In the keynote address at the West End Home Builders’ Association industry luncheon last week, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark (pictured) discussed the province’s housing supply shortage and some of the steps his government is taking to address the issue. Photo credit: WE HBA
Following a brief hiatus, the West End Home Builders’ Association (West End HBA) successfully hosted its first in-person industry luncheon in two years last Thursday, March 3.
More than 320 representatives from the local Hamilton-Halton area homebuilding and construction industries attended the event.
The afternoon’s keynote speaker was Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Steve Clark.
In his remarks to attendees, Minister Clark discussed the current state of housing in the province and what the Ford government is doing to fix what he called a “crisis”.
“It’s no secret that Ontario has a housing crisis, driven by a severe shortage of supply,” Clark told the audience at Carmen’s Banquet Centre. “That’s why our government introduced ‘More Homes, More Choice: Ontario’s Housing Supply Action Plan’ to address Ontario’s housing crisis and to help build more affordable homes in our province.”
Introduced in May 2019, the government’s Housing Supply Action Plan aims to cut red tape and expediate the homebuilding process through sensible legislative, regulatory, and policy changes across multiple ministries.
In its first two full years of implementation, despite the pandemic, the Ford government’s plan to address the supply shortage helped facilitate annual build rates not seen in over three decades, with over 181,000 new housing starts in 2020 and 2021.
“We know Ontario is the best place to live, start a business, and raise a family. But we can only build on our progress if all hardworking Ontarians are able to find a home they can afford,” said Clark. “Once the ink was dry on More Homes, More Choice, I was hard at work planning for our second housing supply action plan because we know there is no silver bullet to the housing crisis.”
As part of the Ontario government’s ongoing consultation with industry, municipalities, and the public to identify and implement real solutions to address the housing supply crisis, the province recently published its report from the ‘Housing Affordability Task Force’, something Minister Clark discussed in his address.
“As we anticipated, we’ve heard a lot of bold ideas in our three-part consultation, which includes the task force’s report,” said Clark.
“We’ve heard the need to: encourage more family-sized homes and depoliticize the planning process; take an all-of-government approach to make better use of surplus public lands; streamline bureaucratic processes that prevent housing from being built at the pace and price that Ontarians need; address speculation; and make it easier and less expensive to build housing, including affordable housing, where it makes sense to build.”
“Throughout these consultations,” concluded Clark, “we’ve heard a common theme.”
“We need to make it easier and less expensive to build all types of housing faster, so that hardworking Ontarians can find a home that meets their needs and budget.”
In order to help drive up supply and stabilize residential prices, over the next 10 years the provincial government wants to help industry partners build 1.5 million new homes.
Speaking to the audience assembled, president of the WE HBA Bianca Bruzzese also discussed the housing crisis and said that the association must do its part to help the government achieve its decade-long goal.
“We, as an association, want to collaborate with all stakeholders and all levels of government to provide attainable housing options for home buyers today and for generations to come,” said Bruzzese. “We need to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. So, let’s work together to get it done.”
In addition to messages from Minister Clark and President Bruzzese, last Thursday’s event saw Diane Murray become the association’s first-ever woman inducted into the WE HBA Hall of Fame.
Formerly a strategic accounts manager with Union Gas, Murray served for several years on the executive board at the Ontario Home Builders’ Association as secretary and treasurer. She is the past recipient of multiple association awards, including the Paul Wright Memorial Award, the WE HBA Distinguished Service Award and two Presidential Awards.
Currently celebrating its 80th year as an organization, the WE HBA is the voice of land development, new housing, and professional renovation in Hamilton and Halton Region.
