‘Housing matters’ to all of Canada, CMHC president explains

The president of Canada’s national housing agency expounded to the business community how the housing industry can greatly influence the country

by Lyle Adriano

The president of Canada’s national housing agency expounded to the business community how the housing industry can greatly influence the country.

Housing can be an efficient tool in helping the nation accomplish “broader social and economic policy objectives,” said Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) president and CEO Evan Siddall, who spoke to the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal December 3 to reaffirm the agency’s commitment to helping Canadians with their housing needs.

Siddall also pointed out that problems in the housing industry can be symptoms of wider financial instability affecting the country’s economy.

“In Canada, affordability is key to financial stability. While the majority of Canadians are well housed, there are still too many that are struggling to meet their housing needs. CMHC has a responsibility to make use of government authorized programs to reduce core housing need for all Canadians,” he said.

In addition to highlighting why housing matters, Siddall also remarked about his agency’s role in helping fill out gaps in information on Canada’s housing market. He acknowledged that there are still considerable information gaps, but he reassured that the agency is working hard to identify and complete all records.

Siddall’s address concurred with CMHC’s Housing Market Insight report, which includes data on condominium apartments owned by foreigners. The report surveyed condominium property managers, asking them for information on the total number of foreign-owned apartment units. Sixteen Census Metropolitan Areas were surveyed: Vancouver, Victoria, Kelowna, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Toronto, London, Hamilton, Kitchener, Ottawa, Gatineau, Montréal, and Québec.