4 minute read
SPOTLIGHT: London HBA
FOUNDED: 1952 MEMBERS: 271
OHB: You replaced 27-year E.O. Lois Langdon in 2021. What attracted you to the position?
Jared Zaifman: “I grew up in a builder/ developer family in London and spent summers when I was younger working for the family business on home construction sites, cleaning up and later helping with some of our rental apartment portfolios. At the same time that my dad was getting sicker with Parkinson’s, my interest was growing in municipal government politics and policy, because I’d seen how that really impacted our business. So I went back to school to pursue my master’s in public administration, with a focus on municipal government, and started working for the City of Stratford and Town of St. Marys. My ultimate goal was to become a member of London City Council. I was eventually successful and spent a term there from 2014 to 2018. I was unsuccessful in my re-election bid, but that opened up opportunities for me in the private sector. Then the opportunity came up at London HBA. It was the perfect fit with my previous experience, and having relationships already built up with the City of London really helped me start working on behalf of the industry.”
How is London distinct from other locals?
“I think everyone faces similar challenges, including rising fees, but I think the severity of challenges are less in London than most locals because of the advocacy work and relationships we have. But we have had a challenge with the City wanting to intensify in a substantial way, but lacking the appropriate servicing and infrastructure in our downtown to accommodate that growth.”
“Also, in part due to Housing Accelerator Fund dollars, the City was incented to upzone a lot of areas to allow for greater heights and density, but we’ve struggled with the city’s planning department wanting to implement design requirements that are more subjective than objective and that shouldn’t be part of a zoning bylaw.”
What are some of your local’s proudest achievements of late?
“We’ve had an incredible year on the community side. Apart from our annual golf tournament, we enjoyed our second year of the Constructors Cup charity soccer tournament, which we do in partnership with one of our members, Tricar. It’s an opportunity for almost everyone from our members’ businesses to participate. The whole industry came out, and with matching dollars from Tricar, we raised $70,000 for the Fund for Change to help with homelessness initiatives in London. We’ve also participated in the Business Cares Food Drive for 25+ years, partnering with our local food bank around Christmastime, raising $320,000 in monetary and food donations in 2023. And with our Green Home Build, built to a net-zero standard with our building partner Sifton Properties, we were able to donate $100,000 to Kids Kicking Cancer Canada.
“From the government advocacy side, I’m really proud of being part of establishing even more relationships with City staff, Council and the mayor, while also being relied upon as a key advocate and advisor when it comes to homes and housing. I think we have one of the most housing-friendly councils in all Ontario. Whether we’re sharing our challenges on development charges, planning fees, building permit fees, we’re a very respected and listened-to association. We thankfully have a seat at the table in those meetings and discussions, which doesn’t just happen on its own.”
Any advice for other members hoping to work better with their municipal government?
“It’s so dependent upon the personalities and developing relationships from the ground up. There isn’t some secret sauce. It’s been nice for me to share what I know with other EOs, whether that’s how you interact at Council meetings, how you deputize, how you provide communications or pitfalls to avoid. The key is to get on the same page with those people— getting on the phone, sending an email. You may not always agree, but you must have that open dialogue if you want to be part of those conversations.”
