Ottawa Home Builders Welcome Provincial Budget that Supports Local Housing Affordability and Supply

OTTAWA – Today, the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) welcomed the 2023 Ontario budget. Entitled Building a Strong Ontario, the budget lays out important measures that support housing affordability, supply, and choice in Ottawa and across the province.

 

“This budget makes further investments in skilled trades and critical infrastructure, which is needed to achieve the province’s goal of 1.5 million new homes over the next ten years,” noted Patrick Daniels of Glenview Homes and GOHBA President. “These investments ensure that the province’s fiscal policy supports it’s housing policy.”

 

The Budget includes $224 million in 2023–24 for a new capital stream of the Skills Development Fund to provide more accessible, flexible training opportunities for workers, as well as an additional $25 million for the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program with over three years to attract more skilled tradespeople.

 

“We need more skilled tradespeople if we’re going to fulfill the City of Ottawa’s housing pledge of 151,000 new homes over the next decade,” said Jason Burggraaf, GOHBA’s Executive Director. “Along with the government’s Housing Supply Action Plans, which set the regulatory stage, we’re putting ourselves in a good position to ensure there’s an appropriate housing supply for Ottawa’s current and future residents.”

 

GOHBA also welcomed the province’s call on the federal government to come to the table on GST/HST relief for new housing and rental development.

 

“Today’s provincial budget takes important steps forward to help accelerate the delivery of housing supply in communities big and small across Ontario,” noted Ontario Home Builders’ Association’s HBA CEO Luca Bucci. “Making it easier to get into the skilled trades and investing in crucial highway infrastructure will help make it possible for awaiting families to get the keys to their new home sooner and increase the volume and variety of housing options our province needs.”