Latest news with #Moffatt
National Observer
29-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Provinces 'hold the key' to building more homes, new report argues
While the federal government and cities across Canada are making strides on expanding the housing supply, the provinces still need to get serious about building quality homes, a new report released Thursday argues. No province earned a grade higher than C+ in the report assembled by the Task Force for Housing and Climate, a non-governmental body that was struck in 2023 with backing from the philanthropic Clean Economy Fund. The task force's "report card" evaluated governments based on their policies for building homes quickly and sustainably. It gave the federal government the highest grade in the country — a B — while Alberta ranked at the bottom of the pile with a D+. The rest of the provinces' scores were in the C range. Mike Moffatt, the report's author and founding director of the Missing Middle Initiative at the University of Ottawa, suggested that the provinces have thus far avoided "scrutiny" for their role in perpetuating the housing crisis, while Ottawa and the cities have taken the heat for red tape and high costs. "Provinces really hold the key here. They have the most policy levers and, in many cases, they've actually done the least," he said. The task force is co-chaired by former Edmonton mayor Don Iveson and former deputy leader of the federal Conservatives Lisa Raitt. Prime Minister Mark Carney was one of the group's members before becoming federal Liberal leader. 'Currently, no government is doing enough to get these homes built," said Raitt in a statement accompanying the report. The task force compiled its report card based on its evaluations of government policies to encourage factory-built housing, fill in market gaps, boost density, map high-risk areas and update building codes. The report found plenty of variability even within provinces, said He said both Saskatchewan and Ontario are doing well on building away from high-risk areas but are falling short on increasing density. The report gave British Columbia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island a score of C+ — the highest score received by any province. Moffat said BC's grade suffered because while it encourages density "on paper," its slow permit approvals and high building costs frustrate development. While Alberta is doing well on the pace of housing starts alone, he said, that's mostly due to leadership at the municipal level in Calgary and Edmonton — not provincial policy. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said in the provincial legislature in November that the government was "not standing in the way of the private sector to build more affordable housing." She said increasing housing supply would "automatically" bring down costs for Albertans. Moffatt said Smith's stance is "correct" — lowering barriers to development is critical to expanding the supply of affordable housing — but that's "only part of the story." He said Alberta has to take "responsibility" for the housing demand it induces through its successful marketing campaign to lure Ontarians to the province. Moffatt said the province also has to make sure homes are built sustainably and not in the path of wildfires, and can't abdicate its responsibility for filling gaps in social housing. "We need both. We need a strong, robust private sector to deliver housing, but we also need government to come in and fill in the gaps," he said. Moffatt said the provinces are falling behind on mapping flood plains and need to take responsibility for provincial legislation that leads to higher development charges. He noted that the report card was based only on implemented policies and did not capture the impact of proposed legislation such as Ontario's Bill 17, which is meant to speed up permits and approvals, simplify development charges and fast-track infrastructure projects. The report said the federal government's housing accelerator fund, which encourages municipalities to simplify zoning rules to get more shovels in the ground, has made progress but needs enforcement tools to keep cities accountable after they strike funding deals with Ottawa. Moffatt said he hopes to use the report card framework to track progress on housing goals in the future, and to work on separate research to evaluate municipalities' housing policies.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Affordable housing report card gives Alberta gets a 'D+' grade, lowest in Canada
A new report reviewing efforts to address affordable housing has given Alberta the lowest grade among Canadian provinces. Alberta gets an overall D+ on the Report Card on More and Better Housing for failing to adopt better building codes, encourage factory-built housing and regulate construction in flood-prone areas, said author Mike Moffatt. The Task Force for Housing and Climate, a group dedicated to tackling housing and climate concerns across Canada, created the criteria last year and commissioned the report released Thursday. Quebec, British Columbia and Prince Edward Island scored the highest among the provinces with a C+, while the federal government got a B. "Alberta needs to build more social housing but there's also a lot of red tape in home building in Alberta that comes from the provincial government that could be addressed," Moffatt said during a news conference Wednesday. "It's also a lack of leadership from the provincial government when it comes to building code reform, when it comes to climate risk." The federal government earned the highest overall grade for federal tax incentives for rental construction, leasing federal land for housing and motivating municipal zoning reforms, the report says. Moffatt, also the founding director of the Missing Middle Initiative at the University of Ottawa, assessed and graded each province and the federal government in five categories. Lisa Raitt, former deputy leader of the Conservative Party of Canada is a co-chair of the Task Force for Housing and Climate. "Canada needs more homes, and they must be homes that meet the needs of today — affordable, climate aligned, and resilient to floods, wildfires and extreme heat," Raitt said in a news release. "Currently, no government is doing enough to get these homes built." Five criteria The report card focuses on five categories: Legalize density: allowing fourplexes and small apartments. Alberta scored a C- with the federal government got the highest grade of B. Improve building codes: allowing a variety of housing forms with higher energy efficiency, and things like single-stair-case apartments. Alberta got a D, while British Columbia scored an A. Accelerate factory-built housing: moving toward a manufacturing industry that can use better materials at lower