Housing

Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser says the Liberal government will bring in unprecedented measures to help with the lack of affordable dwellings. Sean Fraser speaks to reporters during the Liberal Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Canada to take unprecedented measures for affordable housing: Fraser

Announcement expected this afternoon following a Liberal caucus meeting

Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser says the Liberal government will bring in unprecedented measures to help with the lack of affordable dwellings. Sean Fraser speaks to reporters during the Liberal Cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, Monday, Aug. 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
Residential construction as measured by new units created dropped in B.C. this July by 29 per cent. (Black Press Media file photo)

New figures show residential construction in B.C. down in July

‘Nothing is off the table’ when it comes to building more housing, says housing minister

Residential construction as measured by new units created dropped in B.C. this July by 29 per cent. (Black Press Media file photo)
NDP leader Jagmeet Singh speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Singh says it’s time for a fresh $500 housing benefit payment

NDP leader says federal government has done an abysmal job on making housing affordable

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh speaks during a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Tuesday, June 13, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Photo by Marcus Lenk on Upsplash.com

Canadians split on whether to blame provinces or feds for housing crisis: poll

Renters more likely to blame province, owners were inclined to blame the feds

Photo by Marcus Lenk on Upsplash.com
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters as cabinet members look on during the Liberal cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Cabinet ministers leave retreat without new plans to address housing crisis

Trudeau: ‘We recognize and Canadians know that there’s not one silver bullet’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters as cabinet members look on during the Liberal cabinet retreat in Charlottetown, P.E.I. on Wednesday, August 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese
A report by Re/Max Canada says the prices for detached houses in Toronto, Vancouver and B.C.’s Fraser Valley saw upward momentum in the first half of the year, but average prices fell short of those seen last year in most neighbourhoods. Houses are seen in a neighbourhood on the side of a mountain, in Maple Ridge, B.C., on Thursday, August 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Detached home prices down in Toronto, Vancouver and Fraser Valley: report

Close to 93 per cent of detached houses in Toronto and Vancouver posted a decline in values

A report by Re/Max Canada says the prices for detached houses in Toronto, Vancouver and B.C.’s Fraser Valley saw upward momentum in the first half of the year, but average prices fell short of those seen last year in most neighbourhoods. Houses are seen in a neighbourhood on the side of a mountain, in Maple Ridge, B.C., on Thursday, August 17, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Home prices in Canada continued to rise in July, according to the Teranet-National Bank composite index. A real estate sign is displayed in front of a house in the Riverdale area of Toronto on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler

Home prices post second-biggest monthly jump since 2006

Teranet-National Bank composite index for July was up 2.4% from June

Home prices in Canada continued to rise in July, according to the Teranet-National Bank composite index. A real estate sign is displayed in front of a house in the Riverdale area of Toronto on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Evan Buhler
Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, speaks during an announcement outside a rental housing building being developed by the University of British Columbia Properties Trust, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Canada’s social housing stock lagging behind peer countries

Federal government stopped investing in housing in the 1990s

Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, speaks during an announcement outside a rental housing building being developed by the University of British Columbia Properties Trust, in Vancouver, on Wednesday, August 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
New homes are constructed in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. From local zoning to community consultations, there are plenty of ways cities are hitting the brakes on residential construction, despite the country facing a significant housing shortage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

How the feds could push cities to build more homes — with a carrot or stick

From local zoning to community consultations, there are plenty of ways cities…

New homes are constructed in Ottawa on Monday, Aug. 14, 2023. From local zoning to community consultations, there are plenty of ways cities are hitting the brakes on residential construction, despite the country facing a significant housing shortage. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Housing Minister Sean Fraser says the federal government should never have got out of the housing business as even high-income professionals are struggling to find affordable housing. Fraser arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Housing minister says federal government should have stayed in housing game

Fraser says people shouldn’t have to pay more than 30 per cent of their income for a home

Housing Minister Sean Fraser says the federal government should never have got out of the housing business as even high-income professionals are struggling to find affordable housing. Fraser arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
People dance and gather at English Bay Beach during a heat wave, in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday, June 21, 2021. Advocates for renters in British Columbia say it’s time to consider setting a maximum temperature for rental housing, to protect already vulnerable tenants from increasingly rising heat. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

