Federal Government Announces First Agreement with Provinces on Reducing Development Charges

The development charge burden has been a top issue in CHBA advocacy and that of our provincial and local HBAs, so it is excellent news that Prime Minister Mark Carney, along with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, announced a new plan to support municipal development charge reductions. Similar agreements under the Build Communities Strong Fund are in the works to follow with other provinces. With Ontario, the federal government will cost-match a total of $8.8 billion over 10 years, focused on housing-enabling infrastructure projects. The funding will support the reduction of municipal development charges by up to 50%. These reductions will be in place for three years and target municipalities covering 80% of the province’s population. This new infrastructure funding will offset much of the financial impact of development charge reductions on municipalities. This announcement comes following years of advocacy by CHBA and HBAs across the country to highlight the negative impact that skyrocketing development taxes have had on housing affordability and supply. Reducing development charges has been a key CHBA recommendation to the federal government as well as a key activity of CHBA’s Urban Council. It was also a primary emphasis during CHBA’s Day on the Hill earlier this year where delegates spoke to the Abacus Data poll, commissioned by CHBA, that found 51% of Canadians believe development taxes place too much of the cost of new infrastructure on new home buyers. CHBA looks forward to the federal government signing similar deals with the other provinces to fund housing-supportive infrastructure and lower DCs where they have grown excessively.

Federal Funding of $1.7B for Provinces to Help with Housing Supply and Affordability 

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne tabled new housing legislation that proposes providing an additional $1.7 billion in funding to provinces and territories to put forward measures that support housing supply and affordability for homeownership in their regions. The federal announcement comes one day following the Government of Ontario’s announcement to completely remove the HST for buyers on eligible purchases of new homes for one year, using its allocation of federal funding to offset the federal GST portion. While this funding partially addresses CHBA’s ask for expanding GST relief to all buyers (as will be the case in Ontario), CHBA encourages other provinces to follow suit by ensuring their funding allocations deliver direct, measurable cost reductions for buyers of new homes, ideally through tax reduction. CHBA also emphasizes that strong accountability measures will be critical to ensure these funds are used effectively. Note that details for this new Bill C-26 were very limited—CHBA will provide more commentary as more details become available. Please see CHBA’s press release for more information.

Bill C-4 – GST Relief for First-time Home Buyers – Finally Passes   

After almost a year since the Prime Minister announced the government’s intention to remove the GST on new homes under $1 million and lower it on homes between $1 million and $1.5 million for first-time buyers, Bill C-4 (the bill containing the legislation) has finally received Royal Assent. The delay in getting this bill through the many legislative stages and political filibustering has been extremely difficult for industry and for would-be buyers. While the intent of this measure was to increase housing supply, the impact of not getting this through parliament has been the exact opposite. At every stage and at every opportunity, CHBA has been pressuring the government to pass C-4 in order to allow would-be buyers to move off the sidelines and take advantage of the proposed tax rebate, as well as including the urgency to pass bill C-4 in press releases and media engagement. At the same time, CHBA has also been advocating for an extension of GST relief, which has come through partially in Bill C-26 (see above). The Canada Revenue Agency forms needed to access the rebate have now been updated by CRA and are available here, with information about the first-time home buyers’ (FTHB) GST/HST rebate this page. CRA will be hosting a builder-focused webinar to provide more information. CHBA will share the details on its GST Relief Industry Issues page once they become available.

Finalists Announced for the 2026 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence  

On March 19, CHBA announced the finalists for the 2026 CHBA National Awards for Housing Excellence, Canada’s premiere competition for new homes, home renovations, community development, and residential marketing. It was another highly competitive year, with 900 entries submitted to 49 categories, including production and custom homes, renovations, new and growing communities, and Net Zero projects. This year a new Adaptiv Home Award was added that recognizes home design fundamentals taught in CHBA’s Adaptiv Home Renovation Course, and that demonstrate excellence in accessibility and adaptability for changing needs. The competition would not be possible without the ~200 CHBA members from across Canada to volunteered to judge, giving their time and expertise to a very challenging task of selecting the country’s best projects. See who was named a finalist here, and view the entry image gallery here. Winners will be presented on May 8 in Québec City at the Glitter and Groove Awards Bash presented by LG Electronics Canada, the capstone event of CHBA's Home Building Week in Canada.

Inaugural CHBA Renovation Market Index Indicates Renovators Expect Challenges Ahead   

Building on the success and credibility of CHBA’s Housing Market Index (HMI), CHBA has launched a new Renovation Market Index (RMI) to collect data about the renovation industry to further bolster its advocacy for renovator and trade contractor members. Over 200 members responded to the inaugural RMI survey, which assesses current renovation activity, expectations for renovation activity over the next six months, in addition to some separate topical questions. The inaugural reading was 48.3, which reflects neutral renovator sentiment. Overall, current conditions were rated as generally neutral, but they were weighed down by markedly pessimistic future conditions (which averaged 35.2 out of 100). Regional breakdowns show stronger sentiment in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada, versus poorer scores in Ontario and British Columbia. This finding is also reflected in the HMI, which suggests the health of both the renovation and new housing markets are tied to affordability conditions, which are currently worse in Ontario and BC. If you’re a renovator interested in being part of the RMI panel of respondents, please email us.

CHBA Re-Emphasizes Sector’s Needs to CMHC  

CHBA CEO Kevin Lee was invited to present to CMHC’s Board of Directors to inform the Board’s understanding of the current operating environment of the residential construction sector and to help guide CMHC’s focus as it places increased emphasis on the market housing dimensions of its mandate. Lee’s comprehensive overview of the sector’s priorities and member concerns including sales and development taxes, the sector’s economic and data needs, issues surrounding the stress test on insured mortgages, insights on housing starts, and the need for proper construction financing for modular homes. The presentation was of great value to the Board of Directors as it shifts its focus away from social housing (which is moving under Build Canada Homes).

Insurance 101 for Renovators  

MEMBER WEBINAR | APRIL 8 @ 1:00 PM ET     
Join us for a practical, renovation-focused Insurance 101 session designed exclusively for CHBA Renovators and Trade Contractors. Led by Alex Hawkins of Federated Insurance, this webinar breaks down the core coverages renovators rely on, along with the common risks that drive actual claims. Learn how Federated can provide insurance that follows RenoMark’s $2M liability requirement, strengthen your protection, and take advantage of the exclusive 10% member discount available to RenoMark members. Register here. 

CHBA Women in Construction Week Makes a Splash  

From March 1-7, leading into International Women's Day, CHBA ran a successful Women in Construction Week awareness campaign that enhanced CHBA's year-round promotion of the many women leading by example in the residential construction sector. Throughout the week CHBA shared videos, blogs/articles, social media, and more featuring the experiences and advice of members of CHBA's Women in Residential Construction Council. The campaign garnered over 100,000 views and drove significant engagement and dialogue. CHBA members, HBAs, and Alliance Network members from coast-to-coast also joined in sharing their activities to support women in the sector. More details about how the Association at all levels is helping strengthen women's representation in industry is available on CHBA's website.