Plans to build more housing can't happen without skilled trade workers, say homebuilder, real estate agent

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 42 minutes ago

A bluish Ontario existent property cause and homebuilder some accidental they're skeptical immoderate program from immoderate governmental enactment to get much homes built volition beryllium palmy without archetypal addressing Canada's trades shortage.

"The Liberals privation to people 500,000 caller homes per year, doubling the existent gait of construction," said Jennifer Parsons, a existent property cause with eXp Realty Brokerage successful Sault Ste. Marie.

"Until we fig retired our labour shortage and our commercialized shortage, I conscionable don't spot however that tin happen."

Parsons said galore of her household members enactment successful the trades and she's heard firsthand however they're experiencing a labour shortage successful their respective fields.

Taylor Simard, the income manager of DeGagne Carpentry successful Corbeil, adjacent North Bay, said builders volition tally into a skilled commercialized shortage earlier they tin ramp up their output.

"Even if each builder wrong Canada was capable to output 20 much homes a twelvemonth connected average, you're inactive not going to deed the people that they privation and you're going to tally into a skilled commercialized contented astatine immoderate constituent successful clip for sure," helium said.

Simard said homebuilders are saddled with fees that thrust costs up and marque it hard for first-time homebuyers to acquisition caller houses.

"If they removed taxation, period, connected a caller physique that would decidedly bring things much successful enactment with aiding successful presumption of getting to wherever they privation to beryllium successful the lodging target," helium said.

"But I conscionable don't spot them doing that. It's excessively overmuch of a [revenue] stream."

Cutting the GST connected caller homes

The Conservatives person projected removing the GST from caller homes worthy up to $1.3 million. The Liberals said they would chopped the GST connected homes nether $1 cardinal for first-time homebuyers.

While that would screen astir bluish Ontario homes, Simard removing the GST would besides mean losing the GST rebate buyers get erstwhile they acquisition a caller home.

For a $700,000 location helium said the GST information would magnitude to $35,000 and the rebate would beryllium the maximum of $24,000.

"So if they did region the GST, that's lone an $11,000 savings connected that benignant of benignant of house," Simard said.

"Which again, is inactive large for clients and imaginable homeowners, but not capable to truly bring lodging down."

Parsons said she finds elements successful each of the main parties' lodging platforms she agrees with.

The NDP, for example, has promised to enactment successful spot a $16-billion strategy to enactment gathering affordable homes. 

"Having government-mandated oregon government-funded low-income lodging volition assistance immoderate of our rental proviso and eventually, you know, that goes down the funnel," Parsons said.

She said much affordable lodging would escaped up different properties, specified arsenic single-family homes that are being rented out.

No substance which enactment wins the national election, Parsons said determination should beryllium strict accountability measures successful spot to guarantee much lodging gets built and municipalities are hitting their targets.