Finance committee  Our members have reported that when these came in, they picked up work immediately in terms of activity, the consumers' interest. We have renovators in my own area in Vancouver who are booking almost six months to a year in advance, even today. They tell me that the home renova

Finance committee  I think there's no question it's increased economic activity. It's created jobs. It's definitely shown consumer confidence in renovating their homes. I think it's done a lot of good for the industry and for consumers.

Finance committee  If you look at the renovation activity over the last year, it has remained flat after ten years of solid growth. When you compare it to the new housing side of the industry, which had double-digit drops in starts in some cases, I think it obviously has kept the industry stronger

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Let me introduce John Kenward, chief operating officer of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. I'm Gary Friend, CHBA's national president, and I've been building homes in the Surrey area of British Columbia for 25 years. The Canadian Home Builders'

Finance committee  With respect to the mortgage qualification in Canada, we are far more strict in other areas, which is why we have a sound market. People must qualify for their homes. When you look at the GST rebates available, in a suburb of Vancouver and Abbotsford, 97% of the homes don't qua

Finance committee  Thank you for your comments. The harmonization in both Ontario and B.C. will substantially add to the cost of a new home. Currently it's estimated, depending on the jurisdiction, that the embedded sales tax they pay is about 2%. In Ontario, at 8%, it would be an additional 6% fo

Finance committee  With indexation of the GST, there would be a savings to the homeowners.

Finance committee  We're seeking revenue neutrality for the homebuyer and the consumer.

Finance committee  I mentioned in my remarks that in Atlantic Canada the underground economy seemed to flourish after the harmonized sales tax came in. With the home renovation tax credit, a lot of work is coming to our taxpaying contractors, the above-board contractors with storefront businesses,

Finance committee  I would assume it is much like the harmonized tax being proposed in Ontario and British Columbia. The only challenge is that you're adding tax to that system, and without a rebate system it's hard to track. I would refer to Mr. Kenward to give you some more information on that.

Finance committee  In 2009, we estimated that if the GST was indexed from the beginning it would save the consumers in Canada $300 million.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for inviting us to be here today. My name is Gary Friend, and I'm president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. Let me begin by introducing John Kenward, chief operating officer of the Canadian Home Builders' Association. I'm a new home builde