News

CHBA’s Municipal Benchmarking Study ranks Regina as top city for housing affordability and supply

The Canadian Home Builders’ Association’s Municipal Benchmarking Study looked at 23 housing markets across Canada, and examined how their processes, approval timelines and fees contribute to housing affordability and supply issues. This is the first study of its kind. Research was conducted in late 2019 and early 2020, prior to the pandemic.

The report looked at three different areas: planning features, government fees, and approval timelines. Regina was ranked as the number one city overall, followed by Edmonton, Calgary, and London. Regina was named the “top city” as far as approval timelines go, ninth for keeping government fees and charges affordable, and eleventh for the structures and processes available to developers.

On behalf of all of us at the Regina & Region Home Builders’ Association, we are proud of these results and the collaborative approach we have developed with the City Administration and City Council. Our joint commitment to work together, and address difficult issues, has often resulted in better outcomes for housing affordability and Regina citizens, while keeping the economic engine of residential construction moving forward.

While it is recognized that there are still areas of improvement, the results of this study demonstrate the great progress we have made in recent years. Several individuals at the City of Regina have shown they are committed to improving outcomes for our industry, and they have worked with us diligently in the pursuit of those improvements by delivering on:

• Tools that allow applicants to track their applications’ status online
• A new online portal that will enable applicants to submit applications online
• Refining guiding documents, such as Neighbourhood Plans, to further clarify policy
• Focusing on growth-related engineering studies to support a growing city
• The continued collaboration with partners, including us at the RRHBA on Servicing Agreements, Development Levy and Intensification Fee Policies

When asked to comment on the results of the CHBA study, Regina Mayor Michael Fougere stated that “this study confirms the impressive collaboration efforts between the City and the Regina and Region Homebuilders’ Association (RRHBA) in fostering our community’s economic prosperity. It’s a good progress report for the continuous improvements the City has been making with the development industry.” Executive Director of City Planning and Development Services, Diana Hawryluk stated that “ensuring our services have a customer-centric focus is a top priority at the City. We have truly seen a transformational change within, which is reflective in the services being delivered to the development industry and residents.”

As we reflect on the results of this study, we cannot help but notice that in the communities where industry members have a strong working relationship with the municipality, housing tends to be more affordable and attainable, supply is much closer to demand, and the housing market is more balanced. Together, the RRHBA and the City of Regina will remain committed to continuing the good work as we recover through COVID-19. We will continue to work together to improve processes and programs that impact the local residential construction industry.