With the 2025 election behind us, Canadians can now turn to the Liberal housing plan for direction on addressing the ongoing crisis, one made even more urgent by U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum that threaten to drive inflation, disrupt supply chains, worsen labour shortages and cause significant delivery delays.
Starting now, ÌìÃÀӰԺ’s housing challenge is no longer about strategy, but execution. Delivering on policies that reduce regulatory barriers and red tape, encouraging the effective use of public land, and supporting Canadian innovation in construction are items of the utmost importance. It’s time to build more self-sufficient industries that tap our various locales’ expertise, materials and natural resources.
A major opportunity for the new Liberal government lies in reducing bureaucracy while raising the bar for sustainability. Climate-ready housing is no longer just nice-to-have; it’s essential. To meet housing demands without increasing long-term environmental and financial costs, we must invest in construction methods that are faster, greener and more durable.
These include advanced prefabrication mechanisms that use robotics and the incorporation of low-carbon, locally-sourced materials that minimize waste and maximize energy efficiency. One example includes sustainably harvesting the widely available red pine in Ontario to produce cross-laminated timber, used to build climate-resilient homes, while also improving forest management systems and biodiversity.
Doubling the pace of homebuilding and streamlining permitting processes signals a much-needed shift. But that alone won’t solve the crisis. ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº needs to take a co-ordinated approach to housing delivery that scales homeownership and rental options quickly and affordably.
Key tactics like halving municipal development charges for multi-unit residential housing, incentives to shift investment into residential construction and building conversions, and eliminating the GST on first-time homebuyer sales for homes under $1 million represent meaningful steps toward expanding housing access, both physically and financially speaking, for Canadians. Alongside these measures, investments through Build ÌìÃÀÓ°Ôº Homes to support Canadian technology, resources, and affordable prefabricated homebuilders will further expand housing availability while helping to rebuild ÌìÃÀӰԺ’s skilled trades workforce.
Canadians deserve a housing market that is responsive to their needs and reflective of the climate and economic realities ahead. Our housing sector requires an ambitious approach that values efficiency, innovation and homegrown solutions in equal measure.
The election is over and now comes the harder task: co-ordinated action to make housing accessible, attainable and climate resilient for Canadians.
Jackson Wyatt is CEO of CABN, a net-zero housing provider. Send Industry Perspectives Op-Ed column ideas and comments to editor@dailycommercialnews.com.
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