In the News

The cost of production is too high and it takes too long to get shovels in the ground for new housing, so we must reduce the tax burden and eliminate barriers to supply, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in RENX Homes.

Leaders must do what is necessary - not merely what is comfortable - to restore the new housing market, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Contractor.

Canada had little choice but to impose tariffs in response to actions by the Trump administration, but the exchange will significantly raise the cost of new homes, RESCON president Richard Lyall explained in an article in Daily Commercial News.

The escalating tariff battle between the two closest economic partners in the world will only make the housing crisis worse, RESCON president Richard Lyall warns in a column in Canadian Forest Industries.

A wave of cost escalation could be in the works for new housing as a result of the tariff dispute between Canada and the United States, a new report by RESCON reveals, the REMI Network reports.

Ontario remains stuck in the dark ages when it comes to development approvals, RESCON president Richard Lyall says in the last of a series of three columns in Daily Commercial News that offer suggestions on how to fix Ontario’s housing supply crisis.

While the Development Charge Reduction Program offers important relief, its limited duration creates uncertainty at precisely the moment when the industry needs predictability, RESCON president Richard Lyall states in the second of a three-part series in Daily Commercial News.

RESCON president Richard Lyall kicks off a three-part series in Daily Commercial News with a column that suggests making the temporary HST rebate on new housing permanent would spur new construction.

Ontario is in need of a province-wide AI-enabled permitting platform that would modernize, digitize and speed-up the development approvals process, RESCON president Richard Lyall says in a column in Senso Magazine.

RESCON is calling on the federal and provincial governments, along with municipalities, to permanently eliminate the HST from new home purchases, slash development charges, and implement initiatives such as digitization to modernize and accelerate the planning approvals and review processes.

Behavioural insights must be embedded into both classroom learning and on-the-job training to reduce friction points that cause skilled trade apprentices to disengage, RESCON president Richard Lyall wrote in a column in The Toronto Sun.

The housing crisis is not a private-market failure; it is largely policy-constructed, which means it can also be corrected, RESCON president Richard Lyall explained in a column in Real Estate Magazine Canada.

RESCON is calling for reforms to the recruitment of apprentices, including more opportunities for streaming high school students into the trades and greater adoption of behavioural science to identify young people with an aptitude for the trades.

Housing is fundamental to our economic prosperity and well-being. Yet it is still often treated as an economic “want,” taxed and regulated as though shelter were a luxury rather than a necessity, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in Storeys.

Ontario has made real progress on housing affordability, but not enough, RESCON president Richard Lyall said in an article in Canadian Mortgage Professional.

Some estimates show that Trump’s tariffs — including his latest 50 per cent levy — have added anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000 to the cost of building a house in Canada, RESCON president Richard Lyall said in an article in The Toronto Star.

U.S. tariffs on Canadian lumber and forest products are a serious threat to the residential construction, forestry and wood products industries in Canada as well as the homebuilding industry in the U.S., RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in Canadian Forest Industries magazine.

If policymakers are serious about restoring affordability and increasing housing supply, the temporary HST rebate and development charge reductions need to be made permanent, RESCON president Richard Lyall wrote in a column in Daily Commercial News.

RESCON VP Andrew Pariser, chair of the Construction Employers Coalition, said in Canadian Occupational Safety that the WSIB should pause closure of the Second Injury and Enhancement Fund and hold a full consultation.

Until training policies are designed around human behaviour, the problems of the skilled-worker shortage in construction and other key sectors will continue to escalate, authors of a report done for RESCON write in Policy Options.

The housing crisis is no longer merely an economic issue, RESCON president Richard Lyall wrote in a column in Real Estate Magazine.

RESCON has joined an AI for Housing Coalition as a development partner because the goal is to create a more predictable, transparent and efficient path through the approvals system, association president Richard Lyall explains in a column in Canadian Contractor.

The foreign buyer restriction on new housing is set to expire automatically on Jan. 1, 2027, and Ottawa should let it do so - or better yet, remove it immediately for newly constructed housing, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in The Toronto Sun.

Canada must redesign apprenticeship training using behavioural science to boost completions and meet growing skilled labour demand, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in On-Site.

Adam Jacobs, senior national director, research, Colliers Canada, sat down with RESCON president Richard Lyall to unpack how the housing crisis came about and whether there’s a path forward.

Many Ontarians are now doing what would have seemed inconceivable a generation ago: looking hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away for a chance to own a home, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Storeys.

Lowering government-imposed costs is not just a housing affordability issue - it’s an economic issue, RESCON president Richard Lyall explained in a column in Canadian Forest Industries.

At the precise moment when Canada needs more skilled trades, the system responsible for producing them is falling short, RESCON president Richard Lyall explains in a column in Daily Commercial News.

Ontario’s approvals ecosystem is highly fragmented, with hundreds of disconnected permitting environments operating across the province, each with its own processes, requirements, and data systems, RESCON president Richard Lyall explains in a column in Real Estate Magazine.

RESCON president Richard Lyall joined Vanessa Topple on CREBTV for a two-part series on Ontario’s Development Charge Reduction Program and how technology and faster approvals can help increase the province’s housing supply.

While investment has surged, apprenticeship completion rates remain stubbornly low and, in many cases, are declining, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Contractor magazine.

In an episode of the Colliers Talks Economics podcast, RESCON president Richard Lyall unpacks how we got into the housing crisis and whether there’s a path forward.

RESCON has joined One Ontario's AI for Housing Coalition because builders are concerned about red tape and lengthy approval times for housing, president Richard Lyall writes in a column in The Toronto Sun.

