Articles from Building.ca

On September 14, 2025, Canada's Prime Minister launched the Build Canada Homes (BCH) initiative, aiming to build affordable housing to combat homelessness and provide low-income and middle-class housing. The plan has received positive reactions from entities like the Toronto Community Housing Corporation and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. The Canadian Wood Council appreciates the focus on factory-built housing and Canadian materials, highlighting the importance of modular and prefabricated systems in construction. The BCH initiative, with a $13 billion budget, involves partnerships with various levels of government and private developers.

Ontario is increasing its funding towards housing-enabling infrastructure by an additional $1.6 billion, aiming to support municipalities in building more houses. The province's Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, with a current total of $3.9 billion, focuses on constructing roads, bridges, and water systems crucial for housing development. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has set a goal of building 1.5 million homes by 2031, but current construction rates fall short of the target. While Canada's housing starts increased overall, there was a 28% decline in Ontario compared to previous years.

Ontario is funding a free building code course through George Brown College to address the shortage of building code officials, with the program available to newcomers with backgrounds in construction or related fields. The program, offered in partnership with the Ontario Building Officials Association, aims to mitigate skill gaps in this critical area, though opposition members argue more needs to be done to address other workforce shortages. Catherine Fife of the NDP emphasizes the wider need for labor force development across various sectors. The college hopes to equip graduates for careers as building inspectors and examiners.

The article discusses how Canada's adoption of prefabricated home construction could be enhanced by emulating strategies from the fast-food industry. Prefab homes offer significant cost, time, and environmental benefits, but current regulatory and financial systems are not conducive to their widespread adoption. Drawing parallels with chain restaurants like McDonald's and Wendy's, the piece suggests that standardization, transparency, and streamlined processes could boost prefab housing's acceptance. It also emphasizes the need for governmental support and policy updates to facilitate this transition.

Oxford Properties Group has commenced construction on a $750 million rental development in Scarborough, Toronto, marking it as the area's first major purpose-built rental project in decades. The development, consisting of 1,285 units, includes affordable housing and aims to support the area's housing needs while promoting sustainability. The project, financed partly through a significant loan from CMHC, is part of Oxford's larger master plan for more than 10,000 residential units in the area. Completion is expected by summer 2029.

The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) reports ongoing challenges in the housing construction sector amid economic uncertainty, with continued pessimism regarding sales conditions. Despite government proposals like the First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate, delays in implementation and legislative approval are impacting new home sales and construction, especially in major markets like Ontario and British Columbia. Builders are expressing concerns over the sustainability of their businesses due to affordability issues, high construction costs, and reduced consumer confidence. CHBA emphasizes the need for comprehensive government policies and innovative construction solutions to address the housing supply and affordability crisis.

Investment in Ontario's ICI building construction sector increased by 17% year-over-year in Q1, according to OCS. The institutional sector showed the highest growth, with medical facilities, transportation, and educational buildings leading the way. Notable projects include the Windsor Acute Care Hospital and expansions in Thunder Bay and Barrie. Infrastructure investment also rose sharply in the transportation and utilities sector, particularly in Oshawa, London, and Ottawa.

The Ontario government is proposing changes to accelerate the construction of Skills Development Fund training centres to help workers affected by economic challenges such as U.S. tariffs. The initiative aims to cut red tape and facilitate quicker development of these facilities by exempting them from certain permit requirements. Additional measures include improving job posting transparency and reducing barriers for implementing health and safety systems. These efforts are part of Ontario's strategy to protect workers and boost the province's competitiveness.

Ontario will require certain construction sites to have automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) as part of new legislative amendments. This requirement will apply to sites expected to last over three months with at least 20 workers. The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board will reimburse companies for the AED cost, anticipated to be around $2,300. Industry stakeholders, like RESCON, support this move, asserting it will save lives.

Amid tariff tensions between the United States and Canada that are exacerbating the housing crisis by increasing construction costs, Canada sees an opportunity to revamp its housing strategy through modular and prefabricated construction. Factory-built housing is not only faster and less expensive but also environmentally friendly, suggesting a sustainable way to meet urgent housing needs. Canadian initiatives like the Rapid Housing Initiative have shown success in scaling modular housing, and future plans include expanded funding and support from both federal and provincial levels. A global alliance on modular housing could emerge as a result, addressing both domestic needs and supporting international collaboration.