cost. Alberta got a D- while the federal government received an A. Avoid building in high-risk areas: hazard maps and avoid areas prone to extreme weather events. Alberta got the lowest score of D, along with B.C., while Ontario and Saskatchewan got the highest grade of A. Fill in market gaps: finding ways to build more affordable, below market-rate housing. Alberta was again in the middle of the pack with a C, with the highest grade of A going to P.E.I. Former Edmonton mayor Don Iveson co-chairs the task force with Raitt. "Particularly in a number of the provinces and particularly when it comes to the climate outcomes there, there are huge gaps that have to be addressed," Iveson said. LISTEN | Task force aims to tackle housing crisis: While Alberta ended up with an overall D+, Moffatt praises Edmonton and Calgary for their efforts. "There are a lot of great things happening in Alberta. Housing starts are quite high. We have a lot of fantastic reforms at the municipal level in both Edmonton and Calgary, but they don't have much to do with the provincial government." The cities have made a number of moves to improve zoning and increase density, Moffatt added. Edmonton was the first city in Canada to develop an automated approvals process using artificial intelligence, reducing permit processes from six weeks to six hours, Moffatt said. Moffatt said he hopes to do another report next year to highlight progress made among provinces. "Partly this is an accountability exercise, but we also want to highlight things that provinces are doing well with the hope that they could be adopted in other provinces," Moffatt said.
National Observer
23-05-2025
- Business
- National Observer
Ottawa must allow home prices to fall to make housing more affordable, experts say
Housing experts are pushing back against a federal cabinet minister's recent claim that home prices don't need to go down in order to restore housing affordability. Gregor Robertson, the former mayor of Vancouver who was elected to the House of Commons in April, sparked the debate after he was sworn in as housing minister earlier this, when a reporter asked him whether he thinks home prices need to fall. "No, I think that we need to deliver more supply, make sure the market is stable. It's a huge part of our economy," he said. Robertson added that Canada lacks affordable housing and championed Ottawa's efforts to build out the supply of homes priced below market rates. Mike Moffatt, founding director of the Missing Middle Institute, had a different answer when asked whether housing can be made more affordable for the average Canadian without a drop in market values. "The short answer is no. It's simply not possible to restore broad-based affordability to the middle class without prices going down," he said. Moffatt crunched the numbers last month on how long it would take for housing to return to 2005 levels of affordability if the average home price holds steady while wages grow at a nominal pace of three per cent annually. Across Canada, he said, it would take 18 years to return to more affordable home price-to-income ratios — while in Ontario and British Columbia it would take roughly 25 years. In BC and Ontario, Moffatt said, wages and home prices have become so detached from one another that it's not "realistic" to rely on wage growth to catch up to housing costs. While Moffatt said he welcomes policies that encourage more housing for vulnerable Canadians and those experiencing homelessness, efforts to build more below-market housing units won't address the "middle-class housing crisis." Days after Robertson weighed in, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked the same question. Rather than offering a yes-or-no answer, he asserted instead that he wants "home prices to be more affordable for Canadians." He cited Liberal election campaign pledges to drop the GST on new homes and offer incentives to municipalities to cut development charges in half. The Liberals are looking to lower the cost of homebuilding with the aim of doubling the pace of housing starts in Canada. The government wants to scale up the use of prefabricated parts and other technological advances to streamline housing development. Carney said that this boost in supply would "make home prices much lower than they otherwise would be." Moffatt said he agrees that lowering the cost of homebuilding would help to make homes more affordable. In fact, he said, if the cost of building doesn't go down and if home prices stagnate or decline, development will immediately cease to be profitable for builders, causing housing starts to dry up. "I think that should be the primary focus of all three orders of government … figuring out how we can reduce the cost of home construction in order to create affordability and to lower prices," he said. Concordia University economist Moshe Lander agrees with Moffatt that home prices must come down if the government hopes to see broad affordability restored to the market over the next generation. But he also questions whether the federal government should be the arbiter of housing affordability in the first place, given that so many of the political decisions are out of its control. Lifting regulatory barriers to boosting supply is largely a matter for provincial and municipal governments, as are efforts to encourage more students to develop skills in the trades. "And so for the federal government to say, 'We're going to try and incentivize this,' I think they're going miss the mark in whatever they're trying to do because really, at the end of the day, it's not their issue," Lander said. Lander said he also understands why politicians of all stripes are reluctant to come out in favour of lowering home prices. Any explicit government effort to bring down housing prices down would be seen as an attack on homeowners' equity — an asset many use to fund retirements or other long-term savings as they pay off their mortgages. "Homeowners will not accept it," Lander said. "And you risk alienating a very sizable and influential voting bloc." At the local level, he said, politicians tend to seek the support of homeowners because — unlike renters — they tend to stay put in a riding or district. Lander said that most efforts to win renters' votes tend to be "tepid" at best and "counterproductive" at worst. Policies that target the demand-side of the equation — helping Canadians become homeowners — tend to put upward pressure on home prices at the same time, he said. Lander said part of the path to affordable housing has to be a shift away from the narrative that Canadians have been fed for generations — that home ownership is a lofty goal to aspire to and renters are "second-class citizens." "I don't think that we're being clear with society that this is what that might look like," he said.
