Multimillionaire developer and former B.C. cabinet minister Olga Ilich was Monday named co-chair of Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson's housing affordability task force.
Illich was named labour minister in 2006 after serving as tourism minister. She was first elected to the legislature in 2005, representing Richmond Centre, and did not seek re-election in the last provincial election.
Ilich was founder and president of Suncor Development Corporation, a real estate development and construction company based in Richmond. Before that, she was executive vice-president of Progressive Construction Ltd., also a real estate development and construction company based in Richmond, according to her official legislative biography.
Robertson announced the task force last week, saying it will examine the causes of unaffordable housing in Vancouver, review city land assets for opportunities for new affordable housing, and examine financial models in other cities to promote affordable housing.
"I'm very pleased that Ms Ilich will be co-chairing this task force," Robertson said in a news release today. "The thoughtful, pragmatic approach she brought to being a cabinet minister will be a big asset as this task force grapples with the challenges and new ideas related to affordable housing in Vancouver." The other co-chair has not yet been named.
The task force will include people with expertise in finance, real estate, market development, architecture and design, academia, federal and provincial policy, non-market housing development, and land-use planning.
The task force is to provide an interim report by March 12 and a final report by June 30, Robertson said.
"The lack of affordable housing is a huge challenge in Vancouver, and impacts everything from our livability to our local economy," Robertson said in the release. "We have an enormous amount of creativity and expertise in Vancouver when it comes to housing, and I'm confident this task force will generate new ideas and proposals to help us enable new affordable housing in our city."
Ilich is a former director of UBC Properties Investment Ltd. Previously, she served as chairwoman of the B.C. Assessment Authority, director of the Vancouver International Airport Authority, member of the City of Richmond's advisory design panel and president of the Urban Development Institute, Pacific Region.
She was also a member of the City of Surrey's development advisory committee, the provincial government's advisory committee on public-private partnerships, the provincial task force on public-private partnerships, the federal Business Development Bank's regional advisory council, the City of Richmond advisory planning commission, a director of St. George's School and a director of the Diane Farris Gallery.
Born in the Netherlands, Ilich has lived in Richmond since 1959, where she graduated from Steveston high school. She holds a BA from the University of B.C., an MA from the University of Manitoba and an MBA from Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has two grown sons, her biography says.
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun