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Globe and Mail
12-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Builders optimistic about housing bill to accelerate home building
Toronto, Ontario, May 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) is optimistic about the provincial government's proposed legislation, Protecting Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025, announced this morning by the Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. OHBA CEO, Scott Andison, represented the residential construction industry at the announcement, welcoming the government's crisis-led approach to tackling Ontario's housing shortage. The proposed legislation targets two of the most significant drivers of high housing costs: development charges and permitting and approval delays. Builders across Ontario have long advocated for action on these barriers, which in many cases add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home. The bill comes after months of consultation with OHBA representatives and other industry experts who shared data-driven evidence on the impact of development charges and delays. 'I'm very pleased by the level of engagement and representation from industry that was part of this process,' said Andison. 'We need all hands on deck to tackle the housing crisis, and I'm happy to know that Minister Flack understands that and sees value in having industry be part of the conversation. This legislation is a strong step towards boosting supply, restoring affordability, and protecting jobs in the residential construction sector.' In particular, the bill aims to stimulate new home construction by implementing policies developed with municipalities to standardize development charges. Currently, government fees and taxes account for roughly 30-35% of the cost of a new home, making the government at different levels the biggest financial beneficiary of a new home purchase. Development charges account for about half of that cost and have increased dramatically over the last decade. The Greater Toronto Area has the highest development charges in North America, which have risen 176% since 2011, continuing to rise while we face the worst housing crisis the province has ever seen. Builders have long called for provincial action to reduce them and are happy to have been represented in the discussions that led to this legislation. OHBA is optimistic that this is a step towards driving down development costs and making houses more affordable for Ontarians. The bill also looks to streamline the permitting and approval process for new developments by bringing consistency to a process that varies across the 444 municipalities in Ontario. This includes standardizing how local roads are designed and built to speed up construction and reduce costs for builders and home buyers. Like development charges, delays at the municipal level have a tangible impact on house prices, adding thousands of dollars per day to project costs that ultimately inflate the price of housing. 'Ontario's current housing framework is failing to meet the needs of average households, with homeownership increasingly out of reach and younger generations leaving the Greater Toronto Area in search of attainable living options,' said Kirstin Jensen, Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Relationships at OHBA. 'The legislative package introduced by Minister Flack represents a strong and necessary advancement toward restoring attainable housing in the province. Continued leadership of this nature—anchored in evidence-based policy and strong government-industry collaboration—will be critical to meaningfully addressing Ontario's housing supply and affordability challenges.' This legislation represents the collaborative, systemic approach that OHBA has called for. We look forward to seeing the full details of the bill when it is introduced in the legislature this afternoon. A member release outlining the bill's details and implications for the residential construction industry will be issued following the introduction. -30- About the Ontario Home Builders' Association Founded in 1962, the Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) is the voice of the residential construction industry in Ontario. It represents over 4,000 member companies in the home building, land development, professional renovation, and professional services sectors through 28 local chapter associations across the province. OHBA advocates on behalf of its members to key stakeholders, provides member benefits and training, and promotes innovation and professionalism within the residential construction industry.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Builders optimistic about housing bill to accelerate home building
OHBA's CEO spoke at the housing minister's announcement of the new bill this morning Toronto, Ontario, May 12, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) is optimistic about the provincial government's proposed legislation, Protecting Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025, announced this morning by the Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. OHBA CEO, Scott Andison, represented the residential construction industry at the announcement, welcoming the government's crisis-led approach to tackling Ontario's housing shortage. The proposed legislation targets two of the most significant drivers of high housing costs: development charges and permitting and approval delays. Builders across Ontario have long advocated for action on these barriers, which in many cases add hundreds of thousands of dollars to the cost of a new home. The bill comes after months of consultation with OHBA representatives and other industry experts who shared data-driven evidence on the impact of development charges and delays. 'I'm very pleased by the level of engagement and representation from industry that was part of this process,' said Andison. 'We need all hands on deck to tackle the housing crisis, and I'm happy to know that Minister Flack understands that and sees value in having industry be part of the conversation. This legislation is a strong step towards boosting supply, restoring affordability, and protecting jobs in the residential construction sector.' In particular, the bill aims to stimulate new home construction by implementing policies developed with municipalities to standardize development charges. Currently, government fees and taxes account for roughly 30-35% of the cost of a new home, making the government at different levels the biggest financial beneficiary of a new home purchase. Development charges account for about half of that cost and have increased dramatically over the last decade. The Greater Toronto Area has the highest development charges in North America, which have risen 176% since 2011, continuing to rise while we face the worst housing crisis the province has ever seen. Builders have long called for provincial action to reduce them and are happy to have been represented in the discussions that led to this legislation. OHBA is optimistic that this is a step towards driving down development costs and making houses more affordable for Ontarians. The bill also looks to streamline the permitting and approval process for new developments by bringing consistency to a process that varies across the 444 municipalities in Ontario. This includes standardizing how local roads are designed and built to speed up construction and reduce costs for builders and home buyers. Like development charges, delays at the municipal level have a tangible impact on house prices, adding thousands of dollars per day to project costs that ultimately inflate the price of housing. 'Ontario's current housing framework is failing to meet the needs of average households, with homeownership increasingly out of reach and younger generations leaving the Greater Toronto Area in search of attainable living options,' said Kirstin Jensen, Vice President of Policy, Advocacy, and Relationships at OHBA. 'The legislative package introduced by Minister Flack represents a strong and necessary advancement toward restoring attainable housing in the province. Continued leadership of this nature—anchored in evidence-based policy and strong government-industry collaboration—will be critical to meaningfully addressing Ontario's housing supply and affordability challenges.' This legislation represents the collaborative, systemic approach that OHBA has called for. We look forward to seeing the full details of the bill when it is introduced in the legislature this afternoon. A member release outlining the bill's details and implications for the residential construction industry will be issued following the introduction. -30- About the Ontario Home Builders' Association Founded in 1962, the Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) is the voice of the residential construction industry in Ontario. It represents over 4,000 member companies in the home building, land development, professional renovation, and professional services sectors through 28 local chapter associations across the province. OHBA advocates on behalf of its members to key stakeholders, provides member benefits and training, and promotes innovation and professionalism within the residential construction industry. CONTACT: Andres Ibarguen Ontario Home Builders' Association (OHBA) (647) 217-6790 aibarguen@ in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
03-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Can election promises help young Londoners one day afford their own home?
