New Report by the Broadbent Institute finds that 80% of BC Lower Mainland and Greater Toronto & Hamilton Area Residents Say Government Should Return to Building Non-Market Housing.
TORONTO - A new report published by the Broadbent Institute entitled, “Dreams and Realities on the Home Front: Canadians’ Call for Government Action on Housing Affordability” found that a strong majority of surveyed residents of BC’s lower mainland and the GTHA want to see their government return to building non-market housing. The report, which was co-published with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Canada, looks at the housing challenges faced by Canadians in the country’s most expensive housing regions.
Key findings show that Canadians are feeling the effects of housing financialization. While most generally blame financial actors for housing affordability, many also point fingers at the federal government’s inaction. The report also found that three-quarters of all non-homeowners surveyed could not imagine purchasing a home in the next five years, while over eighty percent said they still hoped to own their home at some point. Half of all respondents said they had known someone who experienced homelessness.
Despite these stark realities, Canadians surveyed see a clear path forward through government intervention. While most blame federal and provincial governments for worsening the housing crisis through inaction, the pervading sentiment points to, “an appetite for more government intervention in building affordable, non-market housing.”
Read our key findings and download the full report.
The Broadbent Institute, founded in 2011, is Canada’s leading progressive policy and training organization. Our work is guided by the Broadbent Principles for Canadian Social Democracy – we believe all people have equal worth and equal rights, and that we all benefit from living in an increasingly equal society. We are committed to realizing the promise of Canada as a diverse, just, and inclusive society.
The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is the oldest political foundation in Germany with a rich tradition in social democracy dating back to its foundation in 1925. The foundation owes its formation and its mission to the political legacy of its namesake Friedrich Ebert, the first democratically elected German President. FES established a Liaison Officer in Canada in 2008, in coordination with the US FES Office in Washington DC.
