‘Buying Canadian’ is a noble pursuit, but suppliers are caught in the middle Back in 1969, when the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, travelled to Washington to meet with President Richard Nixon, he said something that came to define relations between Canada and the U.S.: “Living next to you is in some […] ... Read more

Greater Ottawa HBA Founded 1951  Members: 436   OHB: So how did a Newfoundland boy end up as GOHBA’s Executive Director?  Jason Burggraaf: “I came to Ottawa to go to Carleton University and be close to Parliament Hill. I wanted to get into public policy and was exposed to non-profits and NGOs like OHBA. After […] ... Read more

Locally developed new building software tools appear ripe for the picking When Pat Keaney made her way to the podium for her construction innovation seminar at Toronto’s Buildings Show in December, she had a packed house before her. In a world of tightening budgets, depleting support staff and lengthening delays, every industry could use a […] ... Read more

On February 27, Ontario Premier Doug Ford was re-elected to his party’s third straight majority government. This is a historic accomplishment for Premier Ford. The last Ontario Premier to win three consecutive majority governments was Leslie Frost in 1955. The Ford-led Progressive Conservatives (PCs) secured 80 seats, up from 79 before dissolution. The New Democrat […] ... Read more

Warning signs and your obligations in fending off money laundering schemes  Money laundering is rearing its ugly head in the real estate market, but that’s nothing new, says Mondiu Jaiyesimi, Senior Manager of Anti-Money-Laundering (AML) Regulatory Compliance and Forensics at MNP in Toronto. Jaiyesimi cites the 2022 Cullen Commission report, which outlined the scope of […] ... Read more

Here’s how to explain the realities of tariffs Fiction: Tariffs are a tax on the exporting nation. Fact: Tariffs are a tax the importer has to pay. Usually, importing companies will have to pass on all or most of the cost of the tariffs to the final consumer of a good. *** Fiction: The residential […] ... Read more

New reports highlight demographic trends as housing prices increase As recent reports by Missing Middle Initiative founding director Mike Moffatt and the Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) highlight, Southern Ontario is grappling with a housing affordability crisis that has reached near-record levels. This crisis is not only reshaping the housing market but also influencing demographic […] ... Read more

New study suggests how to bring development charges back down to earth  The January 2025 housing data for the Hamilton CMA (Census Metropolitan Area) was genuinely shocking. The CMA, which includes the cities of Hamilton, Burlington and Grimsby, had just 30 new housing starts in January—the lowest total in the decade by a long shot, […] ... Read more