:
City directors:
- Mayor Mike Hurley
- Coun. Alison Gu
- Coun. Daniel Tetrault
- Noreen Kassam, deputy CAO and chief financial officer
Independent directors:
- Aubrey Kelly, president and CEO of UBC Properties Trust
- Ian Cullis, director, asset management at BC Non-Profit Housing Association (BCNPHA)
- Lilian Kan, director, development management at Colliers
- Stephani Baker, vice-president, development and communications at Team Rubicon
- Andrew Tong, managing director at Integral Strategic Real Estate Ltd.
- Michael Leroux, partner at Richards Buell Sutton LLP
The city has said the corporation structure will allow the housing authority to act like a private developer while providing affordable housing.
"We're thrilled to have such a knowledgeable and passionate group of people serving as the inaugural directors of the Burnaby Housing Authority," said Mayor Mike Hurley in a statement provided to the Burnaby NOW.
"We understand the urgency to build more non-market housing quickly, and I know these folks are ready to hit the ground running."
The council-appointed board will govern the municipal corporation and provide strategic guidance for the housing authority to "gain the knowledge, resources and partnerships it needs to be successful," according to the city's project website.
External directors will be compensated for board meetings up to four hours with $275 and with $550 if the meeting runs more than four hours, according to an October city staff report. Other meetings, training and conferences will have compensation at $150 or less per director.
The business plan for the housing authority allots $50,000 for board compensation annually.
Compensation will not be available to council or city staff directors.
The city hired a third-party recruitment firm to identify and select qualified candidates for the board. Almost 40 people were nominated in the public call.
An external board director will be elected as chair to preside over board meetings and act as a spokesperson.
The board is allowed to form committees and appoint members with expertise that may not be represented on the board.
No director on the board can be re-appointed after serving six consecutive years, although a former director can be re-appointed after an absence of at least one year.
A minority of Burnaby councillors have expressed concerns over the external make-up of the housing authority board, worried it could approve too-costly projects and leave the city on the hook for the bill.
But others on council noted public feedback was in favour of a primarily external board for reassurance “there won’t be collusion or favouritism between city council and development companies.”
Next on the start-up agenda for the housing authority will be to hire a CEO and staff, find office space, and begin exploring potential housing projects.
