Cost of housing in Canada

[GR66]

I was curious as to why the population of urban Canada is growing at a faster rate than rural Canada.

Probably the same reason that urbanization has been taking place in every single country on the planet for the last two hundred years. Advances in agriculture means less people are needed on farms to feed the population and the remaining population tends to gravitate to more densely populated areas where there is greater economic opportunity.

There simply isn't enough economic activity in rural areas to support the number of people needing to work. Yes, it's nice to live in the wide open spaces and I don't begrudge anyone with the ability to seek that lifestyle, but realistically it will only ever be for the minority of the population.

 

[Good2Golf]

There simply isn't enough economic activity other than farming in rural areas to support the number of people needing to work. Yes, it's nice to live in the wide open spaces and get up at sunrise and work til well after sunset providing for those in urban areas and I don't begrudge anyone with the ability to seek endure that lifestyle, but realistically it will only ever be for the minority of the population that works to keep the 15-minute cities fed.

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[GR66]

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Agreed. No farms = No food. However, can those farms employ all those people in the cities that are doing things like building tractors, running the chemical plants to produce fertilizer, household goods, financial services, etc.?

We're a civilization that advances due to our specialization of labour. Farmers are one important specialization but its all of the specializations together that have allowed us to develop a society that doesn't require 80% of the population to be hoeing fields and reaping wheat.

 

[YZT580]

Agreed. No farms = No food. However, can those farms employ all those people in the cities that are doing things like building tractors, running the chemical plants to produce fertilizer, household goods, financial services, etc.?

We're a civilization that advances due to our specialization of labour. Farmers are one important specialization but its all of the specializations together that have allowed us to develop a society that doesn't require 80% of the population to be hoeing fields and reaping wheat.

would be true if we actually built tractors, manufactured household goods etc. We have gone to far with looking for the best labour costs overseas and need to selectively encourage industry to come home and provide those much needed middle class jobs. It isn't entirely true that we can't compete. Many jobs have gone off shore to increase the profit margin for multinational corps. Its different when the company is local but many of them have been bought out and then closed. A good for instance is Stelco

 

[Brad Sallows]

Not just farms. Pretty much everything in the "resource extraction" tier has benefited from productivity improvements so that many fewer people today are necessary per unit of material extracted, compared to some earlier time. That's offset a bit by identification and exploitation of formerly unknown/unused resources, but not enough to change the overall trend. Ditto the second tier "finishing" type stuff (milling, refining, some assembly and manufacturing) that sometimes takes place in hinterlands.

 

[mariomike]

I can't see the supply of detached family homes in Toronto increasing to meet demand.

Protection of the Green belt.

Zoning laws regarding single detached family homes.

Red tape.

 

[Halifax Tar]

I can't see the supply of detached family homes in Toronto increasing to meet demand.

Protection of the Green belt.

Zoning laws regarding single detached family homes.

Red tape.

Well, if you cant build out then you have two other options; up or down.

I read a report from a developer in his building proposal this week who claimed that he wanted to knock down all the single family homes in my neighborhood and build condos/apartments in their place.

 

[IKnowNothing]

I can't see the supply of detached family homes in Toronto increasing to meet demand.

Protection of the Green belt.

Zoning laws regarding single detached family homes.

Red tape.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-housing-homes-approved-not-built-1.6774509

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Zoning laws regarding single detached family homes.

No such thing anymore......no matter what your zoning law might have in print.

 

[Quirky]

Alternative for low-income housing....or single quarters on bases?

Tiny homes on small lots popping up in San Antonio area

Lennar Homes is building two styles of detached homes near Converse that are similar in size to a studio apartment.

sanantonioreport.org

Would seem pointless to have these detached in our winter environment.

 

[ModlrMike]

I read recently of a proposal to allow multi-story, multi family buildings in areas that are currently zoned single family. I think this idea has a degree of merit, provided certain safeguards are in place, such as limits to the size of the buildings. Restricting these to four units might be the reasonable balance between preserving the character of neighborhoods, and building eyesores on every other lot.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

I read recently of a proposal to allow multi-story, multi family buildings in areas that are currently zoned single family. I think this idea has a degree of merit, provided certain safeguards are in place, such as limits to the size of the buildings. Restricting these to four units might be the reasonable balance between preserving the character of neighborhoods, and building eyesores on every other lot.

