Canada

From other parts of the internet. I don't agree with all of it but for the most part it's decent and worth thinking about.

People should understand at this point if we keep trying to point to a single thing to that needs change it likely won't actually do much or at least in our lifetime. We need a lot of things to go in the right direction to bring back affordability and should appropriately call out people who aren't pulling their weight.

🔹 1. Federal Government

Role:

Land Ownership: The federal government controls significant amounts of Crown land, much of which sits unused or underutilized in urban peripheries.
Taxation Policy: Federal capital gains rules, income from property, and the existence or absence of incentives for affordable development influence developer and homeowner behaviour.
Housing Acts & Funding: The National Housing Strategy and CMHC programs often focus on social housing, leaving market-rate affordable housing under-addressed. Funding for infrastructure also sets the pace for development.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Hoarding of federal land or delays in land release.
Tax incentives that reward property speculation over occupancy or long-term affordability.
Underinvestment in transportation or infrastructure that could make cheaper land more viable.

🔹 2. Provincial Governments

Role:

Land & Zoning Control: Provinces control Crown land within their jurisdictions and direct land-use policies through legislation.
Regulatory Oversight: They set building codes, development appeal processes, and housing-related tribunal systems.
Tax Levers: Property transfer taxes, speculation taxes (like BC’s Speculation and Vacancy Tax), and provincial rebates or grants.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Overregulation or slow regulatory processes.
Inconsistent or unclear direction to municipalities.
Delays or gaps in infrastructure funding necessary to enable new developments.

🔹 3. Municipal Governments

Role:

Zoning and Development Approvals: Municipalities control land use and zoning, including height, density, and land use rules.
Fees & Levies: Development charges, community amenity contributions, parkland dedications, etc.
Local Politics: Local councils are heavily influenced by existing homeowners and vocal NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) groups.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Low-density zoning in urban cores.
Bureaucratic or slow permitting processes.
Restriction of development to protect "neighbourhood character."
Lack of coordination with surrounding municipalities for regional planning.

🔹 4. Homeowners

Role:

Political Influence: Homeowners are highly engaged voters and often resist developments that may reduce their property value or change the character of their neighbourhood.
Speculation: Use of primary homes and investment properties as financial instruments rather than housing.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Resistance to densification.
Holding on to underutilized properties.
Purchasing additional properties, reducing overall supply for first-time buyers.

🔹 5. Home Buyers

Role:

Demand Pressure: Flocking to desirable areas and competing with each other fuels bidding wars.
Preferences: Preferences for certain neighbourhoods, amenities, or detached homes limit the demand for other more affordable but less "prime" options.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Exacerbation of housing bubbles in hot markets.
Little market pressure for developers to build outside of high-demand areas or diversify product types.

🔹 6. Developers & Builders

Role:

Control of Supply: They are the ones actually producing housing.
Profit-Motivated: Focused on returns; higher-end or luxury units offer greater profit margins.
Land Banking: May hold land for future resale at higher value instead of building now.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Preference for high-margin projects (e.g., condos vs. family-sized rentals).
Delayed builds due to market timing ("just-in-time" development).
Underbuilding affordable units unless incentivized or required.

🔹 7. Financial Institutions (Banks, Mortgage Lenders, Investors)

Role:

Credit Policy: Lending practices directly affect who can buy and how much they can borrow.
Investment Products: REITs and other housing-focused investment vehicles treat housing as an asset class.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Easy credit can inflate prices.
Institutional ownership of housing stock reduces supply available for private ownership.
Risk-averse lending discourages innovative or affordable projects.

🔹 8. Real Estate Industry (Agents, MLS systems, Speculators)

Role:

Market Messaging: Pushes narratives around “invest now or miss out.”
Intermediation: Agents, especially in hot markets, may encourage bidding wars.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Speculation culture.
Pressure to treat homes as investments first, shelter second.

🔹 9. Media & Cultural Norms

Role:

Narrative Shaping: Reinforces the idea that real estate is the ultimate path to wealth.
Desirability Framing: Promotes specific types of housing (e.g., detached homes) and locations as aspirational.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Normalization of price increases.
Discourages demand for alternative housing types or models.

🔹 10. Labour and Materials Supply Chain

Role:

Constrains Supply: A lack of skilled tradespeople or high material costs can slow or block construction.

Barrier Mechanisms:

Increased build times and costs.
Preference for projects that are more profitable to offset higher labour/material costs.