April 10, 2023 - Oakville, ON - On Wednesday, April 3 at the Sixteen Mile Creek Sports Complex in Oakville, The Oakville, Milton, and District Real Estate Board (OMDREB), the REALTORS® Association of Hamilton-Burlington (RAHB), and the Office of Oakville North-Burlington MP Pam Damoff, convened the second meeting of the Halton Regional Housing Roundtable with a number of officials and stakeholders across the housing spectrum.
The Halton Regional Housing Roundtable, co-created by OMDREB, serves to identify any new or reoccurring concerns related to housing, and review and address them on a regular basis with all levels of government and industry parters.
Background
Partnerships between government, industry stakeholders, and real estate organizations must continue so that important work can move forward in a time when housing is considered to be in a crisis.
We recognize that having an established permanent Housing Roundtable is inherently necessary for positive legislative progress. As such, we have developed the framework for the Halton Regional Housing Roundtable, containing personnel from the OMDREB and RAHB real estate boards, officials from various levels of government, and other industry stakeholders.
Second Meeting
The following individuals and groups participated in the second Halton Regional Housing Roundtable meeting:
Factors negatively impacting housing affordability and supply are top of mind for the Roundtable, including red tape delays & NIMBYism, interest rates, development taxes, and higher labour and material costs, among others.
Presentations from the West End Home Builders’ Association and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation outlined recommendations on the federal role, and getting on track to build 3.5 million additional homes while addressing housing affordability.
Peter Fragiskatos, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities, also spent some time addressing and listening to participants’ concerns with respect to the housing portfolio, the need for additional development of infrastructure, and discussion of intergovernmental affairs.
With homeownership rates continuing to fall in Canada, the Roundtable recommends a continued holistic approach to remove as many ownership barriers as possible. We must also ensure the public is aware of all programs available to them across the housing continuum.
The Halton Regional Housing Roundtable remains a permanent fixture in the vision for inclusive housing for all.
