Canada will need to build 1.3 million additional homes by 2030 if it intends to close the nation’s housing gap, according to a new report from parliamentary budget officer Yves Giroux.
The PBO’S report titled Household Formation and the Housing Stock published on Thursday looks at how many additional homes Canada still needs to build to bring Canada’s vacancy rate back to the historical average.
“At the national level, we define the housing gap as the number of additional units that would be required to return the total vacancy rate to its long-term average by 2030, accounting for suppressed household formation,” reads the report.
“Estimates suggest that household formation surged above pre-pandemic levels, reaching 460,000 (net) new households in 2023—well in excess of record net housing completions of 242,000 units.”
Given the current pace of houses built since the pandemic, the PBO estimates that Canada must begin building 181,000 more homes annually than it currently constructs.
However, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corp. estimates a significantly higher figure to close the gap at 3.5 million more homes built by 2030 if Canadians would like to see housing affordability return to 2003-04 levels.
Giroux acknowledged the major difference in estimates between the CMHC report and his own by saying that his report was projecting solely from the perspective of closing the gap between supply and demand, without factoring in affordability.
Housing affordability is still a major factor at the moment, however, with Canadians currently facing some of the lowest levels of affordability on record.
According to a recent report from RBC, the average household in Vancouver has to spend 106.3% of its income to cover home ownership costs.
Other cities, such as Victoria and Toronto, saw similar deterioration, with households having to allot 80.2% and 84.8% of their incomes towards mortgages, respectively.
Housing affordability in Ottawa, Montreal, and Halifax is at or near all-time worst levels. Ottawa’s aggregate measure reached an all-time high of 49.9%. Montreal also reached a record-high needed income for housing costs, at 53.3%. Halifax, whose average aggregate measure was 31.9%, jumped to 45.3% of income required to spend on housing costs.
Today, it takes 55 days to sell an electric vehicle, nearly twice as long as the 22 days reported last year, they found.
Gas-powered cars take 51 days to get off the lot on average.
“The gap has narrowed dramatically,” J.D. Power senior manager Robert Karwel told the Financial Post.
“While the total market in Canada has slowed down, it’s EVs that have slowed down by more than double.”
The shift could be due to the slowdown of early adopters. The number of customers who are EV fanatics is drying up and interest in the technology is plateauing.
Not all EV types are facing a slowdown, however, as wealthier people are buying luxury electric cars at a rate that’s doubling each year.
“Most electric cars today are being manufactured by either legacy automakers that are new to EV technology, or by companies like Rivian that are new to making cars,” said Consumer Reports senior director Jake Fisher.
Ford Motor Company recently announced a two-year delay in the commencement of electric vehicle production at its new Oakville, Ont. plant, now set for 2027 instead of the initially proposed timeline.
Despite a $590 million subsidy partnership from federal and provincial governments, the overhaul of the Oakville assembly plant into an electric vehicle and battery assembly operation is anticipated to take longer than initially anticipated and will result in layoffs.
“This is a prime example of why governments should cut taxes and red tape instead of giving taxpayers’ money to corporations,” Canadian Taxpayers Federation federal director Franco Terrazzano told True North.
“Politicians and bureaucrats need to stop playing investment banker with taxpayers’ money. Governments should end the corporate welfare and instead cut taxes and red tape to grow the economy.”
While work will commence this year, the completion of the necessary equipment for assembling EVs is expected to extend over the next three years.
Edmonton may soon restrict the sale of certain knives at convenience and grocery retailers beginning this fall if an urban planning committee request gets approved.
While many types of knives are currently sold at stores legally without any federal law or city bylaw restrictions, councillors on Edmonton’s urban planning committee asked the administration to look into amending the city’s business licence bylaw to begin regulating their sale.
“What’s happening here is very alarming,” said Ashley Salvador, councillor for Ward Métis during an urban planning committee meeting on Tuesday.”As we heard today, you walk in, and right next to the chocolate bars is a wall of knives that are designed for harm,” said Ashley Salvador, councillor for Ward Métis.
Bryan LaFleche, president of Crystal Kids Youth Centre also spoke at the meeting to express how prevalent knives, as well UnWTas brass knuckles and bear spray have become amongst the kids at the centre, which they have to confiscate regularly.
