Canadian Initiatives for Housing Supply

Supply of affordable housing is not only an issue for us here in New Zealand but a global challenge for planners. We can look offshore for lessons learned overseas and new practices that can be used here.

Join us for a lunchtime webinar on work being developed by the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

The presentation will highlight two key housing initiatives currently being developed and implemented in Canada:

1. The Housing Accelerator Fund ($4B program) launched in 2023 to provide incentive funding to municipalities and indigenous governments to improving the housing system. A total of 577 local governments put forward applications including ambitious action plans to remove barriers to housing supply, increase housing diversity and address affordability. 179 applications were awarded and additional funding for the program was announced in Budget 2024. The process provided incredible insights into what municipalities felt were the most important changes they could make to policies and regulations, and which could be done most expeditiously. We will summarize the HAF program and give insights on the experience so far
   
   
2. Introducing a Standardized Housing Design Catalogue - Standardized housing design catalogues were originally a tool used by the Canadian government between the late 1940s and 1970s. Budget 2024 proposes $11.6 million to reinvent this 1940s catalogue for 2024. The catalogue will reduce costs and timelines for home building by providing a standard set of designs that will provide economies of scale and reduce barriers to entry in the homebuilding sector. By December 2024, the government aims to publish the first phase of the catalogue which will include up to 50 low-rise housing designs—including accessory dwelling units, modular homes, and multiplexes—for use across Canada. The next phase of the catalogue will include mid-rise and single family home designs. We will tell you about the process thus far and answer questions.
   
   

Presenters:

Cleo Corbett, MCIP, RPP

Cleo is a Senior Specialist with the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation`s Municipal Relations team and is a Director on the Board of the Planning Institute of British Columbia (BC). Cleo started her professional career in tourism and recreation management, which has provided a unique and often poignant backdrop to the twenty years she worked as a municipal planner in primary resource communities across BC. While she has worked in many aspects of planning including development, long-range planning, and social planning, housing has always been her passion. Cleo has been to New Zealand twice and was fortunate to participate in a Local Government exchange program in 2008. Cleo balances a busy career and family life with tennis, theatre, and rock`n`roll.

Carolyn Gisborne

Carolyn is a Senior Specialist with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Municipal Relations team, which has a mandate to work directly with cities to strengthen the housing sector. Before joining CMHC, she worked for the Province of British Columbia as a senior policy analyst. Her policy files ranged from building code development to provincial housing policy to advising local governments on planning and land use legislation. Most recently, she worked at the provincial Office of Mass Timber Implementation, which is focused on expanding the mass timber sector. She is keenly interested in the intersection of planning, building innovation, and climate resilience and the current opportunities to transform the housing sector. Carolyn was lucky enough to visit New Zealand in 2014, including Gisborne.

NZPI’s Principal Policy Advisor Emily Grace will facilitate and host the Q & A at the end.

Registration is easy! Simply click the ‘Add to Cart’ button above and follow the prompts.

Hope you can join us!