Building Magazine

People experiencing homelessness face multiple, complex personal and structural barriers to finding stable housing. That burden, however, is not distributed evenly. Indigenous women and girls are vastly over-represented among Canada's homeless and precariously unhoused, and they experience some of the most troubling human rights violations. With the National Housing Strategy (NHS)'s first 10-year term about to expire, this is a pointed moment to take stock of this disparity.

Light House, a Canadian non-profit focused on advancing regenerative and circular practices in the built environment, announced the release of A Second Life for Canada's Homes, a study forecasting that approximately 90,000 single-family homes will be demolished across seven major Canadian cities over the next decade.

Home sales in the Greater Toronto Area were down in August compared with a year ago as prices also continued to fall. The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board said 5,057 homes changed hands last month, down 2.1 per cent year-over-year, while sales also fell 1.3 per cent from July on a seasonally adjusted basis. The average selling price stood at $993,410, down 2.7 per cent year-over-year, while the composite benchmark price, meant to represent the typical home, was down 4.5 per cent.

Ontario's rental housing sector is building at its fastest pace in decades, but an updated study prepared by Urbanation Inc. for the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario (FRPO) warns the province could still face a 121,000-unit rental housing shortage by 2036, on top of an estimated 249,000-unit deficit accumulated since 2016.

As many cities developed, streams that once flowed on the surface were buried underground to make way for growing infrastructure. However, as heavier rainfall, extreme weather and aging infrastructure place growing pressure on cities, these buried streams could become part of the solution. Restoring streams to the surface - a practice known as stream daylighting - can help manage stormwater, restore habitats and create greener, more walkable public spaces.

The Ontario government is investing nearly $3.9 million to help more than 310 women, including survivors of gender-based violence and others facing barriers to employment, access training and pursue in-demand careers in the skilled trades.

Home sales in Calgary fell 16.4 per cent in August compared with the same month last year as prices also fell overall. The Calgary Real Estate Board says 1,660 homes changed hands last month, as the residential benchmark price fell 1.1 per cent to $569,800.

The federal government is providing more than $35 million to support the construction of 95 rental homes in Mackenzie County, Alberta, across six projects led by Dene Tha' First Nation and Little Red River Cree Nation. All projects are built on reserve for nation members and are complete and operational. The funding is part of the federal government's efforts to address housing needs across Canada.

New data centres in Saskatchewan must be Canadian-owned and are also required to supply their own electricity, the province announced on August 27. The measures are part of a framework that Saskatchewan's government says ensures Canadian data is protected while also keeping utility services reliable.

A stretch of bike lane on a major Toronto road is set to be removed, Ontario's transportation minster said on September 1 as the province pressed ahead with its plan to overhaul the cycling network over the city's objections after a recent court win. The province said it had put out a bid request to study and design options to restore vehicle traffic on bike lane sections of Bloor Street, Yonge Street, Avenue Road and around Queen's Park.