The federal Liberals have unveiled their plan to solve the housing crisis, building on recent announcements with new tax incentives, more than a billion dollars for homelessness and a country-wide effort to build more housing on public lands. “Today we are releasing the most comprehensive and ambitious housing plan ever seen in Canada,” Prime Minister … Read more
Canada will need to build roughly 1.3 million more new homes than are currently projected to eliminate the gap between housing supply and demand, according to a new report by the Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO). The figure translates into about 181,000 additional units completed on average each year until 2030, to result in a total … Read more
As the federal government proposes tying on-time rent payments to credit scores as part of efforts aimed at helping renters break into the housing market, some advocates are cautioning that with high home prices and climbing rent, the measures are only one piece of the puzzle. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland … Read more
Mayors are community builders, not gatekeepers, Canada’s municipal governments said Monday as their spokesman pushed back against language Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre often uses to attack city leaders. Scott Pearce, president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, was speaking at a news conference in Ottawa ahead of the spring budget to call on the federal … Read more
The smell of rotten, boiled eggs stands out in Kateryna’s memory of her six months living at a refugee camp in Berlin. “When you peel them, the smell is horrible,” she said. “The yolk is black.” She has a collection of photos and videos of inedible food on her phone that she says was served … Read more
It’s no secret that Canada is facing a major housing shortage. But could the sheer amount of space used for parking vehicles be part of the problem? A recent Re/Max report looking at participation in the housing market said the “vast majority” of lower-priced properties in the Greater Toronto Area are parking spaces, and that … Read more
Descrease article font size Increase article font size The federal government will top up the Canada Housing Benefit, which provides rent support to some Canadians, by $99 million, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland says. Freeland announced the top up at a news conference in Ottawa on Tuesday. “Housing is a central challenge in Canada right … Read more
The federal government is giving post-secondary institutions access to cheaper loans to try to spur the construction of student housing and relieve pressure on the rental market in college and university towns. “Canada needs more student housing and we’re going to help build it,” said Housing Minister Sean Fraser at a news conference in Ottawa … Read more
Faced with scrutiny over issues of housing and affordability, the federal government resorted to a measure it once said would be a last resort. On Monday, Ottawa announced a cap on the number of international students coming into the country. The government’s line was clear. Many communities in the country were taking in temporary residents … Read more
On a cool Thursday afternoon in Ottawa, veteran police officer Sgt. Avery Flanagan approaches a man hunched over in a downtown parking lot. He has crushed opioids in one hand and a needle in the other. Flanagan tells the man, who appears to be in his 20s, he can’t use drugs on private property. “Have … Read more
