Exposing the “Shadow Planners”: Special Presentation for Metro Vancouver region (CRD Watch) with video and materials

How did B.C.’s housing policy shift so rapidly from community-led planning to top-down, industry-driven mandates? On March 26, 2026, investigative researcher Sasha Izard, founder of CRD Watch, presented an explosive first-hand account of how the development lobby captured the provincial and local governments. Below is a video of the main presentation, plus a copy of his slides, and additional materials.

See presentation slides and download link at bottom.

The “Smoking Gun” Investigation

After analyzing thousands of pages of Freedom of Information (FOI) records, Izard has uncovered a massive, multi-year influence campaign by the Urban Development Institute (UDI) and aligned activists to rewrite BC’s housing laws in favor of corporate interests.

Presentation title: “How the development lobby’s agenda captured local government urban planning with the recent housing bills in British Columbia –– And why it is crucial that the public regain control over the future of their communities“

About the Speaker

Founded by Sasha Izard, CRD Watch, quickly gained a reputation for covering important issues that the local news media in Greater Victoria would not. Sasha believes in the crucial role of public participation in democracy and government institutions. Yet he notes that this has been eroding, particularly at the local government and provincial levels. Starting in 2022, Sasha launched a series of FOI inquiries into lobbying efforts at all levels of government affecting housing, zoning, historical conservation, and the natural environment, including urban, semi-urban, rural and extra-urban ecology, which has been collapsing at an ever more rapid pace due to environmental deregulation.

Website: https://crdwatch.ca/
Free newsletter subscription: https://crdwatch.ca/newsletter/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crdwatch/
Contact: CRDWatch@mail.com

Guest page on CityHallWatch: https://cityhallwatch.wordpress.com/guest-writers/sasha-izard-crd-watch/

Summary slide of UDI lobbying influence (slide 41 of the presentation).