By Mike Collins-Williams, CEO, West End Home Builders’ Association
On March 3, the West End Home Builders’ Association (WE HBA) held its Annual Industry Luncheon at Carmen’s Banquet Centre. After two years of small get-togethers and virtual experiences, more than 320 leaders from the home building and construction industries were pleased to be back, in person, for one of the largest events in the Industry. The builders association was pleased to be joined by many elected officials including Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward and Burlington Ward 5 Councillor Paul Sharman. This year, the West End Home Builders’ Association is also celebrating the 80th anniversary of its founding in 1942. WE HBA was formed in a time period when new home growth in the Hamilton-Halton region exploded and the need for a professional association that would establish high standards for new home building was prominent. On the year of its 80th anniversary, and in the midst of a severe housing crisis across Southern Ontario, WE HBA is leading discussions and efforts with Industry partners and the provincial government to provide more housing attainability and choice.
The event’s keynote speaker, the Honourable Steve Clark, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, delivered strong remarks about all levels of government needing to take coordinated action to address the housing crisis. “We need to make it easier and less expensive to build all types of housing faster, so that hard-working Ontarians can find a home that meets their needs and budget, ” said Steve Clark. “It’s crucial that all levels of government take coordinated, pro-housing action to make it easier for all Ontarians to find the home that’s right for them.”
Three weeks after the Housing Affordability Task Force introduced several proposals to accelerate the construction of new homes and increase supply and affordability options, Minister Clark highlighted the urgent need to identify and implement additional measures to address the housing supply crisis. “We know Ontario is the best place to live, start a business, and raise a family. But we can only build on our progress if all hardworking Ontarians are able to find a home they can afford.” said Minister Clark. “Once the ink was dry on More Homes, More Choice, I was hard at work planning for our second housing supply action plan because we know there is no silver bullet to the housing crisis.”
According to Steve Clark, in 2020, the year after the government’s Housing Supply Action Plan was implemented, Ontario had over 81,000 housing starts, the highest level in a decade, and over 11,000 rental starts, the highest level since 1992. This great progress continued in 2021: Ontario had over 100,000 housing starts, the highest level since 1987, and more than 13,000 rental starts, the highest level in 30 years. This trend towards building more housing will need to continue each and every year if Ontario is to reach the target set out by the Housing Affordability Task Force of the need to build 1.5 million additional homes over the next decade.
During the government’s consultation, it was noted that currently, lack of data makes it difficult to identify and remove barriers to get housing projects approved in a timely way. In response, Minister Clark said that the government has committed to working with municipal partners and the industry to develop a digital development approvals data standard to find efficiencies in the development approvals process, to speed up approvals and enable greater data-sharing between jurisdictions that helps inform decision-making and lets us track our progress.
The consultation, which includes the Task Force’s report also revealed the need for multiple urgent actions to solve the housing crisis, including:
- Encourage more family-sized homes and depoliticize the planning process;
- Take an all-of-government approach to make better use of surplus public lands;
- Streamline bureaucratic processes that prevent housing from being built at the pace and price that Ontarians need;
- Make it easier and less expensive to build housing, including affordable housing, where it makes sense to build. That means aligning housing with major transit investments, like the Hamilton LRT and GO stations on the Lakeshore West line that will attract even more families and businesses to this area.
While addressing the assembly, WE HBA President Bianca Bruzzese discussed the housing supply crisis and the importance of providing a safe and accessible community for our children and for generations to come. “We, as an association, want to collaborate with all stakeholders and all levels of government to provide attainable housing options for home buyers today and for generations to come. We need to build 1.5 million homes over the next 10 years. So, let’s work together to get it done.” The WE HBA president also delivered updates on the association’s growth and transformation over the past two years.
“Our membership has thrived. Corporate support from our partners is greater than ever. And we have seen significant growth and diversification within our builder member group, providing an excellent representation of the homes that our members build for this community and the homes that buyers aspire to purchase.” said President Bianca Bruzzese.
Every year during the Industry Luncheon, the West End Home Builders’ Association recognizes a distinguished member by inducting them into the Association’s Hall of Fame. The WE HBA Hall of Fame was instituted in 1990 for the purpose of recognizing those members who have historically made outstanding and lasting contributions to the association, the community or the industry. The 2022 inductee Diane Murray made history as the first woman to be inducted into the WE HBA Hall of Fame. Diane Murray, who successfully served the association as a board member between 2002 and 2004 and also served for many years on the executive of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA), is also the recipient of multiple association awards, including the Paul Wright Memorial Award, the WE HBA Distinguished Service Award, and two Presidential Awards.
“It was fantastic to be back in-person with our city builders at the WE HBA Industry Luncheon,” said Mike Collins-Williams, CEO, West End Home Builders’ Association. “Our keynote speaker, the Honourable Steve Clark, carried a strong message to the industry and our municipal partners that we need to tackle this housing crisis by making it easier to build all types of housing in communities across Ontario. WE HBA was also proud to recognize Diane Murray as this year’s Hall of Fame inductee for her years of dedication to the industry.”