“When we ask them: ‘Why are you carrying a knife? Why are you carrying bear spray?’ The answer every single time is ‘it’s for protection’,” LaFleche told the committee.
“Our great fear with that is when an 11-year-old child pulls a six-inch knife out of his knapsack and says ‘I need this for protection,’ we spend hours trying to convince them that that knife affords them absolutely no protection.”
Allan Bolstad with the Alberta Avenue Community League purchased several knives at a convenience store on 118th Avenue to present the committee with a slideshow illustrating the intended purpose of the knives being sold.
“When you hold these knives, when you actually have them in your hand, you realize how lethal that they are, and that they’re designed for one thing and that’s for hurting someone badly, or killing someone,” said Bolstad. “These aren’t for buttering toast.”
“They’re for trying to kill someone.”
Bolstad suggested the city create a separate business licence for stores looking to sell knives, akin to the one currently in place for selling firearms
He would also like Edmonton police to set a minimum age requirement for buyers.
While the Edmonton Police Service don’t have city-wide statistics of knife-related incidents available, Staff Sgt. Michael Keef told reporters on Tuesday that there are currently few tools in place for police to stop the sale of knives at stores.
Only in situations where knives prohibited under the Criminal Code of Canada, such as butterfly knives are being sold, would EPS have the legal grounds to intervene.
“There’s definitely a gap in what’s being sold versus what’s actually restricted in the Criminal Code,” said Keef. “We’re trying to close that down, so we can make it a little easier to reduce the convenience of being able to buy these on the street.”
There are no specific blade size restrictions in Canada, however, you may not conceal a knife at any time while carrying it on your person. Under the Criminal Code, any knife that has a blade that opens automatically by gravity, by centrifugal force, or by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle of the knife (butterfly knives, switchblades, etc.) is prohibited.
According to the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, “if a prohibited knife is presented at a pre-board screening checkpoint, protocol requires us to notify the police. This could lead to charges and prosecution to the item’s holder,” it states.
Homeownership feels like a distant dream for the majority of Canadians who do not already own a home, according to a new CIBC poll.
76% of Canadians feel that entry to the housing market feels out of reach. Only 56% of non-homeowners said they still hope to own a home one day.
The online Maru Public Opinion survey was undertaken by CIBC and surveyed Canadians who owned a home, intended to purchase one within the next two years, and those who don’t own one.
“Housing affordability is a challenge across the country, and many Canadians could use guidance on how to make their homeownership dream a reality,” said vice-president of financial planning and advice Carissa Lucreziano.
Canadians who do not own a home listed their biggest barriers to achieving their dreams of homeownership.
70% of non-homeowners cited overpriced markets. 63% said they could not save enough money for a downpayment; however, only 28% said they were currently saving for a downpayment.
Non-homeowners weren’t the only Canadians to note their concerns. Even those who owned houses said they were adjusting to an ever-increasingly tough market. Homeowners surveyed were split amongst variable-rate and fixed-rate mortgage holders.
51% of variable-rate mortgage holders said they’ve had to cut back on daily expenses, and only 21% said they are putting lump sum payments towards their mortgage.
Homeowners on fixed-rate mortgages fear the sacrifices they will need to make with upcoming mortgage renewals in the next two years. 45% said they’ll have to cut back on daily expenses, while 34% said they will explore the market for the best rates.
Canadians who don’t own a home have varying ideas for how to enter the market.
55% of non-homeowners said they will only be able to enter the market with the help of nepotism — an inheritance or gift from their family. 48% of Canadians are considering leaving major cities to get more bang for their buck. 26% of Canadians are considering buying a home with friends to split the cost and make things affordable.
True North previously reported that the Canadian Maru Household Index showed that 18% of Canadians would default on making payments on major loans or a mortgage within the two months succeeding March.
Maru Public Opinion released its Household Outlook Index for April, showcasing Canadians’ current 60-day outlook. Only 10% of Canadians said they would be able to buy a house within the next two months, while 10% also said they would declare bankruptcy. 37% of Canadians said that they will struggle to make ends meet. Only 89% of Canadians said they would have enough food for themselves or their family.
