Study
| EST. READ TIME 1 MIN.More housing was built in Canada during the 1970s than now
Canada’s Housing Mismatch: Many Canadians prefer ground-oriented homes, but not enough are being built
Main Conclusions
- Canada-wide, home prices are 28% higher since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite recent declines.
- “Ground-oriented” single-family home and townhouse prices increased by 31%, compared with a 17% increase in prices for apartments over the same period.
- Despite strong demand, ground-oriented housing completions declined during the 2010s, alongside a general decline in housing completions since the 1970s.
- Not only is there a widespread shortage of housing, but there is a growing mismatch between the housing types being built and those preferred by many Canadians.
- Further research should focus on the causes and consequences of this mismatch, as well as solutions.
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Josef Filipowicz
Senior Fellow (On Leave)
Josef Filipowicz, Senior Fellow of the Fraser Institute, is an independent urban and regional policy specialist, and former analyst at theCanada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the Fraser Institute’s Centre for Municipal Studies. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University. He conducts research and produces reports on land-use regulations, housing affordability, property taxation, and municipal finance. He also comments frequently (in English and French) on policy issues in these fields, notably through radio and television interviews, panel discussions, public presentations, and blogs and op-eds. His work has been featured in numerous news outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Maclean’s, Detroit News, and Financial Post.… Read more -
Steve Lafleur
Steve Lafleur is a research director at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a former senior fellow of theFraser Institute and a former senior policy analyst at the Fraser Institute. He holds an M.A. in Political Science from Wilfrid Laurier University and a B.A. from Laurentian University where he studied Political Science and Economics. He was previously a Senior Policy Analyst with the Frontier Centre for Public Policy in Winnipeg and is a Contributing Editor to New Geography. His past work has focused primarily on housing, transportation, local government and inter-governmental fiscal relations. His current focus is on economic competitiveness of jurisdictions in the Prairie provinces. His writing has appeared in every major national and regional Canadian newspaper and his work has been cited by many sources including the Partnership for a New American Economy and the Reason Foundation.… Read more