Why is Canada's Housing So Unaffordable?

This site cuts through the spin that governments use to point fingers at anyone but themselves. Find the answers by exploring our real, researched  examples of how governments are making affordable homes to buy or rent even harder to build. We hope this searchable format for media, public, academics, builders, urban planners & governments is helpful.

Welcome to Homes Not Bank Machines. We advocate for housing solutions – like reduced government taxes, fees and regulatory burdens – to make homes more affordable for everyone in Canada. For too long, too many generations have been shut out of home ownership or rentals for all budgets as greedy governments demand more taxes and fees or ideological regulations, adding to construction costs. Thousands of homes aren't getting built because the end price is too high for anyone to afford. See which provinces fail on fees here.

Did you know at least one third of the cost to buy or rent a new home in Vancouver is directly related to four levels of government fees, taxes, charges and "red tape" regulations … and growing to as high as 35 per cent in some cities. A dizzying array of government-imposed fees using jargon labels like DCCs, or CACs, or DCLs or ACCs, all ADD COSTS that buyers and renters pay in the end.

Similarly, a new two-bedroom unit in Toronto means builders (and ultimately buyers or renters) pay a development charge (DC) of approximately $88,000, up from only $8,000 ten years ago.