Five of the GTA's largest homebuilders endorse Tories
OTTAWA — Five of the Toronto area's largest homebuilders are throwing their support behind the Conservatives.
In a joint statement issued Sunday, ARISTA, DECO, Fieldgate, OPUS Homes and Paradise Developments said they're backing Pierre Poilievre's Tories in Monday's election, saying his homebuilding plan makes the most sense.
Liberals maintain slim lead over Tories as poll numbers stabilize
Jewish group launches Passover-themed election awareness campaign
'As homebuilders, we see the impact of burdensome regulations, rising costs, and housing shortages are having on Canadian families who are locked out of the housing market,' said ARISTA Homes CEO Michael De Gasperis on behalf of the group.
'We believe Pierre Poilievre is the only national leader proposing real, practical solutions that align with what the housing industry needs: Reducing red tape, faster approvals, and investment in the trades that build our communities.'
Homes and affordability was a key plank in the platforms of both major parties in this election, with the Tories promising to build 2.3 million homes through policies which include cutting GST on new homes under $1.3 million, offering incentives to municipalities to accelerate housing projects, cutting development charges, and requiring cities to permit high-density housing.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com X: @bryanpassifiume
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


San Francisco Chronicle
29 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Families file suit challenging Arkansas law that requires Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Seven Arkansas families filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging an upcoming state requirement that public school classrooms have posted copies of the Ten Commandments, saying the new law will violate their constitutional rights. The federal lawsuit challenges a measure Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law earlier this year, similar to a requirement enacted by Louisiana and one that Texas' governor has said he'll sign. The Arkansas law takes effect in August and requires the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries. 'Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library — rendering them unavoidable — unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state's favored religious scripture,' the lawsuit said. The suit was filed on behalf of the families by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The lawsuit names four school districts in northwest Arkansas — Fayetteville, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale — as defendants. A spokesperson for Fayetteville schools said the district would not comment on pending litigation, while the other three districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office was reviewing the lawsuit and considering options. Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist or nonreligious, said they planned to ask the federal judge in Fayetteville for a preliminary injunction blocking the law's enforcement. The attorneys say the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the families' First Amendment rights. 'By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children," Samantha Stinson, one of the plaintiffs, said in a news release. Louisiana was the first state to enact such a requirement, and a federal judge blocked the measure before it was to take effect Jan 1. Proponents of Louisiana's law say that ruling only applies to the five school boards listed in the suit, but The Associated Press is unaware of any posters being displayed in schools as the litigation continues.
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Families file suit challenging Arkansas law that requires Ten Commandments be posted in classrooms
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Seven Arkansas families filed a lawsuit Wednesday challenging an upcoming state requirement that public school classrooms have posted copies of the Ten Commandments, saying the new law will violate their constitutional rights. The federal lawsuit challenges a measure Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law earlier this year, similar to a requirement enacted by Louisiana and one that Texas' governor has said he'll sign. The Arkansas law takes effect in August and requires the Ten Commandments to be prominently displayed in public school classrooms and libraries. 'Permanently posting the Ten Commandments in every classroom and library — rendering them unavoidable — unconstitutionally pressures students into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state's favored religious scripture,' the lawsuit said. The suit was filed on behalf of the families by the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans United for the Separation of Church and State and the Freedom from Religion Foundation. The lawsuit names four school districts in northwest Arkansas — Fayetteville, Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale — as defendants. A spokesperson for Fayetteville schools said the district would not comment on pending litigation, while the other three districts did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for Attorney General Tim Griffin said his office was reviewing the lawsuit and considering options. Attorneys for the families, who are Jewish, Unitarian Universalist or nonreligious, said they planned to ask the federal judge in Fayetteville for a preliminary injunction blocking the law's enforcement. The attorneys say the law violates longstanding Supreme Court precedent and the families' First Amendment rights. 'By imposing a Christian-centric translation of the Ten Commandments on our children for nearly every hour of every day of their public-school education, this law will infringe on our rights as parents and create an unwelcoming and religiously coercive school environment for our children," Samantha Stinson, one of the plaintiffs, said in a news release. Louisiana was the first state to enact such a requirement, and a federal judge blocked the measure before it was to take effect Jan 1. Proponents of Louisiana's law say that ruling only applies to the five school boards listed in the suit, but The Associated Press is unaware of any posters being displayed in schools as the litigation continues. ___ Associated Press Writer Sara Cline in Baton Rouge, Louisiana contributed to this report