The future looks grim, as the Bank of Canada announced Wednesday that the interest rate would hold at 5% for the fifth consecutive time.
British Columbia’s NDP government is considering new legislation that makes it illegal to demonstrate within 20 metres of school grounds to block gender identity curriculum protests.
Premier David Eby said that the Ministry of Education “has documented 18 major disruptions” of protests at schools in the province since the start of the 2023-24 school year, which he claims disrupt educational activities and intimidate students.
“We’ve had people banging on school windows in British Columbia,” he said.
“It never crossed my mind to be worried that a grown adult would be waiting on the school perimeter to yell at my child about pornographic books or about puberty blockers,” added Eby.
Under the new law, anyone who blocks an entrance to school grounds, disrupts school activities or programs, or poses a concern to the mental or physical safety of students or staff within these zones will face arrest or ticketing.
“While everyone has a right to freedom of expression, disrupting or scaring kids while they’re learning in schools should be, and soon will be, illegal,” said Eby.
He said that the new legislation mirrors legislation implemented during the pandemic when citizens of the province started anti-vaccine protests outside of hospitals.
John Rustad, leader of the Conservative Party of British Columbia, said that the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity programs needed to be scrapped.
“The issue is around parental rights — parents being involved with their children’s education. The issue is around information that’s being provided within schools, which seems to be inappropriate in my opinion,” he said.
Parental rights groups opposed to the SOGI curriculum have expressed concerns about pornographic materials in school libraries and teachings that encourage minors to change their biological sex. Additionally, they worry about the fact that biological males who claim to be transgender women can enter female washrooms.
Attorney General Niki Sharma said that while protests serve as a crucial means for citizens to express their opinions and advocate for change, they should not compromise the safety of schools.
“This legislation provides an important tool to help safeguard our schools and protect kids from intimidation and harassment so they can feel safe to learn,” she said.
Rachna Singh, the Minister of Education and Child Care, said that the province wants to ensure that children can access the education needed to succeed.
“This must be a priority, and we will take any action that is needed to help keep kids safe at school,” said Singh.
The B.C. School Trustees Association indicated its full support for the legislation.
“This is a significant step towards safeguarding the well-being of our students and staff, fostering an atmosphere where learning can thrive without disruption or intimidation,” said the association’s president, Carolyn Broady.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she won’t be implementing a policy on transgender use of change rooms and whether transwomen should be admitted into women’s prisons during a discussion with True North’s Andrew Lawton at the Canada Strong and Free Network conference.
Smith said that she’s been consulting with transgender individuals since the moment she entered politics and as recently as Thursday, some transgender individuals travelled to a conference and offered their advice to her on the province’s policies.
While recently speaking with a transgender individual yet to transition below the waist, Smith learned that the person enjoys spa days with her girlfriends and expressed concerns about being in a separate locker room, which she felt would worsen her experience.
“I think the issue is modesty. If you have not fully transitioned, then you shouldn’t be exposing yourself in female-only spaces because no one should know. You should either be behind in a washroom stall or you should show modesty and then it doesn’t become an issue,” said Smith.
“The issue is modesty. If you have not been fully transitioned, then you shouldn’t be exposing yourself in female-only spaces.”
True North’s Andrew Lawton pushes Premier Smith on her position on female-only spaces. pic.twitter.com/4L8Xd6zcWo
She added that it is essential for women to feel safe in private spaces when they feel most vulnerable.
“I’ve not seen anything in Alberta that leads me to believe I have to do anything about that, so I’m not going in that direction,” said Smith.
She said that she has been keeping a close eye on what’s happening internationally and nationwide with issues arising with transgender individuals using changerooms. She had been doing the same for transgender individuals who are imprisoned.
“In our own province, I haven’t seen anything that rises to it. Remember, in provincial jails, I think it’s two years less than a day that you serve. So, I have not observed any emergence of problems that might happen that I’m seeing elsewhere,” Smith concluded.
However, the premier still stands by the policies she introduced on the issue earlier this year.
Smith reiterated her previous claims of following international evidence and science, citing the recently released Cass Review, which Smith claimed was “the most comprehensive review of the medical literature and the science behind this.”
