A Big Step Forward with Ontario’s Housing Policy Shift, Local Permitting Still Needs to Catch UpLeadership, Not Just Infrastructure: What Waterloo Region’s Water Issue Is Really About
Ontario’s housing landscape just got a meaningful policy reset. With new HST relief for qualifying homes and a federal-provincial agreement aimed at reducing development charges, the province is finally taking some real steps to lower the cost of building and buying homes. For an industry that has spent years advocating that upfront taxes and charges […]
Leadership, Not Just Infrastructure: What Waterloo Region’s Water Issue Is Really About
Waterloo Region’s “Mannheim water capacity issue” is no longer just about pipes and treatment plants. It has become a test of governance and leadership. Well beyond 100 days, this development pause has put over a billion dollars in investment on hold, delayed housing supply, and destabilized trade and supply chains. The engineering work is underway; […]
The Cumulative Impact of the Mannheim Development Pause
At a recent Regional Sustainability, Infrastructure and Development Committee meeting, one thing became unmistakably clear: the Mannheim Service Area development pause is having a significant impact on not only the development sector, but sectors beyond. It is affecting tradespeople, suppliers, contractors, and the many local businesses that rely on a steady flow of projects to […]
Inclusionary Zoning Isn’t a Quick Fix for Affordable Housing
On December 15, the City of Kitchener adopted a new Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) bylaw that will require developers to include a percentage of affordable units in new housing built within Protected Major Transit Station Areas (PMTSA). Inclusionary Zoning is intended to increase the supply of affordable housing by mandating that a portion of units in […]
Why Ontario’s Development Charge Hikes Risk Stalling the Growth It Aims to Fund
The City of Waterloo is in the process of drafting a land use planning tool called the Community Permit Planning System (CPPS), an initiative that has a goal of streamlining the planning approvals process for development. The CPPS is proposed to apply to the Uptown Primary Node and Erb Street corridor and would combine Zoning By-law Amendments, Minor Variances and Site Plan applications into one single application and approval process.
In principle, Build Urban is supportive of CPPS as tools that are inherently focused on streamlining development processes in priority growth areas.
Let’s Get This Right: Streamlining the CPPS for Real Results
The City of Waterloo is in the process of drafting a land use planning tool called the Community Permit Planning System (CPPS), an initiative that has a goal of streamlining the planning approvals process for development. The CPPS is proposed to apply to the Uptown Primary Node and Erb Street corridor and would combine Zoning By-law Amendments, Minor Variances and Site Plan applications into one single application and approval process.
In principle, Build Urban is supportive of CPPS as tools that are inherently focused on streamlining development processes in priority growth areas.
Building Better: How the BCH Initiative Can Actually Deliver
The Build Canada Homes (BCH) initiative signals a renewed commitment by the federal government to tackle the housing crisis with full force. While still very early in the planning process, it’s encouraging to hear our leadership express a commitment to accelerate construction, remove barriers that slow down approvals and deliver homes Canadians can afford.
However, phrases like “get the government back into the business of building” can be a bit disconcerting.
Out of Reach: Why Canada’s GST Rebate Won’t Help Most Buyers
For many Canadians, finding a place to live has become a daily struggle. Families are searching for more space, seniors hope to downsize, and young professionals are trying to take their first step onto the housing ladder. In high-demand cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Kitchener-Waterloo, even modest new homes are often out of reach, leaving many people without meaningful options. Housing turnover is slow, and the dream of a home can feel further away every year.
The Case for a Development Charge Holiday
For most homebuyers, the cost of a new home is already staggering. What many don’t realize is that a significant portion of that price—tens of thousands of dollars—is tied up in development charges (DCs), a municipal fee meant to cover the cost of new infrastructure. While DCs are intended to ensure that growth pays for growth, in practice, they act as a hidden tax on new residents, pushing home prices even higher and discouraging developers from building much-needed housing.
Build Now: Unlocking Homeownership and Building Stronger Communities in Waterloo Region
For far too many families, young professionals, and middle-income earners in Waterloo Region, the dream of owning a home has felt like an impossible goal. Skyrocketing prices, limited housing supply, and a lack of “missing middle” options have left countless people priced out, forced to rent longer than they want, or even move away from the communities they love. The housing market’s challenges are not just numbers on a page; they are lived experiences—families struggling to find stability, young adults unable to gain independence, and communities missing out on the diversity and vibrancy that comes from having a broad spectrum of residents.