GOHBA Calls for Infrastructure Investment to Keep Pace with Housing Growth

OTTAWA, ON – September 15, 2026 – The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) is pushing for practical changes to infrastructure funding and growth planning to help get more housing built in Ottawa.

GOHBA’s Executive Director Jason Burggraaf delivered that message at the Ottawa Infrastructure Forum 2026 today, where he participated in a panel focused on housing and development.

“Ottawa can’t build the housing it needs without the infrastructure to support it,” said Burggraaf. “Our members are dealing with infrastructure challenges every day, and GOHBA is advocating for practical solutions that provide reliable, predictable funding, like the upcoming development charge reduction program agreement between the province and the City.”

With the City of Ottawa projected to add more than 500,000 residents and 250,000 households by 2051, reliable and predictable infrastructure funding will be essential to keeping pace with housing growth. Guaranteed funding through Ontario’s development charge reduction program will help ensure the infrastructure needed to support new housing can be built when it is needed, rather than waiting for development charges to be collected after homes are sold.

Burggraaf also highlighted the need for more flexibility in infrastructure funding, pointing to the City’s Agile Capital Budgeting Pilot for Road Growth Projects, as well as innovative approaches to water and wastewater infrastructure such as the use of municipal service corporations. He emphasized the importance of aligning infrastructure investment with future housing demand and taking a balanced approach to growth that supports both intensification and suburban communities.

“Policy on its own won't deliver the homes Ottawa's growing population needs,” said Burggraaf. “We need infrastructure, transportation, land planning and approvals to work together to support housing growth. That’s where GOHBA will continue to focus its advocacy over the next year.”

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 of Ottawa.