Jason Kirby, Matt Lundy, and Mark Rendell discuss the reasons behind soaring housing prices in Canada, construction challenges, declining productivity, inflation's impact on building supplies, and the demographic shift with seniors selling homes affecting future housing projections.
Long approval processes and construction delays significantly contribute to the housing crisis in Canada.
Supply chain disruptions and inflated building supply costs are driving up housing prices across the country.
Deep dives
Housing Affordability Crisis in Canada
Housing affordability has worsened in Canada with ownership costs being the highest ever, consuming a significant portion of average Canadian incomes. In cities like Toronto and Vancouver, home ownership costs can exceed 80% and 100% of median household incomes, respectively. This disparity between income and housing costs has led to a challenging situation for many Canadians, highlighting the severity of the housing affordability crisis.
Challenges in Getting Houses Built
One major issue contributing to the housing crisis is the difficulty in getting houses built, involving lengthy approval processes and construction delays. In Toronto, for instance, the approval time for projects has doubled from 16 months in 2016 to 32 months. These delays not only add significant costs to projects but also expose developers to various risks, further exacerbating the affordability challenge for potential buyers.
Supply Chain Issues and Rising Building Supply Costs
The surge in housing prices is also attributed to supply chain disruptions leading to inflated building supply costs in Toronto and nationally. Prices for essential building materials like lumber, concrete, and steel have skyrocketed, impacting construction costs. These price escalations, coupled with increased demand post-pandemic and delayed construction timelines, have created additional challenges for developers and prospective buyers, contributing to the ongoing housing affordability crisis.
Buying and owning a home in Canada is an endless source of frustration. Many have been priced out, while competition is high as a lack of housing stock runs up against a rapidly growing population. While more homes are needed to alleviate the stress, getting shovels into the ground isn’t as simple as it sounds.
The Globe’s Jason Kirby, Matt Lundy and Mark Rendell recently broke down the reasons behind why most Canadians can’t afford a home right now. Jason Kirby is on the show to explain the not-so-obvious reasons why housing affordability and opportunity is at an all-time low – and whether we’ll be stuck in this expensive loop for generations to come.