OHBA / CHBA News
OHBA – January 2009 Activity Summary ONTARIO VACANCY RATES
OHBA ACCESSIBILITY COUNCIL COMPLETES Privately Initiated Apartment Structures of Three Units and Over
REPORT Vacancy Rates (%)
Responding to the provinces goals for accessibility tar- Availability Rates
gets by 2025, the OHBA Accessible Housing (%)
Council has completed their initial goal of making rec- Average Rent 2
ommendations on behalf of the residential construction in- Bedroom ($) (New and
dustry. existing structures)
The report will be released shortly and will be immedi- Oct-07 Oct-08 Oct-07 Oct-08 Oct-07 Oct-08
ately posted on the OHBA website. Ontario 10,000+ 3.3 2.7 5.1 4.3 924 948
For more information, please contact Dave Henderson: Barrie CMA 3.2 3.5 4.1 6 934 954
dhenderson@ohba.ca Brantford CMA 2.9 2.4 4.6 2.8 749 752
Greater Sudbury SMA 0.6 0.7 1.3 1.6 749 800
PRE-BUDGET SUBMISSION Guelph CMA 1.9 2.3 3.4 4.5 848 869
OHBA is in the process of preparing a pre-budget sub- Hamilton CMA 3.5 3.2 5.8 4.9 824 836
mission for the Ministry of Finance. As in past years we are Kingston CMA 3.2 1.3 4.6 2.6 856 880
advocating significant infrastructure investments and are Kitchener CMA 2.7 1.8 4.9 4.3 829 845
cautioning the government on harmonization of the PST London CMA 3.6 3.9 5.3 6.4 816 834
and GST. OHBA is also reminding the government that the St. Catharines-Niagara CMA 4 4.3 5.7 6.8 765 777
current regulatory regime is too burdensome for the resi- Oshawa CMA 3.7 4.2 5.5 5.7 877 889
dential sector, and that the increases in costs and bureau- Ottawa-Gatineau CMA 2.3 1.4 3.8 2.9 961 995
cracy, such as amending WSIB coverage will only Peterborough CMA 2.8 2.4 4.7 4.3 822 850
compound problems in the industry. The document will be Thunder Bay CMA 3.8 2.2 4.4 2.7 709 719
available on the OHBA website shortly. Toronto CMA 3.2 2 5 3.7 1061 1095
Windsor CMA 12.8 14.6 14.4 16.8 773 772
GOVERNMENT RELATIONS UPDATE
In the past month the OHBA has met with Minister of For the fourth year, Ontario’s vacancy rates edged lower, dropping to 2.7% CMHC Economist Bob Dugan stated that,
Natural Resources, Hon. Donna Cansfield. The “Demand for rental housing in Canada increased due to high migration levels, youth employment growth, and the large gap
OHBA had a positive meeting and discussed the need between the cost of homeownership and renting.‘’ Adding that, ‘’Rental construction and competition from the condo-
for consistency amongst Ontario’s conservation authorities minium market were not enough to offset growing rental demand.’’
and our opposition to Brownfield reforms. OHBA is also Affordability of new homes explains decreasing vacancy rates in major CMA’s in the province such as Toronto, Ottawa,
scheduled to meet with the Minister of Finance, Hon. and Kitchener. Whereas the negative economic situation in manufacturing centres such as Windsor and Oshawa with higher
Dwight Duncan January 26, to discuss the upcoming vacancy rates are also reflected in these new figures.
provincial budget.
WSIB REFORMS CHBA – CHBA Manufacturers’ Council Technical Services
The Ontario Legislature has passed Bill 119, which in- Support in product/material selection and specifications
troduces mandatory WSIB coverage in the construction in- Established over 30 years ago, the CHBA Manufactur- Assistance in addressing Building Code requirements
dustry: An Act to amend the Workplace Safety and ers’ Council was created to provide a closer link between Design assistance and support
Insurance Act,1997. The legislation will extend mandatory the home building industry and manufacturers. The Coun- Real time technical and design support
coverage to independent operators, sole proprietors, some cil’s mission is to support the home building industry as it
partners in a partnership and some executive officers in the continuously strives to improve its products and services. It Education and Training
construction industry. While the Bill has now passed also has a mandate to support the industry’s efforts to secure Technical and installation training
through the legislature, it is expected to become effective a regulatory environment that promotes quality, innovation, Sales support training
by 2012. Those in the construction industry who will be and affordability in housing.
impacted by the legislation will not be required to register New home builders and renovators will find the Manu- Point-of-Sale Support
until the Act comes into effect. facturers’ Council to be a valuable business resource by Consumer product literature
fostering solid business relationships. Council member Model home merchandizing support
ONTARIO CONTINUES STRONG POPULATION companies are “partners in satisfaction” and offer value-
GROWTH added support and services, assisting CHBA members to Marketing Assistance
Despite the economic gloom, Ontario is experiencing excel in the market place. Builder marketing programs
strong demographic growth. New data released confirmed Since today’s consumers are savvier, they tend to de- Brand support through advertising and promotion
that Ontario’s population increased 0.37% in the third quar- mand a lot, and they have high expectations. The CHBA’s
ter of 2008 which is an increase of 48,063. Ontario’s pop- Manufacturers’ Council represents Canada’s leading prod- Manufacturers’ Council member companies stand out
ulation now is at 12,977,059 and is estimated to reach 13.2 uct and material companies, and they are ready to assist from others by offering the value-added services and sup-
million in 2011. builders and renovators. Today’s consumers want brand port that building professionals are looking for, from train-
names they recognize and trust, these same brand names ing and technical support to marketing assistance. The
OHBA 2008 RESOLUTION UPDATE are represented by CHBA Manufacturers’ Council mem- Manufacturers’ Council will help you gain consumers’ trust
The federal government has announced that it will re- bers and are backed with the best warranties available. and build a winning reputation. 
vise legislation that will increase the proportion of seats However, in today’s business environment, more than
Ontario is allotted in Parliament. Under the old plan On- quality products are required. The member companies of BECOME A MEMBER OF THE CHBA
tario was to receive 10 of 22 additional seats. Ontario will the CHBA Manufacturers’ Council provide a wide range of MANUFACTURERS’ COUNCIL
now receive an additional 21 seats out of an unspecified support program and services to help builders save time, The CHBA Manufacturers’ Council provides an ideal
number to be added. There are currently 106 seats in the reduce problems and increase value for customers. forum for forging strong relationships between the building
province. The proposed change is positive news for On- The support offered by each member is uniquely tailored community and manufacturers of building products and
tario. This topic was part of OHBA’s 2008 resolutions: Fair to that company’s products. The following programs and materials in Canada.
Representation in the House of Commons for Ontario. services are available to builders and renovators when deal- As members of the Council, manufacturers have an op-
To view a list of all OHBA resolutions visit ing with a CHBA Manufacturers Council member com- portunity to work side-by-side with CHBA members from
www.ohba.ca/resources pany:
Please see page A7
A6 - NHBA Structures February 2009
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