Home Builders warn that provincial policy reversal will worsen Ottawa’s housing affordability and supply crisis

The Greater Ottawa Home Builder’s Association (GOHBA) is concerned about the housing affordability and supply crisis facing the Nation’s Capital, particularly in light of the Ontario Government’s decision to reverse changes it made to Ottawa’s Official Plan, announced today.

 

“We need to ensure that residents of Ottawa, now and in the future, have a reasonable opportunity for a home of their own,” said Jason Burggraaf, Executive Director of GOHBA. “More than ever we need all levels of government working in concert to address this crisis.”

 

In addition to reverting to Ottawa’s  original urban boundary plan, the decision also means that a height limit for minor corridors in the downtown and inner urban transects to 4 storeys is back in force. That decision was made without any consideration of the number of homes that the Official Plan relied on to be built on those wider roads as part of its intensification strategy.

 

Ottawa’s Official Plan was originally built on the assumption that Ottawa would gain 400,000 new residents by 2046. A recent Ontario Ministry of Finance’s projection for Ottawa’s population growth was 560,000.

 

“We are in a dire housing crisis that’s only going to be addressed with an increased and consistent supply of new homes,” said Burggraaf. “We need to build 151,000 new homes in the next decade to ensure an ample supply of diverse housing options for Ottawa’s residents, now and in the future.”

 

For additional information or to schedule an interview, contact Jason Burggraaf at jason@gohba.ca.

 

The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association has been the proud voice for excellence in the home building community since 1951. Builders, developers, renovators, trade contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers make up the core of the Association’s membership of over 400 companies. New home construction and professional renovation account for more than 38,000 jobs, $2.7 billion in wages, and $5.7 billion in economic investment across Ottawa.