If we can systemically improve the way we get things done and eliminate the barriers and some of the costs to building that have been imposed unfairly, I would say, in less than a generation.... Think of a down payment today, for example, in parts of Ontario or the Lower Mainland of B.C., and the increase in taxes, fees and levies in 15 years. If we can do something about that, then I think we'll reduce the resistance to trying new things.
I can tell you that all the cost and bureaucracy have a chilling effect on innovation, so by the time you get to the point where you can actually build the building, you don't want to try anything new. In fact, with the way the industry is organized, the group that is building a building is rewarded for how quickly they can get it done on time and on budget. If you want to try something new, forget it, because the risk there is huge. It's a risk to the people who are building a building, and the costs are already tight.
If we can improve this overall, then we can do other things too. We can afford various climate-related measures, things that pass muster based on cost-benefit analytics, building science and all that stuff. I think Build Canada Homes can encourage that.
One complicating factor, of course, is that the provinces largely have authority over housing, and municipalities are creatures of the provinces, so getting this down to the provincial level is where the alignment is critical between the federal government and the provinces and municipalities. That's complicating it a little more, and I think that's why we're behind more advanced jurisdictions.