Home Truths about Housing

UnAffordability

All four levels of government In Canada are guilty of making housing affordability worse by adding taxes, fees and regulatory "red tape" costs that just get passed on to buyers and renters, hidden in purchase prices or rents. About one-third of the cost to buy or rent a new home in some Canadian cities is related to governments and growing.

That's hundreds of thousands of dollars per home! The Globe & Mail calls the fees cities impose on builders "the biggest tax that you've never heard of" and suggests they be disclosed transparently like sales taxes on receipts. We agree!

Biggest tax you've never heard of globe.jpg

Fewer Homes Being Built

The result of these growing costs? Fewer homes are being built as people can't afford to buy or rent them. Toronto now has the lowest number of new housing being constructed in 30 years. Other major metro cities, like Vancouver, have also flatlined with construction crews we need being laid off and 73,000 approved homes not going ahead.

In the Financial Post, Canada Mortgage & Housing (CMHC) Deputy Chief Economist Tania Bourassa-Ochoa called for change on the growing burdens of high fees and costly, time-consuming government approval processes. What CMHC failed to admit is they too hiked mortgage insurance premium costs that will get passed on.
All of these government costs are worsening housing affordability but increasing the size and salaries of government bureaucracies.
Hollywood gets tax credits as incentives to film here. Shouldn't housing get similar tax relief? These solutions work!

Rising Government Fees and Taxes eat up to 29_ of new BC home Price (31_ Ontario) and 33_

Take action by sending a letter to as many as four levels of government in charge of housing in major cities across Canada. Your letter will go to: the Right Honourable Prime Minister, federal Ministers, Premiers & Provincial Housing Ministers in each province, Mayors and Councils in major cities and regional governments in Canada.

Only your first name, email & postal code (not mailing address) will be shared with governments. View our privacy policy

Tell them to stop using homes as bank machines.
Follow Brampton's idea: lowering its $100,000 apartment construction fee.

Don't let another generation be shut out of affordable home ownership or rental apartments.

Use our easy form below to make your voice heard.

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Take Action. Email

Politicians

Dear Right Honourable Prime Minister, Ministers, Mayors and Council: This letter is urging all levels of government to stop using homes like bank machines. These growing taxes, fees & regulations are hidden costs that are passed on by homebuilders to buyers & renters. Homes are for living, not looting. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in government costs per home, some call "vampiric", are eating away at affordability. View the charts of typical fees and taxes here.

These costs are worsening housing affordability but growing the size of government bureaucracies. Hollywood gets tax credits as incentives to film here. Shouldn't buyers and renters get some relief?

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Across Canada, in cities like Toronto and Vancouver, people struggle to find affordable homes to rent or buy. Governments are helping themselves, taking as much as one third of homebuilding costs through taxes and fees passed onto buyers & renters.

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