Social Sharing As dealers of modular and prefabricated homes eye a Liberal promise to double the rate of residential construction over the next decade, a new report paints a grim picture of current homeownership realities. Home prices have doubled relative to family incomes since 2005 and London is considered "deeply unaffordable" for middle-class families, according to numbers crunched by economist Mike Moffat at the Missing Middle Initiative. "Young people are out of options when it comes to housing in our province," said Scott Andison, head of the Ontario Home Builders' Association, which commissioned Moffatt's April report. Enter modular homes, made of prefabricated pieces that go together like building blocks and can be put together either in a factory or on someone's property. They're being touted as one relief measure for the country's housing crisis, part of a Liberal plan to build 500,000 houses per year over the next 10 years. "I'm 30 years old. I think this is part of the solution to making things more affordable," said Mac Copp, the division manager of the Copp's Back Yard Homes division, which has six different modular-home models to choose from, two of which are on display at its Fanshawe Park Road location. The Conservatives have said they will get rid of the sales tax on new homes and will sell off 6,000 federal buildings to allow new-builds, as well as incentivize cities to speed up permits, which the Liberals also want to do. The NDP has promised to offer first-time homebuyers access to low-interest loans and use federal land to build more than 100,000 rent-controlled homes in the next decade. Parties turn attention to affordable housing on campaign trail | Hanomansing Tonight 2 days ago Duration 7:01 Liberal Leader Mark Carney, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre have all announced their signature housing plans. CBC News's Ian Hanomansing asks a renter looking to buy if any of these proposals would help. "The whole idea of this is gentle densification. It's not the silver bullet to fix housing in everything else, but it's one of the pieces. It takes a lot of different things happening at the same time to help the problem." Copp's modular homes take about three or four months to construct in a person's backyard. The company's most popular model is 720 square feet and has two bedrooms, vaulted ceilings and a full-sized kitchen, laundry nook and deck. It starts at $200,000. The company is having an open house at its west-end location this Saturday, where people can tour two of the most popular models. SWO Contracting also has a three-month turnaround time, but the prefabricated homes owner Mike Moldown and his team install are made in a factory, not on site. "From the time you pick all your colours, make all your choices, once we get zoning approval, we look at your property size and make sure all that's okay, that's 90 days. We have all that ready to go, and we pull up on a trailer, crane it up, put it on your property and hook it up, and in a day, you're living in it," Moldown said. The factory-built home, assembled much like a car on a line, is approved by the CSA A277 standard, meaning building codes and regulatory standards are met when the home is completed, he added. Carney models housing plan on WWII-era building strategy 2 days ago Duration 2:10 Liberal Leader Mark Carney unveiled a plan to combat the national housing crisis, modelled on a Second World War home-building initiative. The Conservatives and the NDP have also recently rolled out housing strategies on the federal election campaign trail. "For multi-generation living where you're downsizing, or if your kids are moving home and you need somewhere to put them, or in rural areas where there's lots of land, this really works," Moldown said. The framing takes two days and then you're ready to set the unit on it, so we're not in somebody's yard very long." Pricing for his units also start at $200,000, and sizes range from 504 square feet to just over 705 square feet. "There are some half-acre lots in Westmount that'll easily take one or two of these units and if you're in a rural area, it's a no-brainer," he said. Trying to help alleviate the housing crisis, the City of London has relaxed the rules for additional dwelling units, including detached modular homes. There's also financial assistance and forgivable loans for property owners who need help offsetting the costs of creating more residential units. The housing situation is unsustainable, particularly in places where people spend more than double their monthly income on housing, said Kirstin Jensen, the vice president of policy and advocacy for the Ontario Home Builders. "We need real solutions for Ontarians to be able to afford homes again, especially young people." London's chief building official supports the use of modular homes to increase housing in the city. "Modular and prefabricated construction methods offer a promising avenue to enhance housing diversity and affordability within our community," said Alan Shaw, the director of building services, in an email. "To facilitate this, we've initiated a drawing pre-approval pilot program for modular or prefabricated detached Additional Residential Units. This initiative aims to streamline the building permit process, ensuring that these units meet Ontario Building Code requirements and can be integrated efficiently into our neighbourhoods."