Winnipeg Free Press
23-05-2025
- Business
- Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa has to allow home prices to fall to make housing more affordable, experts say
OTTAWA – Housing experts are pushing back against a federal cabinet minister's recent claim that home prices don't need to go down in order to restore housing affordability. Gregor Robertson, the former mayor of Vancouver who was elected to the House of Commons in April, sparked the debate after he was sworn in as housing minister earlier this, when a reporter asked him whether he thinks home prices need to fall. 'No, I think that we need to deliver more supply, make sure the market is stable. It's a huge part of our economy,' he said. Robertson added that Canada lacks affordable housing and championed Ottawa's efforts to build out the supply of homes priced below market rates. Mike Moffatt, founding director of the Missing Middle Institute, had a different answer when asked whether housing can be made more affordable for the average Canadian without a drop in market values. 'The short answer is no. It's simply not possible to restore broad-based affordability to the middle class without prices going down,' he said. Moffatt crunched the numbers last month on how long it would take for housing to return to 2005 levels of affordability if the average home price holds steady while wages grow at a nominal pace of three per cent annually. Across Canada, he said, it would take 18 years to return to more affordable home price-to-income ratios — while in Ontario and British Columbia it would take roughly 25 years. In B.C. and Ontario, Moffatt said, wages and home prices have become so detached from one another that it's not 'realistic' to rely on wage growth to catch up to housing costs. While Moffatt said he welcomes policies that encourage more housing for vulnerable Canadians and those experiencing homelessness, efforts to build more below-market housing units won't address the 'middle-class housing crisis.' Days after Robertson weighed in, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked the same question. Rather than offering a yes-or-no answer, he asserted instead that he wants 'home prices to be more affordable for Canadians.' He cited Liberal election campaign pledges to drop the GST on new homes and offer incentives to municipalities to cut development charges in half. The Liberals are looking to lower the cost of homebuilding with the aim of doubling the pace of housing starts in Canada. The government wants to scale up the use of prefabricated parts and other technological advances to streamline housing development. Carney said that this boost in supply would 'make home prices much lower than they otherwise would be.' Moffatt said he agrees that lowering the cost of homebuilding would help to make homes more affordable. In fact, he said, if the cost of building doesn't go down and if home prices stagnate or decline, development will immediately cease to be profitable for builders, causing housing starts to dry up. 'I think that should be the primary focus of all three orders of government … figuring out how we can reduce the cost of home construction in order to create affordability and to lower prices,' he said. Concordia University economist Moshe Lander agrees with Moffatt that home prices must come down if the government hopes to see broad affordability restored to the market over the next generation. But he also questions whether the federal government should be the arbiter of housing affordability in the first place, given that so many of the political decisions are out of its control. Lifting regulatory barriers to boosting supply is largely a matter for provincial and municipal governments, as are efforts to encourage more students to develop skills in the trades. 'And so for the federal government to say, 'We're going to try and incentivize this,' I think they're going miss the mark in whatever they're trying to do because really, at the end of the day, it's not their issue,' Lander said. Lander said he also understands why politicians of all stripes are reluctant to come out in favour of lowering home prices. Any explicit government effort to bring down housing prices down would be seen as an attack on homeowners' equity — an asset many use to fund retirements or other long-term savings as they pay off their mortgages. 'Homeowners will not accept it,' Lander said. 'And you risk alienating a very sizable and influential voting bloc.' Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. At the local level, he said, politicians tend to seek the support of homeowners because — unlike renters — they tend to stay put in a riding or district. Lander said that most efforts to win renters' votes tend to be 'tepid' at best and 'counterproductive' at worst. Policies that target the demand-side of the equation — helping Canadians become homeowners — tend to put upward pressure on home prices at the same time, he said. Lander said part of the path to affordable housing has to be a shift away from the narrative that Canadians have been fed for generations — that home ownership is a lofty goal to aspire to and renters are 'second-class citizens.' 'I don't think that we're being clear with society that this is what that might look like,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
