愛污传媒

Skip to main content

Housing: Millions more homes need to be built to reach affordability, CMHC says

Share

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) says 3.5 million more homes need to be built by 2030 to reach affordability.

explaining the need for a different approach to the housing supply shortage at a time of rising demand and affordability concerns.

鈥淚ncreasing supply will be difficult. Critically, increasing supply takes time because the time to construct is significant, but so is the time to progress through government approval processes,鈥 the report reads. 鈥淭his delay means that we must act today to achieve affordability by 2030.鈥

If current rates of new construction continue, CMHC said the country's housing stock is expected to increase by 2.3 million units by 2030, reaching close to 19 million units total. But in order to achieve affordability for all Canadians, the agency said an additional 3.5 million homes are needed.

Softening housing market conditions and a labour shortage in the construction sector could get in the way of bringing Canada's housing stock to more than 22 million by 2030, however.

鈥淭here are supply issues, labour shortages at the moment and the cost of financing is going up, so clearly there are short-term challenges,鈥 said CMHC deputy chief economist Aled ab Iorwerth during a conference call.

BMO economist Robert Kavcic says it will be tough to achieve what the CMHC wants to achieve.

鈥淭he jobless rate in construction is near a record low; vacancies are at a record high, we have a deep shortage of skilled trades, and the cost of building materials is already rising quickly,鈥 he said. 鈥淪o, unless the economy really rolls over and is in need of stimulus, effectively doubling the rate of new construction over the next decade will be extremely difficult without significant inflationary pressure.鈥

There were 81,500 construction job vacancies in the first quarter of 2022, more than double the number observed in the first quarter two years ago. Meanwhile, home sales dropped nearly 22 per cent in May compared with last year, and almost nine per cent between April and May, as the average, non-seasonally adjusted price of a home slipped almost five per cent to $711,000 during that period.

The CMHC says achieving housing affordability for everyone in Canada will require developers to become more productive and make full use of land holdings to build more units.

The housing agency also says governments need to make regulatory systems more efficient so projects are approved faster.

TheCMHC notes that two-thirds of thesupply gap is found in Ontario and British Columbia, two markets that have faced major declines in affordability.

Around 2003 and 2004, an average household would have had to devote close to 40 per cent of their income to buy an average house in Ontario, and close to 45 per cent in British Columbia. As of 2021, that number is close to 60 per cent.

The report says additional supply would also be required in Quebec, as affordability in the province has declined over the last few years.

RBC's latest housing affordability report released Thursday reveals that the situation is the worst its been since the early 1990s, and will worsen before it gets better.

RBC's aggregate affordability measure for Canada went up 3.7 percentage points to 54 per cent in the first quarter of 2022, as home ownership costs rose across the country.

鈥淭he Bank of Canada's 'forceful' interest rate hiking campaign will further inflate ownership costs in the near term, putting RBC's national affordability measure on a path to worst-ever levels,鈥 RBC senior economist Robert Hogue said in the report. 鈥淗owever, we see the burgeoning price correction eventually bringing some relief to buyers.鈥

RBC believes property values will fall more than 10 per cent in the coming year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2022.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

A memorial is growing outside a Walmart in Halifax after a 19-year-old employee was found dead inside an oven in the store Saturday night.

A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

A new report suggests that Canadians' exposure to a radioactive gas is increasing, putting millions of people at a higher risk of developing lung cancer.

Local Spotlight

He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

Stay Connected