New group forms to push effective homebuilding strategies

Canadian Contractor

August 7, 2025 

By BILD

The Large Urban Centre Alliance, representing home builders and rental providers from cities that account for more than 50 per cent of Canada’s annual housing starts, has provided the federal government with a suite of recommendations to address the current housing crisis. The recommendations to the pre-budget consultations for the government’s fall budget focus on the unique requirements of Canada’s major urban centres, such as the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and Greater Vancouver Area (GVA). They are designed to support the federal government in achieving its bold housing goals while also protecting Canada’s economy from the growing risks posed by today’s unsustainable market conditions, which have pushed Canada’s housing system to a breaking point.

“Canada needs to double housing starts to address the current shortage, yet housing starts and sales are falling in some of Canada’s largest cities, as the cost of building homes makes homebuilding unviable,” said Dr. Mike Moffatt, Founding Director of the Missing Middle Initiative, and co facilitator of the Large Urban Centre Alliance. “The economic consequences are substantial; in the GTA alone, 41,000 jobs are at risk, along with over $6 billion in tax revenue per year. The federal government can address this crisis by taking actions to lower the cost of construction and removing the barriers to attracting investment in new housing.”

The Large Urban Centre Alliance, through a workgroup of 13 of Canada’s largest home builders and rental providers operating in Vancouver (Metro Vancouver), Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto (GTA) and Montreal (Grand Montréal), which together account for over 50 per cent of the nation’s annual housing starts have put forward a suite of recommendations to help meet Canada’s housing objectives. The Alliance, which is facilitated by the Missing Middle Initiative and the Building Industry and Land Development Association (BILD), has prioritized four urgent actions that are central to increasing housing starts and ensuring long term housing affordability and supply.

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