Housing industry applauds re-election of Ontario Conservatives

The June 2 re-election of Premier Doug Ford is being met with resounding support from the housing industry in the province – given the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’s promises to address the housing crisis.

“There is a broad consensus that the roots of the region’s housing challenges lie in the lack of supply, which is fueling the affordability crisis,” says Dave Wilkes, president and CEO of the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD). “Now is the time to take bold and decisive action to address the underlying policy issues that have constrained land supply, added costs to new housing and slowed the addition of new supply to the market.”

Fundamental policy changes

There is unanimity that lack of housing supply is the key factor driving the lack of affordability in the GTA, BILD says. During the election, all parties pledged to address housing supply and dramatically increase the addition of new housing units to the market over the next 10 years. Achieving the objective of adding 1.5 million homes to the Ontario market in the next 10 years (or nearly doubling the current housing starts) will require fundamental policy changes to address approval times and availability of land and to simplify the current bureaucracy that regulates home building. The expert recommendations from the Housing Affordability Task Force report, published in 2022, provide the blueprint for necessary change, and BILD looks forward to working with the new government to see the report’s recommendations implemented.

“Time is of the essence,” says Wilkes. “It takes, on average, 10 years to complete a highrise project in the GTA and 11 years to complete a lowrise project. With long planning horizons, it will take time for any policy changes to translate into market impacts, which means the government must prioritize housing within the current mandate.”

Act quickly and decisively

Adds Ontario Home Builders’ Association’s (OHBA) CEO Luca Bucci, “OHBA is ready to work with the provincial government to implement the bold solutions that will dramatically increase the supply of housing and make the dream of homeownership more affordable for the countless families and individuals who are unable to find a place to call home in a community where they can live, work and play.

“The government can act quickly and decisively by working with our industry to implement the recommendations of the Housing Affordability Task Force,” says Bucci. “This would be a great first step to address the housing crisis – as it would bring supply online faster and ultimately make housing more attainable for the people and families looking to call Ontario home.”

The West End Home Builders’ Association (WEHBA), representing developers in Hamilton, Burlington and other areas west of the GTA, also urges quick action. “Now is the opportunity for a newly elected strong, stable majority government to take decisive bold action to address the housing crisis,” says CEO Mike Collins-Williams. “It is time for assertive provincial housing policy to get local politics out of planning.”

Urgent initiatives

The Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON) similarly applaud Ford and the PCs being re-elected, citing Steve Clark and Monte McNaughton as big supporters of the industry, and understand the importance of residential construction and the skilled trades to the economy.

“We are looking forward to working with the government on urgent initiatives to boost the supply of housing, modernize the development application process, and move forward with programs to get more people into the voluntary trades,” says RESCON President Richard Lyall. “We were especially pleased at the commitment during the campaign to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years.

“Now that the dust has settled, the real work begins. It is critical for government and the residential construction industry to work together to reach that target by cutting red tape and using innovations like off-site panelized and modular housing, which will enable homes to be built quicker.”

To tackle the housing shortage, RESCON stresses the need to embrace innovation, streamline the development approvals process, and continue with initiatives that clear the path for more youth, women and people from underrepresented groups to learn the specialized skill sets needed to work in residential construction.