Senate Resuming Soon; CHBA pushing for GST relief to be finalized asap  

CHBA continues to apply pressure to have Bill C-4, the legislation containing the GST Rebate for First-Time Home Buyers, receive Royal Assent. The delay has been a major issue for industry and would-be homebuyers. The bill finally passed through the House of Commons right before Christmas and will now work its way through the legislative process in the Senate. Before final passage through the House of Commons, CHBA issued a press release aimed at getting the House to get the job done before rising for the break. CHBA has engaged with Senators expressing the urgency to get the bill passed and explaining how the delay has paralyzed the market, urging them to take a much faster approach than their MP counterparts. CHBA also continues to advocate for the expansion of GST relief to all buyers of new construction homes up to $1M and on a declining basis for homes up to $1.5M, and for renovations that add additional units of housing to existing homes.

CHBA Ramping Up for Day on the Hill  

CHBA’s annual Day on the Hill is just days away, and government and media engagement is already underway. CHBA’s key asks, including addressing the GST, development taxes, the stress test and more, will be brought to Ministers and other Members of Parliament as HBA leaders from across the country fan out for a vast array of meetings in the parliamentary precinct. In the lead-up, results will be released from a new Abacus Data research public opinion poll, commissioned by CHBA. The data highlights the urgent need for the federal government to return to a focus on support for homeownership, showing how disenchanted Canadians are with government’s actions and plans thus far for moving forward. These results will bolster CHBA’s asks for Day on the Hill and beyond, leading into the Spring Economic Statement. CHBA’s release of the Q4 Housing Market Index is also painting a dire picture, and received the usual solid media take-up to get the message out. Engagement with government officials leading into the Day on the Hill has also already begun, with meetings this week with the CEO of CMHC, the CEO of Build Canada Homes, and the office of the Minister for Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, to name a few. At the same time, CHBA media engagement is ramping up in advance – look to your social media feeds next week to help amplify the message. Make sure you’re following @CHBANational and #CHBAOnTheHill.

CHBA’s Q4 Housing Market Index Warns of Critical Low Point for Industry  

CHBA is presenting the latest CHBA Housing Market Index results to policymakers in key federal departments and with the Bank of Canada, as the HMI continued to raise red flags that signal even fewer future housing starts for homeownership ahead. With this, CHBA is warning not only of the current problematic conditions for industry and current starts, but of diminished long-term industry capacity if layoffs continue and strategic action is not taken to help the market rebound soon. The Q4 single-family index fell again, dropping 5.5 points to 19.6 (out of 100), marking the second consecutive record low and the first time the single-family HMI has fallen below a score of 20. The multi-family index also saw a second consecutive record low, with a score of 14.7, which is down 7.3 points from a year ago. “The Q4 Housing Market Index indicates that home selling conditions have reached a critical low point for future industry capacity, with 38 percent of members reporting layoffs. If changes aren’t made now, it will be much harder for the residential construction industry to ramp up in the future and build the homes that Canada needs to correct the housing supply deficit and improve housing affordability for the next generation,” said CHBA CEO Kevin Lee in the CHBA press release. 

New 2025 National Model Codes Now Available for Download   

The 2025 edition of the National Model Codes has officially been released and is now available for download at no cost. CHBA is advocating that the federal government pause all changes to the NBC (as Australia as done), and delay adoption of the 2025 code until it can be reviewed and select sections re-written with the goal of implementing changes to reduce costs and complexity. The new edition of the National Building Code (NBC) includes significant technical changes that will impact residential construction. CHBA Staff and members have spent thousands of hours over the last three years attempting to ensure these changes are constructible and cost- effective, and while successfully did so in some cases, many changes are still problematic. For an overview of the technical changes in Part 9 of the 2025 NBC, CHBA has prepared a brief summary for members including some potential issues but – in some cases – also positive aspects of the changes. To help members navigate code changes quickly and effectively, CHBA continues to publish Tech Essentials and Technical Backgrounders in the Member Knowledge Centre.

Get Ready for CHBA’s Home Building Week in Canada! MAY 4-8, 2026 | QUÉBEC CITY  
CHBA's Home Building Week in Canada is the residential construction industry event of the year! Connect with industry leaders from across the country during an intensive series of Association business meetings and networking events. Exchange information, hear from inspirational speakers and celebrate the best in housing from coast to coast. The full schedule, hotel block information, pricing, and more is now available here, and registration is opening soon! 

Adaptiv Home Renovation VIRTUAL Course    

FEBRUARY 24-25, 2026 | ONLINE
The Adaptiv Home Renovation Course provides knowledge and tools for professional renovators to better support Canadians who wish to live at home for as long as they can. The course includes an overview of the Adaptiv Home market, including specific design approaches and business opportunities. Renovators will learn about ramps and slopes, zero-step thresholds, curbless showers, accessibility equipment and home automation solutions. Don’t wait, this course sells out fast: register today! 

CHBA Renovation Webinar Series Wraps Up, Now Available On-Demand  

RENOVATING FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE: 10 RENOVATOR STORIES, OVER 1000 ATTENDEES  
January 14th saw the completion of the free five-part webinar series on Renovating for High Performance, brought to you by CHBA’s Towards Net Zero Renovations initiative and Building Knowledge Canada. This series dove into five key topics for renovating to high performance outcomes: “Airtightness and Air Barriers,” “Above Grade Walls,” “Heating and Cooling,” “Ventilations + Indoor Air Quality,“ and “Window Selection and Detailing.” Each webinar featured two CHBA Renovator Members and their projects, along with subject matter experts. All five webinars are available here and are a great asset for you and your teams to visit and revisit! 

CHBA Discussed “Buy Canadian” Policy with Housing Officials    

Although it will only affect federally-funded projects, CHBA has been engaging with officials at Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) on their plan to implement a “Buy Canadian” policy. This new federal procurement framework, launched in late 2025, is to strengthen domestic participation in federally funded projects, including residential construction the government supports. HICC is conducting analysis to determine the feasibility of sourcing more construction materials within Canada. CHBA reiterated that the administrative burden on small businesses to try to implement such a policy in the home building industry, even just for federally-funded projects, would be incredibly challenging, especially since builders, developers, and trades don’t import products and materials themselves, instead relying on a dynamic supply network.