The Current Home ownership out of reach for many Canadians
Apr 6, 2026
Lindsay Duncan, a Toronto freelance photographer who bought a starter condo she now cannot sell. Mike Moffatt, founding director of the University of Ottawa’s Missing Middle Initiative and housing policy researcher. They discuss crashing condo resale markets, regional housing pressure, why build costs block supply, and how policy and diverse, lower‑priced housing could reshape access to home ownership.
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Construction Costs Keep New Homes Out Of Reach
- Canada faces a cost-of-delivery housing crisis where resale prices fell but construction costs stayed high.
- Mike Moffatt cites stable land, labour, and rising material costs making new builds unable to compete with resale homes.
Supply Problem Is About Price And Type
- The supply problem is best described as a lack of appropriately priced and typed homes, not just a numeric shortage.
- Moffatt calls this 'cost of delivery' and notes builders are producing smaller condos (shrinkflation).
500,000 Starts Won't Fix Price Mismatch
- Canada is far from the federal target of 500,000 new homes a year because starts are projected to fall and many builds are economically unviable.
- Moffatt warns quantity alone (500,000) won't help if homes are the wrong types or price points.