By Scott Addison, CEO OHBA
OHBA has already made inroads on its three priorities—and more!
After months of planning and preparation, OHBA is ready to roll out its new growth plan! With our newly expanded team in place and a clear mandate from our members and board of directors, we’re gearing up to take on the biggest challenges facing the residential construction industry today.
We need more new homes in this province and we’re ready to make that dream a reality for Ontarians. To do so, we’re focusing on key areas of housing policy and engaging with government stakeholders to push for change for the residential construction industry.
Our top three priorities for this year are addressing industry-crushing government fees and taxes that slow down new-home construction and inflate the cost of housing, pushing for more investment for housing-supportive infrastructure, and eliminating unnecessary delays in the permitting process for new housing developments. These three areas are crucial to getting more homes built and combatting the housing crisis in Ontario.
Our new government relations team, led by Kirstin Jensen, has been working across the board with the provincial government to move these files forward and advocate for real solutions. The team works continuously on government submissions, industry consultations, developing new and existing relationships with key decision-makers, research and more.
Leveraging research and data will play a central role in our advocacy plan for 2025. For example, our latest publication, co-championed between OHBA and BILD, does a deep dive into our broken development charges system and highlights a number of practical, achievable solutions that address the issue of housing affordability. The State of DCs in Ontario, developed by Keleher Planning + Economic Consulting (KPEC), is a straightforward evaluation of how Ontario’s development charges legislation needs to be overhauled so it is more aligned with our current economy and housing environment.
In terms of OHBA’s effectiveness, we have had several advocacy wins in the three areas mentioned above in recent months. In September, the provincial government announced a formal consultation on the implementation of surety bonds as a substitute for letters of credit. OHBA advocated for years for this alternative financial security as an option to help builders unlock capital for new housing projects, while still providing municipalities with the level of assurance they need. We were so pleased to see the government move forward on their commitment to modernize how new housing approvals are administered with this change, which will come into effect in December. We’ve also started to have conversations with municipalities about implementation.
Another example is the commitment made by Pierre Poilievre and the Conservative Party of Canada to cut GST on all homes under $1 million. This is another file OHBA has long advocated for, seeing how successful HST cuts have been in incentivizing purpose-built rental housing developments. Our ambition is for this to go further and have the commitment lead to provincial sales tax cuts for homes at a threshold beyond $1 million—representing the kind of change that would really move the needle on affordability in the province. This type of change would be precisely what we need to see in the industry when it comes to reducing the tax burden on builders and homeowners that impedes the growth of housing supply. Reductions of fees and taxes like HST, along with other fees like development charges, as we’ve seen from municipalities such as Vaughn and Mississauga, will help get more homes built in this province.
And in October, the Ministry of Energy and Electrification introduced the Affordable Energy Act, with the aim of facilitating electrical grid connections for new homes by removing regulatory barriers that slow their construction, ultimately aiming to make it more cost-effective. BILD played a central role in this initiative, advocating for improvements in the way new communities are electrified, and we are very proud to see this legislation move forward. Paula Tenuta and I also spoke at the Standing Committee on the Interior in November, where we voiced our support for the legislation. This was a great step towards developing the infrastructure needed to support new homes across the province and a great indicator of the direction the Ministry of Energy and Electrification is going.
In addition to our advocacy efforts, we’re also focused on delivering a number of initiatives to our members in 2025. We’re hosting more events, both virtual and online, with an eye on education, training and building connections. This includes a series of webinars focused on training for our renovator members, continuing with our series of regional housing summits, and working with ENERQUALITY and other partners to expand our current educational offerings. As was announced at our 2024 Annual Conference, ENERQUALITY will be a central component of our education and training plans, aimed at developing skills the industry has expressed a need for, including in the realm of energy efficiency. We’re also hosting exclusive new events such as an annual golf tournament, while expanding our housing tour program this year to include a local destination to help our members connect, learn best practices and gain insights on the latest housing developments.
In addition to more member events, we’re introducing key technology changes that will help drive OHBA forward. We’re updating our association management system by implementing iMIS, which will allow us to more efficiently manage information, communicate with and support our members, as well as coordinate with our 28 local chapter associations. iMIS is currently the most popular integrated cloud-based solution supporting associations and charities across North America. We expect its implementation to significantly improve how we share information with members, allowing our team to keep members abreast of critical updates and data for the housing industry.
Beyond everything we’re delivering for existing members, we’re also looking to drive new membership growth in key areas. One subset of that membership is renovators, who represent a vital component of the residential construction industry—both in terms of employment and investment. A lot of our advocacy, events and training efforts will be focused on supporting the professional renovation sector, which continues to grow despite the challenges it faces.
Ultimately, there has never been a more exciting time to be a part of OHBA, and I’m very much looking forward to what’s to come. I’m also very grateful to my team, which has done a remarkable job of coming together and championing the new vision for OHBA.
I’m confident that together we will be able to move the industry forward, build more homes and continue to act as the voice of the residential construction industry.
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