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What if solving Canada’s housing crisis required rethinking how we build, finance, and approve new homes? In this episode of the Commercial Real Estate Podcast, hosts Aaron Cameron and Adam Powadiuk are at the Canada Builds Modular Symposium, and they sit down with Lisa Helps, Executive Lead of BC Builds. They unpack how BC Builds has accelerated over 7,000 units in just 20 months by rethinking how housing is financed, approved, and constructed. Lisa explains why standardized off-site construction, not traditional “modular,” is key to lowering costs and speeding delivery, and how the DASH platform streamlines permitting, design, and manufacturing through digital coordination. 

The discussion also tackles the real barrier to scaling housing: not capital, but fragmented processes that stall viable projects. From innovative financing strategies to lender requirements and municipal roadblocks, this episode offers a practical, numbers-driven look at what it will take to close Canada’s housing gap. Essential listening for developers, policymakers, and anyone invested in the future of housing.

What you will learn:

• How to compress development timelines from 3-7 years to 12-18 months 
• Why the DASH platform represents a genuine breakthrough
• The critical financing mechanism lenders use to de-risk off-site construction
• How municipalities unknowingly sabotage housing development 
• Why calling it “modular” kills adoption
• The brutal reality of Canada’s housing math

Lisa Helps is the Executive Lead of BC Builds, a pioneering program run through BC Housing that functions as an entrepreneurial startup within the organization. With a background as the former Mayor of Victoria and experience in microlending and housing policy, Helps brings a unique perspective blending municipal governance, financial innovation, and pragmatic problem-solving. 

The post How Off-Site Construction Can Fix the Housing Crisis Faster with Lisa Helps, Executive Lead of BC Builds appeared first on Commercial Real Estate Podcast.