CHBA National

Meet the keynote speaker lineup for this year's #CHBAHomeBuildingWeek in Québec City! Hear from the Former Deputy PM and Premier of Québec, the Hon. @JeanCharest_, globally recognized innovation strategist Shawn Kanungo, and award-winning documentary filmmaker and philanthropist @MikeCDownie! Learn more about these incredible speakers and register for #CHBAHomeBuildingWeek: chba.ca/hbwc-speakers/

NEW: CHBA is pleased to see our direct recommendations to reduce development charges in today’s study released by the @SenateCA Committee on National Finance. Although focused on @BuildCanHomes, CHBA’s recommendations also addressed broader systemic issues like DCs and code inconsistency challenges. sencanada.ca/en/info-page/p… CHBA CEO Kevin Lee was invited to participate in the consultation back in November, and gave a holistic picture of how DCs have unsustainably risen over the past few decades, how they’ve impacted housing outcomes and affordability, and what is needed to find alternatives to DCs to fund housing-enabling infrastructure projects. The study also picked up on CHBA’s recommendations to work with the provinces, territories and municipalities to reduce regulatory and administrative barriers, including by improving coordination between municipal approval processes and regulatory frameworks to support industry productivity. Watch the full footage ⬇️ youtu.be/qoMDmW9IoPg?si…

From @RyanTumilty @TorontoStar: The federal government has introduced a bill to send $1.7 billion to provinces to spur more housing construction as sales and housing starts sputter in a turbulent economy. “Our recommendation [to other provinces] is to do exactly what Ontario is doing and remove the GST on all new homes for all buyers across the country,” said CHBA CEO Kevin Lee. “Cutting municipal development charges would also help considerably, but we're hopeful the province and the federal governments will continue working on that problem.” thestar.com/politics/feder… #cdnpoli

@globeandmail “Canada’s population declined by more than 100,000 people in 2025, marking the first annual decline in records that date back to the 1940s, as the federal government tries to rein in the number of temporary residents in the country.” theglobeandmail.com/business/artic… This change in population is roughly in line with what the current government had signaled in their heavily revised immigration targets. CHBA continues to push for changes to the immigration system to support the specifics of residential construction, incl. through a recent submission to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development (HUMA) and in an upcoming roundtable with @CitImmCanada as they consider changes to how immigrants are selected through federal immigration programs.

CHBA is encouraged to see the federal government recognize the need to support market-rate homeownership through the introduction of Bill C-26, which allocates $1.723B to provinces and territories to improve housing supply and affordability. 🏠 This follows yesterday's Gov. of Ontario announcement to remove HST on eligible new homes for one year, using the fed funds to remove the GST portion - delivering real savings for buyers. CHBA urges other provinces to follow suit and ensure funding results in direct, measurable cost reductions, ideally through tax relief. While this is a positive step, accountability is critical. With limited conditions attached, it’s essential that funding is used to meaningfully improve housing supply and affordability. Read CHBA's full release. chba.ca/2026/03/26/fed…

From @JOC_Canada: “Mayors from @FCM_online say delays in getting federal dollars to municipalities risk slowing construction projects, driving up costs and undermining efforts to address the housing shortage at a critical moment for the country.” canada.constructconnect.com/joc/news/gover… More housing cannot be built without the infrastructure required to service it. That’s why one of CHBA’s key federal recommendations is to maintain and increase housing-supportive infrastructure and transit investments and tie them to housing affordability and supply outcomes, incl. requirements to lower development taxes, increase density, and reduce parking minimums.

From @cdnpressnews @bnnbloomberg: “In February, the six-month trend in housing starts was essentially flat, indicating that the trend in new construction activity remains relatively steady despite ongoing monthly volatility,” said @CMHC_ca deputy chief economist Kevin Hughes. bnnbloomberg.ca/business/real-… In the first two months of the year, rental starts have far outweighed ownership starts, which has been predicted by the #CHBAHMI. CHBA continues to push urgency of how policy action now is needed to assist an ownership market recovery in 2027 at the absolute earliest. This is central to expanding the kind of housing Canadians want and need. Read CHBA’s full suite of recommendations for the federal government: affordability.ca/information/ho…

This is supported by Canadians by almost a 2 to 1 margin according to this poll conducted for @CHBANational

CHBA is pleased to see the Ontario announcement of removing the PST portion of the HST for all buyers of new homes. news.ontario.ca/en/release/100… In the announcement by the Ontario Premier, he stated that the federal government will do the same for GST. The federal government has not yet made its own announcement, but full GST relief for all buyers across the entire country is exactly what is needed right now. CHBA urges a formal announcement by the federal government, further to CHBA’s recommendations, to provide this much-needed relief to all Canadian home buyers. Read more about CHBA’s recommendations on GST relief at affordability.ca/information/gs…