Yahoo
33 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arkansas parents file lawsuit over state law requiring Ten Commandments in schools
A 3D render of a closeup of the biblical Ten Commandments etched in a stone tablet, highlighting the ninth commandment. () Seven Arkansas families with children in public schools filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday to block the implementation of a new state law requiring the Ten Commandments be displayed in classrooms. Northwest Arkansas parents and their minor children who identify as Jewish, Unitarian Universalist, Humanist, agnostic, atheist and nonreligious filed the complaint Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Arkansas against the Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville and Siloam Springs school districts. The plaintiffs are asking a judge to declare the law unconstitutional and are seeking preliminary and permanent injunctions to prevent the school districts from complying with the law, according to the complaint. Act 573 of 2025 requires that 'a durable poster or framed copy of a historical representation of the Ten Commandments' be 'prominently' displayed in public school classrooms and libraries, public institutions of higher education, and public buildings and facilities maintained by taxpayer funds. According to the law, posters shall be donated or purchased with funds through voluntary contributions to a local school board, building governing entity or the Building Authority Division. Posters that don't meet specifications required by the law may be replaced with public funds or private donations. In a statement, plaintiff Samantha Stinson said that as American Jews, she and her husband 'deeply value the ability to raise our children in our faith, without interference from the government.' Fellow plaintiff Carol Vella agreed, noting that her children are among a small number of Jewish students at their school. 'The classroom displays required by Act 573 will make them feel like they don't belong simply because they don't follow the government's favored religion,' she said. 'The displays will also violate core Jewish tenets, which emphasize tolerance and inclusion and prohibit evangelizing others.' The plaintiffs are represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas, the ACLU, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, and the Freedom From Religion Foundation, with Simpson Thacher Barlett serving as pro bono counsel, according to a press release. The complaint alleges Act 573 violates the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, which guarantees that 'Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,' and its Free Exercise Clause, which guarantees that 'Congress shall make no law … prohibiting the free exercise [of religion].' 'As a result of the Ten Commandments displays mandated by Act 573, Arkansas students—including the minor-child Plaintiffs—will be unconstitutionally coerced into religious observance, veneration, and adoption of the state's favored religious scripture, and they will be pressured to suppress their personal religious beliefs and practices, especially in school, to avoid the potential disfavor, reproach, and/or disapproval of school officials and/or their peers,' the complaint states. By mandating a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments be displayed, 'Act 573 adopts an official position on religious matters, violating the Establishment Clause's prohibition against taking sides in questions over theological doctrine,' according to the complaint. In a statement, Americans United for Separation of Church and State President and CEO Rachel Laser said the Constitution's guarantee of the separation of church and state means families, not politicians, decide if and how public school children engage with religion. Federal judge considers letting Arkansas Supreme Court rule first on 10 Commandments monument case 'This law is part of the nationwide Christian Nationalist scheme to win favor for one set of religious views over all others and nonreligion — in a country that promises religious freedom. Not on our watch,' Laser said. Sen. Jim Dotson, R-Bentonville, and Rep. Alyssa Brown, R-Heber Springs, sponsored Act 573, but the merits of the legislation were largely presented in committee hearings by WallBuilders, a group 'emphasizing the moral, Christian, and constitutional foundation on which our nation was built,' according to its website. Supporters of the measure emphasized the Ten Commandments as a historical document, an argument rejected in Wednesday's complaint. 'This nation's core founding documents — the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — were not based on the Ten Commandments, and there is no longstanding history or tradition of prominently and permanently displaying the Ten Commandments in public-school classrooms,' the complaint states. The complaint cites longstanding court precedent, including Stone v. Graham, a 1980 case in which the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a Kentucky law mandating classroom displays of the Ten Commandments as unconstitutional. A federal district court ruled last year that a Louisiana law similar to Act 573 violates the First Amendment. Plaintiffs in that case, which is on appeal, are represented by the same counsel as the Arkansas lawsuit, according to the press release. Plaintiffs in the Arkansas case plan to file a motion for preliminary injunction, which will ask the court to issue an order temporarily preventing implementation of the law, set to take effect Aug. 5, while the lawsuit is pending, according to the release. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX