Finance committee  Our industry certainly supports the move by the federal government to remove the GST on purpose-built rentals. The newly elected Manitoba government has indicated that they're going to follow suit and remove the PST. We believe this should lead companies that are looking at making this type of investment in our province to look much harder, as a project instantly becomes much more viable than it would have been if they had continued to pay the tax.

Finance committee  I think you heard from Mr. Barletta earlier this morning, who was talking about the importance of all three levels of government collaborating and being on the same page when it comes to incentivizing, encouraging and facilitating more housing stock. I think we've seen some movement on that over the past few months.

Finance committee  The current thresholds have been in place since the GST was introduced in 1991. The lowest threshold is, I believe, $350,000, which, for a new construction on a single-family detached home, makes it fairly irrelevant. There aren't any homes being built at that price point. It's well overdue.

Finance committee  In Manitoba, the dominant form of home heating is natural gas, followed by electricity. There are few other options, really. We would certainly agree that the principle of fairness should be applied here. As to the impact on construction, Manitoba's a bit of an outlier from other provinces in terms of when homes being built are electrified.

Finance committee  Incentivizing investment in rental housing is key to meeting the federal goal of doubling housing starts in Canada. For Manitoba, that means going from between 7,000 to 8,000 on an annual basis, depending on the year, to 16,000. It's a significant increase, and it will require a significant investment in housing stock in our province.

Finance committee  I do, and I touched on the continuum of housing in my previous answer. You have primarily a first-time homebuyer who is a renter moving into home ownership. What the recommendation looks at doing is increasing the supply of new home construction when homeowners or first-time buyers are constructing new homes, increasing the supply and allowing people to move up the continuum.

Finance committee  That's correct.

Finance committee  It was for new construction.

Finance committee  It could be for first-time buyers. The CHBA has been calling for a return to 30-year amortization for a number of years. They've modified their ask after feedback through, I believe, discussions with this committee and with the finance department, amending it to a recommendation that it be for new construction only.

Finance committee  The current situation with interest rates, exacerbated by the stress test, has become a significant barrier, especially for first-time homebuyers and anyone looking to build a new home. What we're calling for are policies that would help lessen the impact that current interest rates are having.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the finance committee, for inviting me to present to you this morning on behalf of the Manitoba Home Builders' Association. Since 1937, the MHBA has been the voice of Manitoba's residential construction industry. Representing one of Manitoba's largest economic sectors, our membership includes home builders, renovators, land developers, trade contractors, building product and material manufacturers, building suppliers, warranty and insurance providers and related services.