Canada launches nationwide home building agency focused on mass timber

The government of Canada has launched Build Canada Homes, a federal agency that will leverage public-private partnership "to build affordable housing at scale and at speed" in order to address the country's housing crisis.

Announcing the agency earlier this week, recently elected Canadian prime minister Mark Carney claimed Build Canada Homes will be a "bold new approach and unprecedented investments to increase the housing supply in Canada".

According to the government, the initiative will leverage government funds, land and resources alongside incentives for the private sector in order to launch a wave of home building across the country.

"We will create an entirely new housing industry"

It will bring "all aspects of housing under one roof" and work to construct a variety of typologies, from shelters to supportive and market housing.

"Build Canada Homes will transform the way government works with the private sector to build," said Carney.

"We will create an entirely new housing industry using Canadian technology, Canadian workers, and Canadian resources – and give builders the tools they need to build more, build sustainably, and build at scale."

The programme was launched with an initial 13 billion Canadian dollar investment.

Carney's government also said it would open up public land and remove red tape in order to facilitate the quick production of housing across the nation.

Programme focused on "factory-built, modular and mass timber"

Build Canada Homes aims to use modern building technologies to reduce timelines as much as 50 per cent and reduce costs by as much as 20 per cent by utilising "innovative housing technologies".

"Build Canada Homes will place an intense focus on using cost-efficient and modern methods of construction such as factory-built, modular and mass timber," said the announcement.

The agency also highlighted a focus on its recently implemented Buy Canada policy, which prioritises Canadian consumption of Canada-produced goods. The building initiative highlighted a focus on Canadian lumber, steel and other materials as central to the plan.

For its first mode of action, Build Canada Homes will construct 4,000 homes on federal land and take direct control of this project in sites across the country, including urban centres such as Toronto and Edmonton.

Former Toronto deputy mayor Ana Bailão will be the inaugural CEO.

RAIC, Canada's official architecture body, praisedthe announcement and asked publicly that the government include the architecture community in the decision-making.

"The RAIC respectfully requests to be included as an active partner in the development of Build Canada Homes, and we welcome the opportunity to meet with the federal team to share our expertise and perspective on behalf of the architectural profession," said the organisation, urging the government to adhere to the country's "climate commitments".

"The RAIC strongly supports the intent of Build Canada Homes and urges the federal government to recognize architecture and design as essential to its success."

Further details will be announced in the coming months, according to the Canadian government.

In Toronto, photographer Brendan McNeill recently captured the dizzying development taking place in the country's most populous city.

The photo is by Double Space Photography. 

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