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1. Ontario takes important step towards rental affordability

   The Ford government today tabled its first fiscal update, giving Ontarians a glimpse of its direction in major areas of public policy. Of interest to Ontarians struggling to afford and/or attain rental housing, the update eliminated rent ...

2. Rather than help all renters, B.C. government picks a lucky few

   The Horgan government recently announced plans to spend $492 million on the provision of 4,900 subsidized rental units in British Columbia over the next two to three years. There’s a clear need for units with below-market rents, and this ...

3. Vancouver’s new government will face enormous pressure to grow the housing stock—quickly

   With a municipal election looming, here’s a statistic that crystalizes one of, if not the most, important issues of the campaign. Home prices in Vancouver have grown almost 70 per cent since the last municipal election in 2014. Add in ...

4. Rent control in B.C.—bad policy then, bad policy now

   There are very few points upon which nearly all economists agree. So when more than 90 per cent of academic economists agree on something, policymakers should take note. For example, the vast majority of economists agree that rent ...

5. More duplexes in Vancouver—one small step in the right direction

   Vancouver City Hall has certainly caught on to the fact that there’s plenty of room to grow in British Columbia’s biggest city. This week, at the city’s last council meeting before October’s municipal election, outgoing Mayor Gregor ...

6. Why a ‘renters rebate’ won’t help Metro Vancouverites

   In a recent interview, B.C. Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Selina Robinson reaffirmed the provincial government’s commitment to a “renters rebate” of $400 per renter household, annually. As appealing as this idea may sound to ...

7. If the B.C. government wants to help renters, it should care about homebuilding

   British Columbia Premier John Horgan recently appointed a Rental Housing Task Force to advise the government on how to “improve security and fairness for renters and landlords throughout the province.” It’s encouraging that the ...

8. Why secondary suites matter to Calgary

   After years of debate, Calgary City Council has finally made progress on streamlining approvals for secondary suites (units within existing houses, such as basement suites). Council recently passed a motion allowing city staff to approve ...

9. Trudeau government’s new housing benefit seems to ignore regional differences

   As part of its National Housing Strategy, the Trudeau government announced today that it will directly subsidize low-income households with an average of $2,500 annually for housing costs. Details are pending, but the logic is simple: if ...

10. Dear Montreal, don’t lose your housing advantage

    In 2016, average rents in Montreal were $835 a month compared to $1,242 in Toronto and just under $1,300 in Vancouver. ...