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National Observer
2 days ago
- 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.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Provinces ‘hold the key' to unlocking homebuilding, new report argues
OTTAWA - 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 B.C.'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. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025.
Global News
2 days ago
- Business
- Global News
Provinces hold ‘key' to homebuilding but must take more action: report
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. Story continues below advertisement '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. 1:01 Throne speech: King Charles says Liberals will work to make Canada's housing market 'work better' 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. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 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. Story continues below advertisement The report gave British Columbia, Quebec and Prince Edward Island a score of C+ — the highest score received by any province. Moffat said B.C.'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. 23:26 Focus BC: Housing, infrastructure and the end of the spring session 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. Story continues below advertisement '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.
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
Provinces ‘hold the key' to unlocking homebuilding, new report argues
OTTAWA - 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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 B.C.'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.' ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 29, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
P.E.I. 'punches above its weight,' national report card on housing policy in Canada suggests
Social Sharing There's usually an "uh-oh" moment when you get a report card back, but a national report card on housing shows Prince Edward Island didn't do that bad. In fact, the report, done by the Missing Middle Initiative (MMI) out of the University of Ottawa, found that P.E.I. "punches above its weight when it comes to housing policy." With a C+ overall grade, Canada's smallest province tied with Quebec and British Columbia for best overall performance among the provinces. The report card is based on five major pressure points for housing, with P.E.I.'s grades shown in parentheses: Family-friendly density and the construction of duplexes and mid-rise apartments (C); Modernized and better building codes overall (D+); Factory-built or use of modular housing (C+); Building homes outside of high-risk areas susceptible to things like climate change (C); Construction of social housing (A). That C+ for P.E.I. might seem average, but it's on the higher end on the report card compared to the other provinces, which scored mostly D+ and C-. The Island was at the top of the list with an A for social housing. Mike Moffatt, the founding director of the Missing Middle Initiative, said he was surprised to see P.E.I. rank so high. "It kept standing out to us that P.E.I. had a plan or a vision for most of these things," he said during a webinar with CBC News and other journalists Wednesday. "They issued a report, they had a long-term plan on it that had set targets. "That was a surprise to us … overall there are these series of detailed plans." Moffatt was referring to P.E.I.'s 2024-2029 housing strategy, released last year. In it, the provincial government vowed to build 10,000 new homes over that five-year period; increase the supply of social housing; and make it quicker overall for private developers to go from permit to finished product. When it comes to the top three performing provinces in Canada, Moffatt said, "I probably wouldn't have guessed P.E.I., but it's well-deserved." National housing crisis This report from the Missing Middle Initiative is being released against the backdrop of a national movement to build hundreds of thousands of homes in the coming years. Mark Carney's Liberal federal government has promised a level of housing construction that the country hasn't seen since the Second World War. On P.E.I., the need for that kind of effort has been felt for years. A housing crisis has gripped the province since before the COVID-19 pandemic, with vacancy rates floating just barely above zero and housing costs having effectively doubled in the last 10 years. Where P.E.I. can improve As with all report cards, there's room for improvement. Moffatt said P.E.I. didn't do as well when it came to promoting building of housing away from areas that are at the whims of climate change, including flood zones. "You're an Island, right? That's the one area where we were a little bit surprised there wasn't more on," he said. MMI scored P.E.I. on the lower end of allowing building in areas prone to flooding, with a C rating. It cited the fact that P.E.I. has no binding flood hazard regulation and no hazard zones where regulation or policy stops proposed developments. What the Island does have, though, is an online tool called CHRIS (Climate Hazard and Risk Information System), which shows coastal areas most at risk of flooding from extreme storm events or gradually rising sea levels — a topic of great interest to people looking to buy or build houses in the province. That tool is "quite helpful," the report said, "but prohibitions on building in areas prone to flooding must be made stronger."
