Vancouver Developer Jailed 40 Days for Contempt of Court

Helen Chan Sun of Landmark Premiere Properties was sentenced to 40 days in jail for contempt of court after the judge described her efforts to obfuscate her financials as "reprehensible." A rare moment of personal accountability in BC real estate development, and a reminder that the people running the projects you buy from are not above the courts.

Vancouver Just Made It Easier to Build 6-Storey Rental Buildings

On May 17, City of Vancouver staff recommended major changes to the Residential Rental zoning districts to fast-track six-storey rental apartment buildings across parts of the city. The trade-off: the required affordable housing component is being reduced, so more projects get built but fewer below-market units land in the supply pipeline. The pitch from staff is that construction costs and project economics have made many rental buildings impossible to finance without the change.

Surrey Moves to Slash Development Cost Charges by 7–9%

Surrey City Council approved an updated DCC bylaw on May 17 that, if signed off by the Province, would lower residential development charges by roughly seven to nine per cent from 2024 levels. Mayor Brenda Locke framed it as a direct affordability play: cheaper to build means cheaper to buy. This follows the federal Spring Economic Update's $1.7 billion push to incentivize provinces and cities to do exactly this.