Housing
Building the Canada We Need: Good Homes, Built to Last
Housing for now, and for our kids
Housing for now, and for our kids.
As local councillors and mayors, we’re on the front-lines of three converging storms: housing that’s unaffordable, a climate that’s increasingly unsafe — and now, energy spikes fueled by war.
We see everyday that true affordability isn’t just the mortgage; it’s the ability to pay the bills every month.
It’s whether that house can keep you safe from extreme weather, be affordable to heat and cool, and provide long-term value and benefit… to families, but also to our communities and our country.
The Build Canada Homes initiative rightly recognises the urgent need for increased non-market housing; investing billions in affordable and necessary infrastructure. But it’s missing the minimum standards that will make this housing good to live in — not just for now, but for your kids and their kids too.
Good for decades to come: sustainable housing and clean energy neighbourhoods:
Government programs should be setting the standard, not funding a race to the bottom. Government should lead by example by aiming for the highest standards of the National Building Code, and make sure all federally-built homes reduce pollution, not add more, by adhering to a climate mandate.
Prioritize long-term safety by requiring climate risk assessments. Without mitigations, building in flood zones or wildfire corridors puts residents at risk and creates liabilities for insurers and taxpayers.
Support families and our economy with a national deep retrofit strategy, including specific programs for low-income households and apartment buildings. Build on successful local and provincial programs with a national heat pump deployment program.
Make clean energy part of housing developments, by promoting rooftop solar and geothermal energy, and regulating the phase out of natural gas for home heating. With local ownership, this can support the community in multiple ways.
Benefits for Everyone
- Our own best customer. There are estimated to be up to 1.5 million direct jobs in the green building sector — let’s build skilled jobs, cut pollution and make housing better, all at once.
- Affordability built in. Reducing emissions by improving energy efficiency translates into lower energy bills. Reducing damages from extreme weather translates into lower insurance bills.
- Keeping cool and safe. Summers are hotter and we’ve already seen tragedy with buildings that aren’t built to keep people cool. Heat pumps can provide efficient heating and cooling in a single unit.
- Global know-how. As energy markets become unstable, more and more countries are turning to renewable energy to support their sovereignty and economic stability. Canada can’t lag behind.
- Long-term benefits. Buildings generate 12% of Canada’s overall emissions – and gas exhaust contributes to air pollution that makes people sick.