Hamilton Spectator
23-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Ottawa has to allow home prices to fall to make housing more affordable, experts say
OTTAWA - Housing experts are pushing back against a federal cabinet minister's recent claim that home prices don't need to go down in order to restore housing affordability. Gregor Robertson, the former mayor of Vancouver who was elected to the House of Commons in April, sparked the debate after he was sworn in as housing minister earlier this, when a reporter asked him whether he thinks home prices need to fall. 'No, I think that we need to deliver more supply, make sure the market is stable. It's a huge part of our economy,' he said. Robertson added that Canada lacks affordable housing and championed Ottawa's efforts to build out the supply of homes priced below market rates. Mike Moffatt, founding director of the Missing Middle Institute, had a different answer when asked whether housing can be made more affordable for the average Canadian without a drop in market values. 'The short answer is no. It's simply not possible to restore broad-based affordability to the middle class without prices going down,' he said. Moffatt crunched the numbers last month on how long it would take for housing to return to 2005 levels of affordability if the average home price holds steady while wages grow at a nominal pace of three per cent annually. Across Canada, he said, it would take 18 years to return to more affordable home price-to-income ratios — while in Ontario and British Columbia it would take roughly 25 years. In B.C. and Ontario, Moffatt said, wages and home prices have become so detached from one another that it's not 'realistic' to rely on wage growth to catch up to housing costs. While Moffatt said he welcomes policies that encourage more housing for vulnerable Canadians and those experiencing homelessness, efforts to build more below-market housing units won't address the 'middle-class housing crisis.' Days after Robertson weighed in, Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked the same question. Rather than offering a yes-or-no answer, he asserted instead that he wants 'home prices to be more affordable for Canadians.' He cited Liberal election campaign pledges to drop the GST on new homes and offer incentives to municipalities to cut development charges in half. The Liberals are looking to lower the cost of homebuilding with the aim of doubling the pace of housing starts in Canada. The government wants to scale up the use of prefabricated parts and other technological advances to streamline housing development. Carney said that this boost in supply would 'make home prices much lower than they otherwise would be.' Moffatt said he agrees that lowering the cost of homebuilding would help to make homes more affordable. In fact, he said, if the cost of building doesn't go down and if home prices stagnate or decline, development will immediately cease to be profitable for builders, causing housing starts to dry up. 'I think that should be the primary focus of all three orders of government … figuring out how we can reduce the cost of home construction in order to create affordability and to lower prices,' he said. Concordia University economist Moshe Lander agrees with Moffatt that home prices must come down if the government hopes to see broad affordability restored to the market over the next generation. But he also questions whether the federal government should be the arbiter of housing affordability in the first place, given that so many of the political decisions are out of its control. Lifting regulatory barriers to boosting supply is largely a matter for provincial and municipal governments, as are efforts to encourage more students to develop skills in the trades. 'And so for the federal government to say, 'We're going to try and incentivize this,' I think they're going miss the mark in whatever they're trying to do because really, at the end of the day, it's not their issue,' Lander said. Lander said he also understands why politicians of all stripes are reluctant to come out in favour of lowering home prices. Any explicit government effort to bring down housing prices down would be seen as an attack on homeowners' equity — an asset many use to fund retirements or other long-term savings as they pay off their mortgages. 'Homeowners will not accept it,' Lander said. 'And you risk alienating a very sizable and influential voting bloc.' At the local level, he said, politicians tend to seek the support of homeowners because — unlike renters — they tend to stay put in a riding or district. Lander said that most efforts to win renters' votes tend to be 'tepid' at best and 'counterproductive' at worst. Policies that target the demand-side of the equation — helping Canadians become homeowners — tend to put upward pressure on home prices at the same time, he said. Lander said part of the path to affordable housing has to be a shift away from the narrative that Canadians have been fed for generations — that home ownership is a lofty goal to aspire to and renters are 'second-class citizens.' 'I don't think that we're being clear with society that this is what that might look like,' he said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 23, 2025.