“What she discovered, quite frankly, is there isn’t very good science. Notwithstanding what the left likes to tell us, there isn’t good long-term data about how many kids go on puberty blockers and whether it impacts fertility and at what age. There isn’t long-term information about what happens to those kids by the time they reach 25,” she added.
The Cass Review criticized the field’s research, noting “systematic evidence reviews demonstrated the poor quality of the published studies.”
The review added that evidence based on the care of children and young people and its strengths and weaknesses is “often misrepresented and overstated, both in scientific publications and social debate.”
The research shows that long-term data on minors who took puberty blockers was insufficient, offering scant details on future outcomes.
“We’re not going to assign puberty blockers as a matter of course,” said Smith.
As previously reported by True North, Smith banned top and bottom gender reassignment surgeries for children under the age of 17 in Alberta. She also prohibited puberty blockers and hormone therapies for minors aged 15 and under. For those aged 16 and 17, explicit approval is required from parents, physicians, and psychologists, on top of the minor being deemed mature enough to make the decision.
Parental notification and consent were also made mandatory for any child aged 15 and under to change their name or pronouns in school, with notification required for those aged 16 and 17.
“You cannot be out to your entire school community, and the only people who aren’t allowed to know are your parents,” said Smith.
Despite not seeing any issues in her province with transgender individuals using change rooms or prisons, Smith did raise some concerns she’s observed provincially.
Doctors in Alberta don’t perform any operative surgeries on individuals who decide to transition. Instead, patients fly to Quebec to receive treatment and then return home. Smith’s focus has been to improve post-operative care because many complications generally accompany the surgeries.
“Those who have decided to transition need lifelong support for hormone treatment and also lifelong support for the consequences that might happen of doing that transition,” said Smith.
While Smith has been trying to support the transgender community, not all agree with her direction.The Canadian Medical Association issued a news release in March, signed by thirteen doctors, saying that “medical associations across the country oppose government efforts to restrict access to care.”
Bell Media’s CEO Mirko Bibic testified yesterday on why the company fired over 6,100 media employees in under a year despite receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from Canadian taxpayers.
The Conservative Party’s newest MP Jamil Jivani questioned Bibic about the company’s record of firing and losing employees due to accusations of discrimination. Those allegations also came from Jivani himself, who was previously employed by the outlet.
Jivani sued Bell Media after being fired from the company over what he called tokenism despite the company’s stated commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
According to the National Post He claimed he was hired as a token visible minority but fired when he didn’t match the liberal views the white executives expected from a Black man.
The company denied these claims but listed Jivani’s “open disdain” of Bell’s DEI initiatives as a reason for terminating his employment.
“Patricia Jaggernauth left CP24 claiming she was being tokenized as a black woman. Danielle Graham left CTV E-Talk claiming it was in part due to sexism and of course we’ve seen multiple media reports suggesting that Lisa Laflamme was pushed out of CTV news due to ageism,” Jivani said at the hearing.
He asked Bibic if Canadians should be concerned about a pattern of “deplorable employment practices” at Bell Media.
“I’m very proud of the diverse group of journalists we have across the country,” Bibic said. “The job reductions were kind of difficult and unfortunate. I mean a smaller number of the broader number affected Bell Media directly but we have the same percentage now as before of diverse journalists.”
Bibic spoke about accomplishments in “diversifying” the workplace at Bell.
“We were the first to have an all-women NBA broadcast for example,” he said. “Before I became CEO 15% were women and now it’s 30%. One level below that, the Senior Vice President layer of (Bell Canada Enterprises), in 2019, 20% were women and now it’s double that.”
Jivani wasn’t convinced that this was evidence of anything other than “tokenism.”
“It sounds to me like you may be proving some of the allegations correct in your response, given you’re engaging in tokenism in your answer.” Jivani said. “None of this hiring of people based on quotas or percentages as you seem to be indicating would necessarily make Bell immune from the allegations made of tokenism, racism, sexism and ageism.” Bibic stated DEI is something they take very seriously at Bell Media.
“If there are incidents we will investigate them and make sure they’re addressed,” he said. “More broadly we seek to do better each and every year, and we want to have as diverse a workforce as possible at all levels of the company.”
