Human Resources Committee on April 20th, 2026

[Scott Andison]

Absolutely.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you very much.

Let me continue.

Mr. Baird, how do you feel the objectives that we have put forward and that you have seen in Bill C-20 and in the investment policy are aligned with what the industry is looking for?

[Sean Baird]

They're deeply aligned. The investment framework that was put out by Build Canada Homes was very helpful to the industry. It's aligned with the investments we're already making in the non-market housing supply.

It's about ensuring that we are doing things that focus on affordability, accessibility and energy savings within our new developments. All of those things have been critical in the way we have been building housing at Toronto Community Housing, and they are important parts of the investment framework that's been put forward.

[Caroline Desrochers, Liberal, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you very much.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Desrochers.

Ms. Larouche, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here.

This committee is trying to find a solution to the housing shortage, which everyone is talking about. I am certainly hearing about it in my riding, Shefford. This is real for us too.

Mr. Baird, this is about finding solutions. Should social housing be prioritized over market housing alone?

Also, how can we prevent big cities from monopolizing the funds? In my riding, Shefford, smaller, more rural municipalities would like to make things happen and are asking questions. They're wondering if they're going to get their share.

Also, what should the expectations be? Do we focus on the number of housing units, lower rents or waiting lists? How might we measure concrete results?

[Sean Baird]

It is right for non-market housing to be a focus of the work of Build Canada Homes. There are a wide variety of incentives and financing programs available for housing development, and I suspect that as the market returns, we will see the private market make good use of those systems. There aren't as many available on the non-market side.

To your question on investment in large urban centres, I work in Toronto, and what I would say is that the housing crisis is real across the country, but it is certainly deepest in the largest urban centres. In the cities of Toronto and Vancouver right now, the average price of a home is more than 11 times the median income of a resident. That compares to about five or six times more when you look across the country overall.

In Toronto, we have more than 13,000 people experiencing homelessness every night in the city. Those are deep and real issues that we face day in and day out. I believe the non-market housing operators that can operate and build at scale are generally located in large urban centres, but that's not to say there aren't good, viable non-profit organizations and social housing operators that can work in more rural settings as well.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

Mr. Baird, I asked you the question knowing that you are from Toronto. Regardless, I can confirm that housing issues and homelessness affect places like Granby, which is a big city in Quebec in the riding of Shefford. Things may not be as bad as in Toronto, but Granby has its own homelessness issues. Municipalities like Racine, although smaller, have needs. There's demand for social and community housing there. In fact, Racine is home to a wonderful model of a non-profit housing organization for seniors.

Even smaller communities have needs. That's why I asked you the question. We have to make sure we address those needs. Quebec may actually have a better understanding of the needs and circumstances of more rural areas and of all the communities within its jurisdiction. It will be interesting to stay on top of that.

Mr. Wilkes, my next questions are for you.

You talked a lot about predictability in your opening remarks. Ultimately, what builders want is predictability. Can Build Canada Homes provide that predictability? You touched on this, but I'd like you to say more, so I'll give you the opportunity to add anything you may have forgotten to mention.

Do you think it will actually accelerate housing starts? By how much?

Lastly, you also touched on reducing regulatory barriers. Please tell us more about why that might be a better approach.

[David Wilkes]

Predictability and certainty are key in most industries, but they're certainly key in an industry like homebuilding and developing because of the long time frames we have and the investments that are required. Where Build Canada Homes can provide certainty is in the long-term availability of land and the certainty of cost of development within specific projects, so working with municipal partners so that development charges won't go up over a portfolio investment over a period of time if it takes 10 to 15 years to build out. That is the type of certainty and leadership I would encourage Build Canada Homes to provide.

In answer to an earlier question around the certainty of long-term change, we have a crisis right now that requires leadership and recognizing that we can't keep taxing the industry the way we have and expect the building of all types of housing to occur. I would encourage both the relief that has been provided for DCs for a period of three years and the relief that is currently in place for the HST. As we work through those and get towards those expiration dates, we should look at opportunities, through the federal government's leadership role, to extend them for the longer term.

My succinct answer is that we must have certainty or we won't get to building any type of housing that is required.

[Andréanne Larouche, Bloc, Shefford, QC]

I have about 10 seconds left.

The home buyers' tax rebate was already addressed in another question. Is that a path to predictability or not?

[David Wilkes]

What the HST rebate has done is provide temporary relief of approximately $130,000 on a $1-million home within the province of Ontario. That makes it more affordable to purchase market housing. As I indicated in response to an earlier question, the response we've seen at member sales centres in the first 19 days has demonstrated and is proof positive, in my opinion, that it's a welcome measure that will get the industry back working and, more importantly, get more people in homes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Bobby Morrissey]

Thank you, Ms. Larouche.

Ms. Falk, you have five minutes.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Thank you very much, Chair.

I would like to thank each of the witnesses for spending time with us this afternoon and sharing their experience and expertise.

Mr. Wilkes, I'd like to follow up on the previous question regarding certainty.

What is the certainty that's needed? Is it bullet-point certainty that the industry needs to get the job done and have stability and consistency?

[David Wilkes]

I think this will be my most succinct answer: costs and time for approval. Getting certainty and understanding what investments look like are required for the industry.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

What do timelines look like?

[David Wilkes]

Right now, it takes too long to build. That issue rests largely with our municipal government partners.

We have seen some changes and the recognition that time frames need to be shortened through some efficiencies. I believe that's a role the federal government can help play, with leadership through the funds that have been designated through the building community development fund and through things like Build Canada Homes, expediting approvals. Every month of delay is an additional month of costs that go right into the cost of building. If you don't know when you're going to get the ROI, it's very difficult.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

That's totally fair and understandable.

Do you have an example of a timeline, or that type of thing, that you'd like to see put in this legislation?

[David Wilkes]

Right now, it takes approximately 24 to 36 months for approvals. That's a broad generalization.

We did a benchmarking report, which I'll be pleased to share with the committee afterwards, that provides more detailed information. We know it can be done much quicker in other jurisdictions across North America. A specific target would be difficult for me to define right now, but it's certainly less.

We'd like to see a commitment to lowering costs as part of the initiatives the federal government is leading and to expediting approvals.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

You said you'll table that with the committee.

[David Wilkes]

Absolutely.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Can you make sure that you do that today? We're coming up against time with this study, and we have to move to the next process of the bill.

Mr. Andison, from the perspective of your members, what are the biggest barriers currently preventing homes from being built?

[Scott Andison]

The biggest one, as Mr. Wilkes mentioned, is the time to get municipal approvals in place.

The second thing is the high cost of municipal infrastructure. Many municipalities are struggling with the cost of water and waste water-type infrastructure. The amounts coming from the federal and provincial governments are going to go a long way. The $8.8 billion cost being shared between the federal government and the Ontario government will help address that, but it is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount that is required.

There are three major things: the delays in municipal approvals, the cost of infrastructure, and labour. Quite frankly, given that we've had a downturn in the economy, a lot of labour, particularly in the skilled trades, has left the industry. There's going to be a lag in being able to get those people back and retrained, and that's going to be a cost.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

That's interesting. Tradespeople are leaving.

[Scott Andison]

That's correct.

[Rosemarie Falk, Conservative, Battlefords—Lloydminster—Meadow Lake, SK]

Is that just with the building of houses? Where are they going? What are they doing?