GOHBA News
Vacant But Uninhabitable
Council recently directed City Staff to develop a residential Vacant Unit Tax based on staff’s framework and a review of similar regimes elsewhere. Staff’s recommendation is a 1% tax on properties if they are vacant for more than 184 (cumulative) days during the previous calendar year, which would mean a $4,150 bill on a $415,000…
Read MoreRenoMark® Renovators go virtual to support Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa
The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) has been raising funds for Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa through its RenoMark® Reno Tour for six years, but the annual home renovation event took on a whole new look in 2020. Reno Tour, which typically offers consumers the opportunity to visit homes across Ottawa that have been…
Read MoreWant Affordability? Get Supply.
For over a year now I’ve been talking about the need for Ottawa to be building homes Up, In and Out. Our population is expected to increase by 400,000 people from 2018 to 2046 (or 40% growth from our current 1 million residents). How are we ever going to supply enough homes to meet our…
Read MoreGOHBA Recognizes Special Achievement Award Winners
The Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) recognized outstanding Association and industry contributors during the presentation of Special Achievement Awards at its Annual General Meeting on Thursday, April 29, 2021. Neil Malhotra of Claridge Homes was awarded the Colonel Boss Award, an accolade named in honor of the first Executive Director of GOHBA. This award…
Read MoreIt’s Time to Support Home Renovations
Renovation is a critical part of the residential construction industry that often doesn’t get talked about in terms of policy. It won’t shock anyone who’s heard of lumber and other building material supply shortages that demand for renovations has gone up during the pandemic. This is partly due to all of us being…
Read MoreEmbracing Intensification is Part of Growing Up
Ottawa has a lot of growing up to do. I’ve repeated this stat often in our updates and I’ll continue to do so – Ottawa is expected to grow by an additional 400,000 people over the next 25 years. This is a 40% increase over our current population of 1 million. All of those people…
Read MoreHousing Resolutions for 2021
Each year at this time I talk about resolutions for housing in Ottawa for the coming year. For 2021 I would still like to see the public conversation focus more around the contribution homes make to our communities, to our fellow citizens, and to ourselves and our families. Last year the City committed to seeing…
Read MoreLet’s Walk the Talk on Intensification
Last year GOHBA presented information about the then-forthcoming Official Plan, the intention to accommodate more homes through intensification in existing neighbourhoods and the need for everyone to understand the profound changes Ottawa is going to see as its population grows by 400,000 people to 1.4 million by 2046. Now the draft Official Plan is out…
Read MoreOur Commitment to Energy Efficiency
On September 22 GOHBA won EnerQuality’s Home Builders’ Association of the Year award, which recognizes “outstanding leadership in high-performance home building by promoting and participating in EnerQuality programs and the high-performance homebuilding construction industry.” GOHBA is the proud voice for excellence in the home building community, and one of the things we’re most proud of…
Read MoreHow Lumber Supply Affects Housing
If you’re building a new home, thinking about one, or have bought lumber for a home renovation project recently, you’ve likely seen media reports about supply constraints and sharp price increases in wood products — specifically pressure-treated wood, plywood and framing lumber. A big part of what you’re seeing now is the lag effect from…
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