In a post made on X with a clip from some of the proceedings, Jivani criticized DEI policies at large.
“DEI policies are a smokescreen used by big businesses like Bell Canada to create a fake sense of compassion and progress. Bell Media CEO Mirko Bibic proved this in his responses to my questions today.”
DEI policies are a smokescreen used by big businesses like Bell Canada to create a fake sense of compassion and progress.
Bell Media CEO Mirko Bibic proved this in his responses to my questions today. pic.twitter.com/y1fwKar7aB
Bibic reaffirmed that Bell media has the same percentage of diverse journalists now as they did before “reconstructing.”
“You’ve given us a word salad about how important DEI is to your company, and yet it doesn’t seem that you’ve thought about DEI when firing 5000 Canadian workers,” Jivani said.
In another post made on X, Jivani accused Bibic of disrespecting Canadian democracy by speaking over him and stating that he had not heard one of Jivani’s comments due to technical errors.
Bell Media CEO Mirko Bibic showed the same disrespect to Canadian democracy today as he has shown to the thousands of workers he laid off this year.
Oh, and this is after he took hundreds of millions in regulatory relief from this Liberal government. pic.twitter.com/MkSdyupaP6
He asked Bibic what he would say to consumers who are concerned that their continued business with Bell is financing a “highly questionable media operation,” Bibic responded.
“We are very proud of the services we provide to Canadians who subscribe. Millions of customers are with us and we deliver excellent value to them.”
The Ontario Court of Justice issued a notice to the profession and the public announcing that it will require all parties to state their preferred pronouns upon their introduction to the judge at any in-person or virtual event.
Lawyers must also state the pronouns of their clients, witnesses or any other individual who is called before the court.
“At the beginning of any in-person, virtual or hybrid hearings, when lawyers are introducing themselves, their client, a witness or another individual, they should provide the judge or justice of the peace with each person’s name, title (e.g. Mr., Mrs., Mx., Counsel “X”) and pronouns to be used in the hearing,” reads the notice released on Thursday.
The notice written by Sharon Nicklas, Chief Justice Ontario Court of Justice says that “if counsel does not provide this information in their introduction, they may be invited by a court clerk to provide this information.”
“At the beginning of each court session, court clerks have been asked by Court Services Division to announce that parties appearing before the court are invited to provide their title and pronouns to the court,” it added.
News of this new requirement, posted to X by the Ontario Court of Justice received strong pushback online, without any positive feedback in the comments thus far.
Ah so this is the thing where rape victims have to pretend that their rapist is a woman, right? Very stunning and brave.
“Ah so this is the thing where rape victims have to pretend that their rapist is a woman, right? Very stunning and brave,” wrote Jonathan Kay, an author with Quilette.
Another user wrote, “seems odd to start a court proceeding with a requirement for perjury.”
Seems odd to start a court proceeding with a requirement for perjury.
— Cervixen of the Cassandrians (@cervixen) April 11, 2024
“You are forcing a new language onto the people that aims to distort, alter or make reality indescribable. It is manipulation & coercion in order to cater to a belief system that has dominated society. This is exactly what the Party did in Orwell’s 1984,” wrote another user.
You are forcing a new language onto the people that aims to distort, alter or make reality indescribable. It is manipulation & coercion in order to cater to a belief system that has dominated society. This is exactly what the Party did in Orwell's 1984.
Some argue this change in practice will make it easier for biological males who identify as women to be tried as a woman, therefore allowing them to serve any potential jail time in a women’s jail or prison.
According to Heather Mason, a former federal prisoner and founding member of Canadian Women’s Sex-Based Rights, 44% of men (in prison) who identify as women are sex offenders.
“So every time I get a name, I request their parole document. And a majority of them are dangerous offenders, or they have long sentences and they can’t get parole so what they’re doing is because they can’t get out, then all of a sudden they’re requesting a transfer to a women’s prison,” Mason told True North in an interview last year.
It’s the third and final day of the Canada Strong and Free Network’s flagship conference in Ottawa and True North’s Andrew Lawton Show is once again live from the exhibit hall. In today’s show, Andrew speaks to former Australian prime minister Tony Abbott about freedom, conservatism, and why the right has to articulate its own position on climate and the environment instead of accepting the left’s premises.
