The British Columbia government announced a significant shakeup to the British Columbia Board of Housing Commissioners on Friday night.
In a statement, the province said the board will consist of chair Alan Seckel and “recently appointed board members Jill Cote, Sheila Taylor, Mark Sieben and Russ Jones.”
The changes are effective immediately, the statement said.
The province offered no explanation for the apparent firing of the remaining seven board members, saying only:
“The board will continue to monitor the governance of the organization and ensure that best practice is implemented in view of the recently published external review carried out by Ernst and Young.”
Released June 30, the review focused on BC Housing’s “organizational capacity and financial systems,” according to a previous BC government statement accompanying the report.
“The review was initiated by the BC government in 2021 to ensure BC Housing can meet its expanded budget and mandate given the government’s historic investment of $7 billion in affordable housing over 10 years and the corporation’s rapid growth Crown,” the province’s Friday statement said.
The review made 26 findings and 44 recommendations for potential improvements to BC Housing’s operations.
Many of the recommendations centered around better defining roles and expectations and improving oversight of BC-Housing managed facilities.
When the report was released last month, the government also announced the appointments of Seckel, Kot and Taylor, although it made no mention of Sieben and Jones.
Two other new board members – Clifford White of Gitxaała Nation and Douglas White of Snuneymuxw First Nation – were announced at the time.
The province said Friday that the remaining board members announced in June – meaning White and White – will begin their appointments on July 18.
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