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1. When explaining home prices, the fundamentals matter

   This year has been revelatory for Canadian housing markets. After years of rapid home-price growth emanating from key metro areas—notably Toronto and Vancouver—average prices have either dropped or stabilized, revealing important lessons ...

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. The most tangible threats to cities are manmade

   Although best known to Canadians as Halloween, October 31 is also World Cities Day —a time to think a bit, between the candy and costumes, about why cities are important and some key challenges they face. Canada is an urban country, with ...

4. City size doesn’t determine spending habits in Metro Vancouver

   “Economies of scale” is a well-known economic concept. Basically it’s the idea that the “per unit” cost of providing something goes down as more of it is produced—think one big factory producing car tires or beer bottles at a lower cost ...

5. Developer fees rising in Metro Vancouver

   A recent Fraser Institute study compared 17 of Metro Vancouver’s 21 municipalities on spending, revenue and debt from 2007 to 2016, underscoring the changing makeup of municipal revenues in the region. As shown in the chart below, ...

6. Even homeowners want lower home prices—it’s time for governments to act

   Survey says large majorities of homeowners in Metro Vancouver and the Greater Toronto Area want housing prices to stop rising. ...

7. Vancouver—where dynamic people and stagnant governments collide

   It’s fair to say that Vancouver considers itself a dynamic place. Provincial and local governments alike tout the Lower Mainland as a great place to live, visit and do business—with a rising tech hub, where new ideas flourish. But, while ...

8. 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 ...

9. B.C. throne speech—government vows action on high house prices, but ignores their cause

   The British Columbia government dedicated a significant portion of its recent throne speech to “solutions for housing.” In particular, the speech focused on the “threat” posed by “speculators” and the need to spend more on social housing ...

10. Canadians can access much bigger mortgages today compared to 15 years ago

    Amid speculation about what the Bank of Canada’s recent interest rate increase could mean for homebuyers, it’s important to remember the bigger picture—rates are historically low. Thanks to falling interest rates and growing incomes, ...