Building Industry and Major Canadian Banks Collaborate on New Sustainable Housing Market Report

Toronto, Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Housing and Investment Initiative (NHII), a group composed of leaders from Canada’s building and development industry and largest banking institutions, today published a new report outlining recommendations made to the federal government on the development of a more sustainable housing market in Canada. The report, Recommendations for a Sustainable Canadian Housing Market, provides strategic advice to support and inform the federal government’s review of the National Housing Strategy and the implementation of broader federal housing and infrastructure policies. 

“There is a timely and necessary opportunity to establish a more resilient, evidence-based and forward-looking housing policy framework in Canada,” said Jean-Francois Perrault, Chief Economist at Scotiabank. “The NHII is dedicated to finding ways to support Canada’s long-term economic growth through a sustainable approach to housing delivery and has submitted various recommendations to the federal government to support Canada’s evolving housing needs.”

The report, which was facilitated by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and the Missing Middle Initiative, focuses on four interconnected and underpinning pillars – attracting more long-term housing investment in Canada, improving credit risk management in housing, stability and predictability in immigration policy, and accessing better data to make better housing decisions. These pillars are essential to creating a more affordable and resilient housing production ecosystem in Canada.

Of the 29 recommendations presented in the report, five priority recommendations include:

• Making Ontario’s enhanced new housing HST rebate program permanent; 
• Exploring alternative options for municipal revenue and infrastructure financing, to move away from the reliance on development charges to support housing-supportive infrastructure; 
• Introducing a capital gains rollover program which would allow investors who sell purpose-built rental apartments to defer capital gains – as long as the proceeds are reinvested in purpose-built rental construction; 
• Refining the foreign buyers ban to exempt new housing construction, development-ready vacant land, and purpose-built rental projects from restrictions; and, 
• Introducing an Owner-Occupied Construction Loan Program for condominiums to improve construction financing for new ownership housing.

“Recent government initiatives like the enhanced new housing HST rebate and Development Charge Reduction Program in Ontario have demonstrated that well-designed policy can improve housing market activity and restore confidence,” said Brad Carr, CEO, Canada, Mattamy Homes and co-chair of the NHII. “However, achieving Canada’s housing goals will require a significant expansion of the development pipeline, greater access to long-term capital, modernized financial regulation, predictable immigration policies and access to better data to support all of those decisions.” 

Canada's housing challenges won’t be solved through a single policy intervention, meeting Canada’s housing needs will require a collaborative and long-term strategy that strengthens every stage of the housing delivery system – from planning and approvals to financing, construction and investment.

The next iteration of Canada’s National Housing Strategy must embrace the broad spectrum of policies, programs and factors that influence the new housing ecosystem.

The recommendations presented in the report provide a practical framework for improving housing decision-making and creating the conditions necessary to deliver more housing across all regions and tenures for Canadians.

To read the full report, visit bildgta.ca/news-resources/industry-reports/

About the National Housing and Investment Initiative (NHII)

The National Housing and Investment Initiative (NHII) is a focus group of private sector leaders working to develop collaborative, solutions-oriented housing recommendations to the federal government to serve the national interest of the Canadian population. It brings together expertise from a coalition of development industry leaders of Canada’s major census metropolitan areas through the Large Urban Centre Alliance, and leadership and expertise from Canada’s largest financial institutions. It combines the practical experience of housing delivery with the insights of macroeconomic trends, household finance, capital markets and risk management. The NHII is facilitated by the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and the Missing Middle Initiative. 

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• NHII: Recommendations for a Sustainable Canadian Housing Market_November 10_2026

Nadine Habib
Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD)
416-617-7994
nhabib@bildgta.ca