Advocacy / Councils /
Housing and Development Strategy Council
Housing and Development Strategy Council
To create a stable housing market that meets present and future needs, it’s crucial that business and government work together in the shared pursuit of homes Canadians can afford. Our economic future depends on it.
The Council
In the interest of housing availability and affordability for all Canadians, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Housing and Development Strategy Council convenes a diverse array of industry leaders to engage with key federal decision makers and shape policy on supply, demand, labour and coordination across all levels of government.
The Council is uniquely positioned to address industry challenges spanning standards, regulations, energy systems, materials, supply chains and the labour market, as well as to propose practical solutions that ensure federal housing and development policies reflect industry realities and meet ambitious targets for attracting top talent and growing our economy. Members of the Council will play an integral role in determining whether we have an economy that is both attractive for workers and investors, as well as resilient enough to build a sustainable future.
While there has been positive progress on the Council’s advocacy priorities since its inception, including the launch of the Housing Accelerator Fund, funding for housing-enabling infrastructure, conditions to freeze rising development charges for municipalities, and programs to develop the skilled labour we need whether domestic or through immigration, much more needs to be done as we continue to work toward restoring affordability.
In its second year, the Council will continue to advocate for policies that tangibly progress the creation of affordable housing for Canadians.
Policy Priorities
Building the additional 3.87 million new homes needed by 2031 to restore affordability will cost roughly $1 trillion. Government will never get close to the investment needed — nor should it. But if government were to tackle the problem of financial gridlock that is currently driving Canadian developers to seek more favourable conditions south of the border, the private sector would be able to reach the necessary investment levels.
Government must:
- Expand the GST removal on purpose-built rental housing to projects that are currently under construction but are no longer viable due to interest rate increases, a shortage of skilled labour and a lack of materials.
- Allow for deferral of capital gains on real estate investments when funds are reinvested in like-kind properties, as with a U.S. 1031 Exchange. (See the Canadian Chamber’s Submission for Pre-Budget Consultations in Advance of the 2025 Federal Budget)
- Reduce long permitting times that create additional carrying costs and disincentivize development.
Canada’s economic future is counting on business and government working together in the shared pursuit of homes all Canadians can afford. Competing interests will lead to new initiatives being developed in silos and without the participation of those who actually build housing.
Government must:
- Work with the private sector to better understand the barriers associated with the creation of new housing.
- Address repeated supply chain disruptions that are putting upward pressure on construction costs.
According to Statistics Canada’s building construction price indexes, skilled labour shortages are first among key factors impacting the construction sector. This challenge will only intensify over the coming decade as an increasing number of construction workers from the baby boom generation are expected to retire. Addressing skilled labour shortages in a timely manner is critical to our ability to create the necessary housing supply.
Government must:
- Ensure that the residential construction sector can build a workforce that will compensate for the projected skilled labour shortage.
Co-Chairs
Adria Minsky
Mattamy Homes
Curtis Neeser
Beedie
For more information on the Housing and Development Council, please contact Pascal Chan, Senior Director, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction.
Updates
Policy Matters: Lessons in Housing from the United States. Read more.
On April 16, 2024, the Government of Canada released its 2024 Federal Budget. Policy experts from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce have reviewed the Budget in detail, and their perspective on its implications for Canadian business can be found below. Read more.
Sean Henry, host of Daybreak Montreal, speaks with Adam Martelli, Director of Residential Real Estate Development at Broccolini, and member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Housing and Development Strategy Council, on the topic of $15 billion of federal money being allocated for new rental developments. Listen now.
Angela Kokott interviews Housing and Development Strategy Council lead, Pascal Chan, Senior Director, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction, on 630 CHED Afternoons. Listen now.
Pascal Chan, Senior Director, Transportation, Infrastructure and Construction, and The Canadian Chamber’s Housing and Development Strategy Council lead, Pascal Chan, joins Brian Crombie for The Brian Crombie Hour to discuss housing affordability in The Greater Toronto area. Watch now.
Linking immigration to the housing shortage may be missing the problem, experts say, article in CBC. Read more.
Politicians’ grand housing visions forget to involve folks who actually build homes, op-ed in The Globe and Mail. Read more.
Members
Other Councils
Supply Chains Council
Chief Financial Officers Council
