Building Excellence

By Evan Andrade, CHBA Economist Builder confidence in sales conditions soured further in the final months of 2024 as pessimistic views about current sales and expected future sales broadened among builders and developers nationwide. CHBA’s single-family Housing Market Index (HMI), which covers singles, semi-detached and row homes, was 25.1 and just marginally above its record low reading of 24.6 in...

By Nicole Storeshaw, Director, Government Relations, CHBA CHBA has just released its 2024 Municipal Benchmarking Study. This is the third edition of the report which compares 23 Canadian municipalities, examining how their processes, approvals timelines and government charges and fees contribute to housing affordability and supply issues in major housing markets across Canada.  The study, commissioned by CHBA and conducted by...

Power tools to help you get the job done right and fast Professional-grade power tool technology has quickly evolved from battery-powered tools being a distant second to corded tools. Battery-powered tools now dominate the power tool landscape. Hand tools have become more sophisticated ergonomically and in calibration capabilities. No gas, no cord heavy-duty concrete saw A battery-powered Hilti concrete saw for heavy-duty...

Real estate legal expert – and regular Builder Bites columnist – Leor Margulies has received the 2025 BILD Hall of Fame Award. As head of the Commercial Real Estate Lending and Development Groups at Robins Appleby in Toronto, over his 40-year journey, Margulies has built one of the most respected teams in the industry, representing financial institutions on major real...

It’s no secret that the residential construction industry has been through a lot over the last several years. From rising material costs, growing labour shortages, ever-changing codes and regulations and a full-blown pandemic, it’s fair to say our sector’s economic environment has been nothing short of chaotic.

By Natasha Rombough, Director of Marketing & Communications, CHBA In the ever-evolving world of marketing, keeping current and having a strategy is crucial for homebuilders and renovators. We reached out to three industry leaders – Lianne McOuat from McOuat Partnership, Dion Widrich from NGEN Communications Inc., and Jose Uribe from PUREBLINK – to find out how to capture attention amid...

By Kevin Lee, CHBA CEO The first quarter of the year has been one of the most eventful yet due to an imminent federal election here at home and the threat of sweeping tariffs from Canada’s largest trading partner south of the border. By now, the ongoing U.S. tariffs saga is well known, but here’s the abridged version and CHBA’s actions...

Time is a funny thing – and when it comes to legal transactions, a vitally important thing. This is underscored in the recent case of Correa v. Valstar Homes (Oakville Sixth Line) Inc., 2024 ONSC 3616. Here, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice addressed the strict enforcement of "time is of the essence" clauses in real estate transactions.

Although interest rates are lower and inflation has cooled, housing starts and sales remain abysmally low. Basic math dictates we will not reach the number of homes needed to restore affordability.

SPONSORED CONTENT You think you’ve found the perfect site – until a parcel boundary issue derails your project. Suddenly, you’re facing delays, unexpected costs and a whole lot of frustration. What if you could have spotted these problems before they happened? With the right approach, you can. Hint: It’s all about data and GeoWarehouse can help. Using data to stay ahead The best...