The strong ties between our region’s economic development and our available housing supply can no longer be ignored. The West End Home Builders’ Association (WEHBA), in partnership with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce have released a new report by the Smart Prosperity Institute titled, “Who Will Swing the Hammer?” The report showcases the critical need of workforce housing to ensure the West End area remains welcoming and inclusive well into the future. While Hamilton is currently still an attractive destination to the younger demographics, it is struggling to retain them when they choose to settle and grow a family.

Rising migratory trend

The most common age demographic for those leaving the Hamilton Area is Age Zero (0); those are the families with young children relocating to neighbouring communities with more attainable, family-friendly housing options. We are losing thousands of people, on net, annually to Brantford and St. Catharines-Niagara. Compared to other similarly sized municipalities, we’re also losing even more people to other provinces such as Alberta and Nova Scotia.

WEHBA has joined forces with the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce, because this rising migratory trend is a significant concern for the local business community. Hamilton’s population is aging, and a predominate portion of nearly all industries is poised to retire within the next decade. For Hamilton to thrive, we need to attract and retain new talent. This ranges from high-tech positions such as software engineers to healthcare workers, to the tradespeople needed to build homes for those workers. Hamilton is currently in a paradoxical situation we need to resolve:

Strain on social and economic viability

Those moving to and from Hamilton – particularly families with young children – are looking for attainable housing options that meet their needs. However, despite the need to attract families with young children, Hamilton’s housing stock is slowly shifting towards building smaller, less child-friendly units. But the reality is, we need all the housing we can get. To resolve the shortage and replace our aging workforce, we need to ensure we’re building both smaller units for the young professionals who need them, as well as a variety of family friendly housing options.

Hamilton and Burlington need to double homebuilding over the next decade. If we fail to do so, living in Hamilton will not just become less affordable, but it will also strain the social and economic viability of the entire community, pricing out the workers who build our communities.

But there are reasons for hope. Never before have we seen such alignment on housing. While there is still lots holding us back, there is more that unite us – all three levels of government have agreed we need to dramatically scale up our housing production, and the conversation has turned over from “why do we need to build more homes?” to “how are we going to build more homes.”