As B.C. temperatures soar, advocates call for rules to keep rental housing cool

Municipal bylaws mandate minimum rental unit temperatures not maximum

People dance and gather at English Bay Beach during a heat wave, in Vancouver, B.C., on Monday, June 21, 2021. Advocates for renters in British Columbia say it’s time to consider setting a maximum temperature for rental housing, to protect already vulnerable tenants from increasingly rising heat. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
For the federal Liberals, the growing discontent with the state of the housing market is becoming a political threat. A real estate sign is pictured in Vancouver on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward

Blamed for affordability crisis, Liberals look to pivot on housing

Experts say the housing crisis poses a great risk to the incumbent government

For the federal Liberals, the growing discontent with the state of the housing market is becoming a political threat. A real estate sign is pictured in Vancouver on Tuesday, June 12, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS Jonathan Hayward
Data from Rentals.ca and research firm Urbanation show, for the first time ever, average asking rents for purpose-built condominiums and apartments rose above $2,000. Metro Creative Graphics photo

Rent hit a new high in July as students prepped for school, buyers sidelined: report

July’s average asking rent in Canada hit $2,078, just shy of 9 per cent above same month last year

Data from Rentals.ca and research firm Urbanation show, for the first time ever, average asking rents for purpose-built condominiums and apartments rose above $2,000. Metro Creative Graphics photo
Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, here seen in Vancouver Thursday (Aug. 10) annoucing 170 mixed-use homes and 80 shelter beds for the Downtown Eastside, said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the federal support will help support the provincial housing agenda, but acknowledged that B.C. needs to play catch up. (Flickr/Government of BC)

Building B.C.: Housing minister promises ‘ambitious plan’ for the fall

Ravi Kahlon is ‘cautiously optimistic’ that Ottawa will support provincial efforts

Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon, here seen in Vancouver Thursday (Aug. 10) annoucing 170 mixed-use homes and 80 shelter beds for the Downtown Eastside, said he is “cautiously optimistic” that the federal support will help support the provincial housing agenda, but acknowledged that B.C. needs to play catch up. (Flickr/Government of BC)
The provincial government remains in consultations with the first 10 municipalities targeted for additional housing, but final figures are expected to be announced shortly. (Black Press Media file photo)
The provincial government remains in consultations with the first 10 municipalities targeted for additional housing, but final figures are expected to be announced shortly. (Black Press Media file photo)

Province plans to release B.C. major market housing targets shortly

Housing ministry staff working with first 10 municipalities targeted for additional housing: Kahlon

The provincial government remains in consultations with the first 10 municipalities targeted for additional housing, but final figures are expected to be announced shortly. (Black Press Media file photo)
The provincial government remains in consultations with the first 10 municipalities targeted for additional housing, but final figures are expected to be announced shortly. (Black Press Media file photo)
<div>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handing over the federal housing file to Sean Fraser, who was previously immigration minister. Fraser arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</div>

New housing minister says closing door on newcomers won’t solve housing crunch

‘The answer is, at least in part, to continue to build more stock’

<div>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is handing over the federal housing file to Sean Fraser, who was previously immigration minister. Fraser arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</div>
A new housing development is constructed in Toronto on May 15, 2023, THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Canada’s housing starts make largest month-to-month jump in a decade

CMHC says rate of new construction in Vancouver in June was up 71 per cent from May

A new housing development is constructed in Toronto on May 15, 2023, THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
People shop in a grocery store in Montreal, Wednesday, November 16, 2022. The picture of how the economy fared in May will become a little clearer with a pair of reports from Statistics Canada this week.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the coming week

Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world in the…

People shop in a grocery store in Montreal, Wednesday, November 16, 2022. The picture of how the economy fared in May will become a little clearer with a pair of reports from Statistics Canada this week.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
This week, the Bank of Canada hiked interest rates yet again, raising its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5 per cent, and the prime rate to 7.2 per cent. A woman walks past the Bank of Canada headquarters in Ottawa, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

By the numbers: What the latest interest rate hike means for your mortgage

Examining how 5% interest affects Canadian home owners from coast to coast

This week, the Bank of Canada hiked interest rates yet again, raising its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 5 per cent, and the prime rate to 7.2 per cent. A woman walks past the Bank of Canada headquarters in Ottawa, Wednesday, June 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
This rental in Saanich is 300 square feet, but is going for the cost of a full one-bedroom apartment. (Screenshot/Craigslist)

‘Glorified shed’ renting at the full one-bedroom rate irks B.C. applicant

Renters looking for some sanity as Victoria market lands on dubious list

This rental in Saanich is 300 square feet, but is going for the cost of a full one-bedroom apartment. (Screenshot/Craigslist)