CHBA Meets with Federal Minister of Housing     

CHBA CEO Kevin Lee met with the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, to participate in a virtual roundtable with key leaders in the housing sector on the potential impact of U.S. tariffs and retaliatory measures on Canada’s housing system. Discussion also centred around how the federal government can best support the sector to continue advancing the country’s housing goals. Lee spoke to areas of concern for CHBA members and reiterated the need for the federal government to make the housing crisis a top priority in negotiations. Lee also recapped CHBA’s ask that the federal government exclude construction materials from any retaliatory tariffs imposed on the United States, remove GST on housing, and address municipal development taxes to help offset any potential capture in retaliatory measures. 

CHBA Webinar on Tariffs   

CHBA has been heavily engaged on the matter of potential tariffs, as well as the impact of already imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum. This includes meeting with other leaders in the housing sector, like the Minister for Housing (as detailed above), and meeting with senior staff to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to provide an overview of how potential tariffs could impact home construction in Canada. CHBA held a webinar about the potential impacts of tariffs on the home construction sector that had nearly 2000 registrants, which speaks to the level of interest and concern amongst members. To watch the recording of the webinar, please visit CHBA’s webinar page, which also includes the slide deck and an FAQ coming out of the webinar. 

Multi-family Builder Sentiment Reaches New Low 

In late January, CHBA released the results of its final Housing Market Index (HMI) survey of 2024, which summarizes sales conditions builders are experiencing across the country. The index score is between 0 and 100, where a score of 50 would represent an equal proportion of builders reporting good and bad conditions. The single-family HMI fell for a third straight quarter, to 25.1—close to its low recorded in Q4 2022, while the multi-family HMI fell considerably to its record low of 22.0. These results, which can be read here, were used as part of the basis of discussions with policymakers within several ministries, often regarding the early industry concerns about tariffs. CHBA will be sending the first survey of 2025 to builders in early March. If you are a builder member not yet participating, please add your voice to the HMI – it only takes 10 minutes per quarter. Please email hmi@chba.ca.

Registration Now Open for Home Building Week 2025  

MAY 11-15, 2025 | VICTORIA, BC
Get ready for CHBA’s Home Building Week in Canada, taking place from May 11-15 in the beautiful city of Victoria, BC! Registration is now open for this premier national home building event, where you can connect with industry leaders from across the country. Participate in an intensive series of Association business meetings, celebrate excellence in home building and renovation with engaging speakers, and enjoy social events, including the Housing Night: Sumo Edition and a re-envisioned Glitter & Groove Awards Bash. More information on registration, hotel accommodations, and the schedule are available on the CHBA website. Register and book your hotel room today! 

Join the RenoMark Program Today!      
The RenoMark program connects homeowners with professional renovators and contractors committed to quality workmanship and customer satisfaction. The RenoMark symbol recognizes trusted members of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association who abide by a strict Code of Conduct for renovations. It is easy to join! The new verification system is an online tool that makes it simple for renovators and trade contractors to register for the RenoMark program and provide the documentation required in the Code of Conduct. Once the verification process is complete, members will be recognized on the RenoMark website and receive immediate access to a full suite of marketing materials to promote their new designation. 

Hail and Basement Flooding Resilience Surveys      
SURVEY DEADLINE: MARCH 17
CHBA and the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR)’s Resilient Homes Task Force (RHTF) is focused on developing practical, evidence-based solutions to make homes more resilient to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather. As part of this effort, the RHTF is conducting surveys to gather feedback and insights on strategies for protecting homes from high wind, hail, basement flooding, and wildfire. Interested builders and renovators who wish to integrate hail and basement flooding resilience into their next projects are being invited to complete the current surveys below. The purpose of the survey is to understand which resilience measures are effective for homes, whether builders already routinely apply some resilience measures, and if there are alternative measures that are also effective. For those who build/renovate homes in regions prone to experiencing hail, click here. Those who build/renovate homes in regions prone to experiencing basement flooding, click here.