From @Building_mag: “The Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA)’s inaugural CHBA Renovation Market Index (RMI) release indicates that renovators expect challenging market conditions in the first half of 2026. The RMI for the second half of 2025 reported an initial reading of 48.3 out of 100, representing a neutral score, with neutral overall current conditions weighed down by pessimistic future conditions.” building.ca/renovators-exp… The new #CHBARMI data allows CHBA to capture a more accurate view of the sector, and helps inform CHBA’s federal policy recommendations, including the recommendation to introduce a renovation tax credit for first-time home buyers to support their entry into homeownership and a proposed tax credit for energy efficiency retrofits to help meet the government’s climate change goals. Read more on the RMI: chba.ca/rmi/

Last Call: The homeowner journey doesn’t end at move-in, it’s just getting started. 🏠 CHBA members, join us for an webinar on how to elevate the post-completion experience and turn satisfied clients into long-term advocates. Featuring Tim Bailey, Director of Operations for Avid, @ECISolutions and CHBA's Natasha Rombough, this session will explore common post-handover challenges and share practical strategies to strengthen homeowner relationships, boost referrals, and drive repeat business. Don’t miss your chance to learn how top builders and renovators create lasting impressions and improve customer experience. Register: chba.ca/webinars

Housing is becoming a real test for government. • 17% say enough is being done • Only 21% see real progress • Just 14% are confident affordability will improve Canadians want solutions that lower costs and increase supply. 🆕 polling for @CHBANational abacusdata.ca/housing-remain…

From @robertbenzie @TorontoStar: Ontario’s Queen’s Park and Ottawa are working on a deal that would temporarily remove the 13% harmonized sales tax from most new homes for all buyers, not just first-time buyers. thestar.com/politics/provi… While Bill C-4 (the legislation containing the federal GST rebate for first-time homebuyers) has finally passed and received Royal Assent, CHBA continues to advocate for an extension of the policy for all buyers of new homes. This was a key ask during CHBA’s Day on the Hill last month when CHBA delegates from coast-to-coast spoke to politicians and policymakers about the importance of expanding the rebate. Read more: affordability.ca/information/gs…

NEW: Expectations for the future are also low. Just 23% think the federal government’s housing plans will improve affordability while 62% expect little impact. New poll for Canadian Home Builders' Association: abacusdata.ca/housing-remain…

"Canadians increasingly feel the housing system is failing them. Many see that the middle class is being squeezed out of homeownership and that the pathway to buying a home has become much harder than it was for previous generations. At the same time, there is a strong expectation that governments should be doing more to improve affordability and increase supply for them.” @DavidColetto @EddieShepp @abacusdataca We have solutions. Read CHBA’s recommendations to the federal government on how to help restore #homeownership #affordability: affordability.ca/information/ho… #cdnpoli

NEW: Our latest national poll with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association finds housing remains one of the biggest tests facing the federal government despite its polling lead. abacusdata.ca/housing-remain…

NEW ✨ Recent public opinion research conducted by @abacusdataca for CHBA shows that nearly half of Canadians support expanding the GST on new housing to all buyers to help improve homeownership #affordability. The poll also shows that Canadians back other measures to support market-rate housing, incl. reforming development charges (DCs). 52% say DCs on new housing are unreasonable, and 56% support spreading costs across the broader tax base. “With the federal government set to present an economic update in the spring, it is important that policymakers do not overlook the importance of having robust policies for homeownership,” said CHBA’s CEO Kevin Lee. “Our work with Abacus on public opinions regarding government action on homeownership clearly shows Canadians want and expect much more, and addressing the excessive taxation on housing is the place to start, especially right now with consumer confidence down and the cost of construction still on the rise.” Read the full release: chba.ca/2026/03/20/can… #cdnpoli @DavidColetto @EddieShepp

The time has come! The 2026 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence finalists have now been announced! 🏆 Congratulations to all the amazing nominees. ✨ Check out the full finalists list for the best in Canadian new homes, renovations, communities, and more at bit.ly/4uC5QtW ✨ Special thank you to all the judges for their hard work. And shoutout to all CHBA members who submitted 900 beautiful projects! The #CHBAHousingAwards winners will be announced on May 8, 2026 during CHBA's Home Building Week in Canada in Québec City at the Glitter and Groove Awards Bash presented by LG Electronics Canada. CHBA members, planning on attending #CHBAHomeBuildingWeek? Register here: chba.ca/homebuildingwe…

We’re proud to recognize @MNP_LLP as a valued member of the CHBA #AllianceNetwork. Through this partnership, MNP brings trusted insight and expertise to support builders and renovators across Canada. Learn more about MNP and the CHBA Alliance Network here: chba.ca/alliance-netwo…

The CHBA #AllianceNetwork is strengthened by partners like @OwensCorning, whose building solutions help advance quality, performance, and innovation in Canadian housing. Learn more about Owens Corning and the CHBA Alliance Network here: chba.ca/alliance-netwo…