Also, the Fraser Institute’s Paige MacPherson on choice and education, plus the Canadian Taxpayers Federation’s Franco Terrazzano on whether there is hope on the horizon for Canadian taxpayers.
Three Toronto Catholic District School Board trustees have voiced their opposition to a motion filed by a fellow trustee to fly the International Pro-Life flag for the entire month of May each year.
The motion is scheduled to be debated by the board of trustees on April 23, but the move has attracted the ire of some on the board who want the public to know where they stand on the issue.
Trustees Kevin Morrison of Toronto (Ward 9), Maria Rizzo for North York (Ward 5) and Markus de Domenico (Ward 2) took a stand against Del Grande’s (Ward 7) motion that would also require students of the TCDSB to take part in the annual March for Life in Ottawa.
Students and staff who are unable to go would be required to learn the teachings of the Catholic Church around abortion.
Del Grande in the motion states Catholic trustees are bound by oath to vote for the resolution as they have sworn to be faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
De Domenico told True North in an interview that he rejects the idea that this motion is supposed to be “some kind of litmus test” to prove he and the other trustees are Catholic enough for Del Grande’s standard.
“I think when you go down the road of trustees judging other trustees catholicity or outsiders driving their agenda and saying, ‘you’re not as Catholic as I am or this.’ That is not what we stand for. And it shouldn’t be,” de Domenico said. “We’re always about students, not politics.”
He said he wouldn’t support “any element of this motion,” but is working on his own motion that would affirm the board of trustees’ pro-life stance.
He objected to the motion because there is already a pro-life lens in the curriculum which is co-produced by bishops of the archdiocese, students are in a learning deficit due to the COVID-19 lockdowns so they shouldn’t miss any more school, and “no one is familiar with this flag.”
“The Catholic Board is, of course, pro-life. It believes in the dignity of the person, in the sacredness and sanctity of life,” de Domenico said. “We don’t need to reaffirm that through an American flag, a march for life supported by an American group or “Campaign Life” in Ontario.”
The International Pro-Life flag was made by Brazilian designer Nanda Gasperina as part of a competition hosted by The Pro-Life Flag Project, a self-described grassroots initiative with a number of U.S. partners.
De Domenico, along with eight other Trustees including Rizzo, did vote in May of 2021 to fly the Pride flag throughout the month of June each year.
The Pride flag in both its original form made by Gilbert Baker in 1978, and the current Progress Pride Flag made by Daniel Quasar in 2018 originated in the U.S.
When True North asked de Domenico whether or not he agrees with the Church’s teaching on abortion and its re-criminalization in Canada he said, “I can’t speak to the church’s position on re-criminalization.”
“Catholic trustee’s have to protect our opportunity to have publicly funded Catholic education,” de Domenico said. “Do you really think that it’s appropriate for a publicly funded Catholic board to stand for issues that really hurt our ability to have a board?”
When asked on Global News’ 640 radio show why he voted to fly the Pride flag de Domenico said the Canadian flag doesn’t need to be the only flag flown.
“The idea of the pride flag was to recognize the struggles that that community has been through, and to acknowledge that that community is welcome in Catholic schools,” de Domenico said.
Jack Fonseca from Campaign Life Coalition thinks de Domenico is inconsistent.
“Out of one side of his mouth, he argued the pro-life flag, which is totally harmonious with the Catholic faith, is too political and doesn’t belong in a Catholic education. And out the other side of his mouth, he argued that the, homosexual and transgender pride flag, which is extremely political…is not political and is perfectly fine to fly at the Catholic school board,” Fonseca told True North.
“There is no more marginalized community than children in the womb who can be legally killed in this country,” Fonseca continued. “If he truly believes the purpose of a flag is to show support for marginalized communities. Then he should be the first person in line to vote in favor of the pro-life flag, in support of marginalized children in the womb.”
The Archdiocese of Toronto’s Archbishop Frank Leo refused to comment.
Rizzo and Morrison who criticized the motion in the Toronto Star, did not respond to True North’s requests before the article was published.
