By Ted McIntyre
Throughout two nights in September, the Ontario Home Builders’ Association handed out more than 50 awards to honour member excellence in multiple fields. But four were reserved for people who have truly woven themselves into the very fabric of the association.
Bob Finnigan topped the list with OHBA’s prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award, which honours an individual who has made significant contributions to the Association and Ontario’s residential construction industry. In the early 1980s, after graduating from Ryerson University, Bob began his professional career as a real estate analyst before returning to the homebuilding industry under the mentorship of industry legend Hugh Heron. Since 1988, Bob has been an integral partner at Herity, and in 2020 was named president of Heathwood Homes, a partnership of Herity and Daniels Financial.
Finnigan served as president at all three HBA levels, beginning with BILD (2007-2008), where he played a pivotal role in the merger between Greater Toronto HBA and Ontario Urban Development Institute, helping develop the name BILD.
“During his tenure (as OHBA president in 2010-11), OHBA worked diligently to ensure fair and balanced technical analyses for the forthcoming Ontario Building Code,” OHBA President Dave Depencier observed. “He also championed provincial consultation on a long-term affordable housing strategy that resulted in more accessible options for secondary suites—all while skillfully navigating potential inclusionary zoning policies that could have substantially increased housing costs. But Bob’s advocacy extended beyond the code and policies. He was at the forefront of addressing critical concerns, such as the Province’s approach to HST on new homes, the review of conservation authorities, tackling the WSIB unfunded liability and shaping the provincial policy statement. Further, his active involvement on the Tarion board of directors until 2020 attests to his dedication to maintaining our industry’s highest standards of excellence.”
“I am really humbled and honoured to get this award,” Finnigan said on stage. “I got a call from (past president) Bob Schickedanz a few weeks ago, but I was in a meeting so missed it. Then, when I got back to my office, I got a text from Bob saying, ‘It’s important. Please call me.’ And I thought, ‘Oh crap. What’s happened now?!’”
Of course, it was only good news from Bob. Humbling news, in fact.
“When you care about the industry, and have the opportunity and ability to help, you just do it, and that’s how I’ve always been,” Finnigan says. “From GTHBA to OHBA to CHBA to Tarion and everything in between, it’s been an honour to participate and help wherever possible. The best part of the ride has been meeting and learning from (people in this industry), and I know I will continue to do that. And I have been extremely lucky—I’ve had Hugh Heron. He has been my business partner for over 35 years. He has more passion for the home building industry than anyone I know.
“The year I was OHBA president was particularly memorable since it was that very unfortunate year that we lost (OHBA CEO) David Horton and, a few months later, (BILD CEO) Stephen Dupuis. Those were two amazing individuals and a huge reason I got involved and stayed involved. They lived and breathed the industry. But their legacy is what the associations are all about. We’re all a team of smart, talented and driven people—all with our areas of expertise and experience—who can provide the messaging and delivery to various levels of government of what we think are the best solutions on all the issues that are vital to the industry and, most important, to the homebuyers.
“When I was six or seven, my grandfather asked me what I wanted to do for a living,” Finnigan recalls. “At the time, I wanted to be a pilot. He said to me, ‘People have to eat and they have to live somewhere. Get into one of those two industries and there will always be work. He was right. People will always need a roof over their heads, and we will all get it built.”
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