Ottawa Home Builders Welcome Ontario Budget 2026’s Support for Housing Affordability and Supply

 

OTTAWA, ON – March 26, 2026 – The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) applauds the Government of Ontario’s 2026 Budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario, which builds on the government’s commitment to improving the opportunity for Ontarians to live in a home of their own through its housing infrastructure, supply and affordability measures.

 

“Along with the HST relief announced yesterday, the capital infrastructure plan will relieve cost pressures on housing-enabling infrastructure and growth,” said Jason Burggraaf, GOHBA’s Executive Director. “We’re also heartened to see a desire by the province to again partner with the federal government to lower development charges for new housing, which is a critical step to further improve housing affordability.”

 

Previously, the provincial government announced a temporary expansion of the HST New Housing Rebate to all new home purchases, in partnership with the federal government.

The expansion applies from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, and provides a maximum sales tax reduction of $130,000 for new homes valued up to $1.5 million.

 

The 2026 Budget also provides a 10-year capital plan of over $210B, including $37B in 2026-27, to build highways, transit and community infrastructure. Increases to the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program will enable housing development by funding core infrastructure projects such as roads and water systems to support growing communities.

 

Finally, the Budget also calls for a “coordinated response from all orders of government” to significantly reduce development charges and make housing more affordable.

 

“Development charges in Ottawa have increased almost 30 per cent over the past two and a half years,” said Burggraaf. “So we encourage both governments to establish a new funding program that could be made available to municipalities that agree to reduce development charges.”

 

GOHBA is committed to working with all levels of government, policymakers, industry stakeholders and communities to get homes built and advance practical, scalable solutions to increase housing supply and affordability for residents in Ottawa and across Ontario, now and into the future.