Human Resources committee  Housing starts tend to be, as I mentioned, between 200,000 and 250,000 units. I don't have the most recent number off the top of my head, but it's still above 200,000 units. We feel that housing starts are still holding up, despite the very challenging environment. They have come

Human Resources committee  Actually, I don't have that number on me. I can provide that to you after the fact, if that's okay.

Human Resources committee  I'm a risk manager by profession, so this is something I think about every day at CMHC. We're very aware of the fact that we have to run our business with due regard for loss. We conduct stress testing on a regular basis to make sure that there is no loss that has to be borne b

Human Resources committee  We are actually doing a study on this, because it could have an impact on the costing for the projects that we finance. Unfortunately, this work is still in progress. We should have some results of our assessment by the end of the year.

Human Resources committee  I appreciate that feedback from Mr. Chambers. That's the kind of feedback that's very valuable for us, so we'll take that.... I don't know about the specific project he's referring to, but it's very valuable to have this information so that we can continue to improve our programs

Human Resources committee  I can, with respect to the building code, yes.

Human Resources committee  B.C. has indicated support, and so has the Province of Newfoundland. There's been some indication of support from Ontario, but I have not seen any definitive decisions on that. We anticipate to hear back from the other provinces as time passes. From CMHC's perspective, there hav

Human Resources committee  I'm not sure if there's a second tier. The same criteria are being used for all municipalities. I think for larger municipalities there is a higher standard that has to be met, given the complexity of the housing. I think they need seven reforms instead of five. In terms of the

Human Resources committee  Yes, absolutely.

Human Resources committee  If you require more detailed information about the assessment criteria, I would be very happy to provide it. I think it's available on our website at a very high level, but if you have any specific questions, I'm very happy to provide the information.

Human Resources committee  Yes. We have a continuous improvement process in terms of having better communication lines with the proponents, setting expectations in advance, reducing the number of documents that are required and being very clear about the other funders who need to be part of the equation.

Human Resources committee  Unfortunately, our market share has not been increasing that rapidly, so that's not the source of the increase. The biggest source of increase has been that CMHC has been making a concerted effort to provide more insurance for purpose-built rental housing. We've seen a pullback

Human Resources committee  I'd like to point out that the CMHC is an independent arm's-length Crown corporation. I actually report to a board of directors and a board chair on a regular basis. We meet with the board eight times a year. We provide regular snapshots of the state of the mortgage market, inc

Human Resources committee  We actually have a team that provides an analysis of the housing market, so we provide briefings to the minister through Infrastructure Canada on a regular basis, if that's the question you're asking.

Human Resources committee  We believe that in order for people not to be in core housing need, they should not be spending more than 30% of household income.