Five years ago, I began the first of what became two terms as a member of the board of directors for the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). My colleague Cheryl Shindruk, executive vice president of land development for Geranium, has for many years been an active participant in BILD and is now a board member.

BILD is the voice of its 1,400 members in the home building, land development and professional renovation industries in the Greater Toronto Area. It is also affiliated with the Ontario and Canadian Home

Builders’ Associations. We believe that being members of BILD, and volunteering on its board, provides us the opportunity to work alongside industry colleagues in order to advocate for advances in public policy for the benefit of our communities and homebuyers. We receive timely access to industry information, such as emerging market trends and government policy, and are able to have input on policy changes.

Networking with other builders affords us a chance to share best practices and to learn about state-of-the-art land development and house construction techniques from

a multitude of disciplines, including environmental issues and energy efficiency, as well as innovations in community design — all of which benefits our homebuyers.

Cheryl and I know first-hand how effectively BILD represents our industry. The association is at the table with government policy makers to ensure that they are aware of industry interests in policy development. Through the National Home Show, the Fall Home Show and the GTA Home Show, BILD provides a showcase for the best we have to offer, and the annual BILD Awards is a celebration of those who have achieved excellence in community and home design, sales and marketing programs.

It is important for us all, builders and buyers alike, that our industry has a voice when it comes to issues that affect housing affordability, development approvals, as well as the delivery of community amenities that are paid for by development charges collected by municipal governments.

BILD also works with universities and colleges to promote the building trades as a career choice to help ensure that the industry is well supplied with qualified trades people.

BILD is an excellent resource for its members. But like anything in life, you get out of it what you put into it. I believe that being involved in this association helps us to shape the way in which we do things, ultimately making us better at what we do — as well as better people.