New boss for homebuilders

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/04/2017 (3125 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There’s a changing of the guard underway at the Manitoba Home Builders Association (MHBA).

Lanny McInnes, the Retail Council of Canada’s (RCC) longtime director for the Prairie region, has been hired to fill the shoes of outgoing MHBA president Mike Moore, who is retiring.

McInnes started in his new job on Monday, and will be learning the ropes from Moore over the next seven weeks or so. Although Moore’s official retirement date is June 30, he still has some holidays to use up. So his last working day will be June 2.

In Moore’s case, it was time to put a cap on a career that included a nine-year stint as MHBA president.

“I’m turning 65 in July,” he noted during an interview Wednesday. “So I’ll let the federal government support me through OAS (Old Age Security) and CPP (Canada Pension Plan).”

For McInnes, it was time for a career change after nearly 14 years as the RCC’s lone representative in Manitoba.

“I was there for a long time, and I think I was ready to take that next step in my career. This opportunity came up at the exact right time, and it was a great fit.”

Moore, who worked with the MHBA’s four-member search committee, said there was no shortage of qualified candidates for the position, which will now carries the title of president and CEO instead of just president.

“There were some outstanding applicants. I joked that I’m glad these people didn’t apply nine years ago or I never would have got the job,” he said. “But it was a very difficult decision of the board because there were so many good applicants.”

He noted McInnes was born and raised in Winnipeg, so he’s familiar with the province and its history. He also has lots of experience working with businesses of all sizes, is well-known in local government circles, and has experience working with volunteer boards.

“So I’m expecting a very smooth transition,” Moore added.

McInnes said he hasn’t been in the job long enough to comment on what issues or challenges he expects to face in his new role.

One thorny issue he won’t have to deal with, at least in the short term, is the legal challenge the MHBA and the Urban Development Institute (UDI) have launched against the City of Winnipeg’s over it’s controversial new impact, or growth, fee.

The two groups are trying to stop the city from imposing the new fee, which takes effect on May 1 and will apply to new homes built in select suburban areas. The fee is about $5,100 per 1,000 square feet, and the city says it needs the additional revenue to offset the cost of constructing new infrastructure — things like regional roads, transit, recreation and leisure facilities — for new subdivisions. But the homebuilding and residential development industry maintains the city doesn’t have the authority to impose such a fee under the City of Winnipeg Charter.

Moore said he will continue to serve, on a part-time, contract basis, as the industry’s point man on the issue.

“We’re just so far down the line it would be difficult for Lanny to jump in at this point,” he said.

As for what he plans to do with the rest of his time, Moore said he’ll be spending a lot more time on the golf course this summer. He also plans to take a few courses on wines and other subjects of interest.

“You know, a number of those bucket-list items I never got around to.”

murray.mcneill@freepress.mb.ca