Today, ICBA sent this open letter from Chris Gardner, President of the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), regarding the growing jobs crisis in British Columbia’s homebuilding sector, to federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson and B.C. Housing Minister Christine Boyle.
The letter outlines our concerns that Canada’s housing crisis has now become a jobs crisis, with thousands of skilled tradespeople losing work as projects stall under the weight of delays, red tape, and escalating costs. In it, we urge their governments to focus on four critical priorities:
- Cutting approval and permitting times,
- Reducing taxes and construction costs,
- Rethinking how we fund municipal infrastructure, and
- Collaborating across all levels of government and industry.
We also caution against adding more layers of housing bureaucracy that could further slow delivery and sideline small- and mid-sized builders, who remain the backbone of Canada’s housing supply.
Without urgent and coordinated action, homebuilding will continue to decline, deepening both the housing shortage and the economic fallout.
Read the full letter HERE.