Gentle Density/Intensification

As of right zoning to permit up to three residential units per lot (two in the main building and one in an accessory building), with no minimum unit sizes

Nov. 28, 2022

Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 passed… fast.

Already done.....and limits? "Ontario don't need no stinkin' limits"

Already a lot in my general area that has a beautiful house on it, and got approved for a severance to build another house. That's the kind of infill the 'association' in our area 100% agreed with, but soon as Bill 23 passed the developer went for 'tear down nice house and build 3 there"....approved, and our Mayor at a general meeting basically said existing homeowners are on the hook for water/sewer/ etc hookups and no legal means to force the builder to pass any savings on to buyers. Not one house will meet what has been 'legal frontage' previously.
Profit galore and taxpayers be damned.....

 

[IKnowNothing]

I read recently of a proposal to allow multi-story, multi family buildings in areas that are currently zoned single family. I think this idea has a degree of merit, provided certain safeguards are in place, such as limits to the size of the buildings. Restricting these to four units might be the reasonable balance between preserving the character of neighborhoods, and building eyesores on every other lot.

That's something I've been thinking about. In my hometown (and I'm sure all across the country) there's no shortage low key 3-8 unit multires buildings, made from converted "stately" homes - two story sprawling brick pre-wars. They'd be out of place in a neighbourhood of cookie cutter bungalows, but anything with any size variety at all they blend right in. But you'd never get approval to build them.

 

[Good2Golf]

Gentle Density/Intensification

As of right zoning to permit up to three residential units per lot (two in the main building and one in an accessory building), with no minimum unit sizes

Nov. 28, 2022

Bill 23 – More Homes Built Faster Act, 2022 passed… fast.

Already done.....and limits? "Ontario don't need no stinkin' limits"

Already a lot in my general area that has a beautiful house on it, and got approved for a severance to build another house. That's the kind of infill the 'association' in our area 100% agreed with, but soon as Bill 23 passed the developer went for 'tear down nice house and build 3 there"....approved, and our Mayor at a general meeting basically said existing homeowners are on the hook for water/sewer/ etc hookups and no legal means to force the builder to pass any savings on to buyers. Not one house will meet what has been 'legal frontage' previously.
Profit galore and taxpayers be damned.....

Imagine if Canada had actually done something substantive in supporting the Provinces thusly, instead of well…waxing self-eloquently about taking care of the issues so that Canadians don’t have to, etc.

 

[Bruce Monkhouse]

Imagine if Canada had actually done something substantive in supporting the Provinces thusly, instead of well…waxing self-eloquently about taking care of the issues so that Canadians don’t have to, etc.

Like just bussing illegal immigrants to Toronto's downtown and dropping them off??

 

[Good2Golf]

Like just bussing illegal immigrants to Toronto's downtown and dropping them off??

I think you misspelled new Liberal voters.

 

[Quirky]

Like just bussing illegal immigrants to Toronto's downtown and dropping them off??

They should be bussed in front of parliament, that's were the loonies are who allowed roxham road to stay open for so long.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Probably the same reason that urbanization has been taking place in every single country on the planet for the last two hundred years. Advances in agriculture means less people are needed on farms to feed the population and the remaining population tends to gravitate to more densely populated areas where there is greater economic opportunity.

There simply isn't enough economic activity in rural areas to support the number of people needing to work. Yes, it's nice to live in the wide open spaces and I don't begrudge anyone with the ability to seek that lifestyle, but realistically it will only ever be for the minority of the population.

With better connectivity and improved highway infrastructure and better small airports with shuttle runs. You could make a lot more of the smaller communities more attractive. If we had visionaries in government, that's what would be happening, but they are too fixated on the vote rich areas.

 

[IKnowNothing]

With better connectivity and improved highway infrastructure and better small airports with shuttle runs. You could make a lot more of the smaller communities more attractive. If we had visionaries in government, that's what would be happening, but they are too fixated on the vote rich areas.

Long term, done right, that could be the answer. Short term? Recipe for rapid "gentrification" and rural alienation as people get rapidly priced out of their hometowns by the influx of of city money.

 

[RangerRay]

Like just bussing illegal immigrants to Toronto's downtown and dropping them off??

I says Pardon?