4 Way Test:
Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 12 members present as well as 2 guests, Natalia Lysova and Bill Archer.
Rotary Moment:
Today we learned how Rotary International is governed:
Rotary International is governed by a board of directors composed of the international president, the president-elect, the general secretary, and 17 zone directors.
The chief operating officer of RI is the general secretary, who heads a staff of about 600 people working at the international headquarters in Evanston and in seven international offices around the world.
Announcements:
- Whistler Get-Together remember the date of September 3 for the day at Whistler, biking or not, with lunch and a BBQ at Abigail and Jason’s house. Followup with Abigail for details.
- From now on, the sign in sheet at the meetings will have a box where you can enter how many hours you have volunteered recently. This is a way to keep track of all the volunteering our members do and that may go unnoticed otherwise.
- Don Kavanagh. Long time well-known Rotarian has passed away. There will be a Memorial next Wednesday at 1pm at Kearney Funeral Home. The address is 450 West 2nd Ave. in Vancouver.
Meeting:
Our guest speaker today was Bob de Wit, from the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association. The topic of his presentation was "Hot-button issues in the residential construction industry".
Some of the points of view he shared were:
- Metro Vancouver Real Estate prices will continue to rise.
- Annual housing starts are rising from 19K to 30K, but supply is still running way behind demand.
- Some of the reasons for increased demand are:
- Population growth, immigration.
- NIMBYISM ( not in my back yard) run amok.
- Municipal processing times have gworn excessive.
- Government fees and charges have escalated
- Tariffs. Such as the ones for drywall and rebar.
- Lumber supply disruptions due to forest fires.
- Lack of capacity.
To learn more about what the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association does please visit: http://www.gvhba.org/
Thought of the day:
"There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights." - Smedley Butler
Next Speakers:
August 23 - Paola Murillo, Latincouver.
August 30 - Tom Smith, District Membership Chair.
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary Foundation donation via credit card: Just click here