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What Can We Learn From the Dutch Social Housing Model?
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) recently highlighted the Dutch social housing model as a leading example of a large-scale, well-established system. Built around independent non-profit housing associations and funded primarily through rental income and loans, the model’s resilience was tested during the 2010-2011 Vestia collapse, when the Netherland’s largest social housing corporation suffered massive…
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Q3 GDP Surprise Masks Weakness in the Economy
Canada’s economy showed a notable rebound in the third quarter, with real GDP rising 0.6 per cent quarter-over-quarter (2.6 per cent annualized), according to Statistics Canada. This improvement followed a sharp 1.8 per cent contraction in Q2, driven largely by U.S. tariffs and trade disruptions. A significantly improved trade balance was the main contributor to…
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Rising Construction Costs Another Barrier to Affordability
A cornerstone of CMHC’s strategy for addressing Canada’s affordability crisis is increasing the supply of new homes. What is often overlooked, however, is the cost of building those homes. While low labour productivity may play a role, rising construction costs — compounded by government-imposed fees and charges — have become a major driver of the…
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Some Good News on the Tariff Front
One of the most pressing domestic concerns with U.S. tariff policy has been its impact on the steel, aluminum and automotive sectors. While the auto industry enjoys broad protection under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), parts manufacturing remains vulnerable due to the sourcing of materials. In April, parts manufacturers received some relief when it was announced…
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Is 50 the new 30?
Examining the U.S. Proposal for 50-Year Mortgages On November 8, 2025, FHFA Director Bill Pulte said the Trump administration is preparing a plan to introduce a 50-year home mortgage. The premise is straightforward: extend the amortization period to make monthly payments more affordable and expand access to home ownership. But a detailed review of this…
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The Royal Canadian Pancake House
Canada’s struggling productivity has been under the spotlight for the past two years. On March 26, 2024, Carolyn Rogers, senior deputy governor of the Bank of Canada, called the country’s low productivity a national emergency and warned that it was “time to break the glass.” She has since stressed the need for more competition and…
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Will Modular Construction Be a Game-Changer? Part 3 – The Scale Challenge
In this final article of our three-part series, we examine why, despite its promise, modular construction faces fundamental obstacles that limit its potential to transform the housing market—and why scale remains the biggest barrier. In The Origins of Efficiency, Brian Potter explains that improvements in production efficiency—rather than singular inventions—are the main driver of abundance….
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