Despite billions of dollars in public investment, uptake of training programs remains too low in many areas and the number of workers who complete training and receiving certification is on the decline, RESCON president Richard Lyall write in a Builder Bites column.

Alberta has chosen a system where compliant projects can move forward without delay and is also reducing costs at the source and increasing the predictability that builders need to invest, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Storeys.

Canada Day is a time for reflection and celebration. But to continue on our path to prosperity, we need to ensure there is a healthy supply of skilled trades workers in the pipeline, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Senso Magazine.

Canada should adopt behavioural science principles to improve apprenticeship recruitment and completion rates in the skilled trades, according to a new report from RESCON.

RESCON is welcoming the decision by the federal and Ontario governments to move forward with the new Development Charge Reduction Program (DCRP).

A new report prepared for RESCON argues that Canada's persistent apprenticeship crisis is not primarily a funding problem — it is a design problem because the system has been built around economic assumptions about human behaviour that the evidence does not support.

Thousands of skilled trades workers are set to leave the workforce over the coming decade, which will mean the forestry and wood products industries will struggle to find workers, RESCON president Richard Lyall warns in a column in Canadian Forest Industries.

Ontario does not have a land scarcity problem. Rather, it has a serviced, approved and buildable land scarcity problem, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in The Toronto Sun.

Regulatory red tape, and exorbitant taxes, fees and development charges are the main reasons we are still not building enough homes to meet set targets, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Real Estate Magazine.

The current housing collapse should dispel any illusion that the market will heal itself, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in an article in Storeys.

Ontario is dealing with a housing affordability crisis that has been decades in the making - one built, layer by layer, through public policy, RESCON president Richard Lyall said in a column in Senso Magazine.

The country continues to operate an apprenticeship system that loses enormous numbers of trainees before the finish line, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Contractor magazine.

While politicians celebrate apprenticeship registrations and recruitment campaigns, they ignore the deeper failure in that the construction industry is losing far too many apprentices before they ever become certified tradespeople, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in On-Site.

Development charges must be restructured, approval timelines must be shortened, HST relief needs to be made permanent, and we must embrace industrialized construction at scale, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Real Estate Magazine.

Offsite construction methods offer valuable labour productivity benefits and are useful for niche applications such as remote communities, purpose-built rentals, and emergency housing, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Forest Industries magazine.

We are investing heavily in getting people into apprenticeships but, to our detriment, we are paying far less attention to getting them through the training, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Daily Commercial News.

Embracing PropTech and ConTech is no longer optional - it is essential for the residential construction industry, RESCON president Richard Lyall states in a column in Canadian Real Estate Wealth.

Without deliberate, co-ordinated reform across all orders of government, affordability of housing will not return to historical norms for at least another decade - if at all, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in The Toronto Sun.

The HST rebate was a strong first step to restoring equilibrium and the action on DCs was another. However, the moves risk being eroded by rising municipal fees, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Senso Magazine.

We must make pragmatic improvements to fix the bottlenecks in our apprenticeship system as too few trainees complete their programs, RESCON president Richard Lyall notes in a Builder Bites column.

Research shows that factory construction can deliver real productivity gains, RESCON president Richard Lyall states in an article in Canadian Contractor.

Ontario does not have a land shortage problem; it has a shortage of serviced, approved and buildable land — a crisis created not by geography, but by decades of policy choices, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Storeys.

A report done for RESCON found that job losses in the residential construction industry continued to mount throughout 2025, with 46,562 fewer person years of employment compared to the 2021-24 averages.

Our planning approvals process is still largely paper-driven, siloed and opaque and it is time for a PropTech and ConTech revolution here in Canada, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in On-Site Magazine.

The impact of the decline in home building extends well beyond the residential construction industry, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in Canadian Forest Industries magazine.

RESCON president Richard Lyall was on The Brian Crombie Hour where he discussed the structural failures behind Canada’s housing system and why housing prices have climbed to nearly eight times the average income.

To tackle Ontario’s housing supply and affordability crisis, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel; we just need to look at what’s working in jurisdictions like Alberta and follow their lead, RESCON president Richard Lyall wrote in Daily Commercial News.

Housing is one of the most powerful economic engines in the country, and when it stalls, the consequences ripple far beyond the construction site, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Contractor.

If construction is serious about solving its pending labour shortage, recruiting and retaining women is not optional; it is essential, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Senso magazine.

The federal and provincial governments have moved to slash development charges and now municipalities must follow, RESCON president Richard Lyall noted in a column in Real Estate Magazine.

While federal and provincial leaders are working to reduce costs and encourage building, municipal policies are too often pulling in the opposite direction, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in The Toronto Sun.

Steps taken recently by the Ontario and federal governments will help boost the residential construction sector and make homes more affordable, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Storeys.

Development charges have been on a trajectory that is unsustainable and economically counterproductive, RESCON president Richard Lyall said in an article in Ontario Construction News.

The decision to remove sales taxes on new homes is a critical step towards making them more affordable and demonstrates that Premier Doug Ford and Prime Minister Mark Carney understand the severity of the housing downturn.

Scrapping the sales taxes on new homes will spur construction and boost the building industry, RESCON president Richard Lyall said in The Cambridge Times.

A three-year HST holiday on the purchase of new homes up to $1.3 million is one way to boost sales of new homes, RESCON president Richard Lyall wrote in a column in Canadian Forest Industries.

RESCON president Richard Lyall discussed what it will take to restart Ontario’s housing industry on The Move Smartly Show with John Pasalis, president and broker of Realosophy Realty.

A three-year sales tax holiday on new homes, combined with serious reform of development charges, would help restart the housing engine, RESCON president Richard Lyall argues in a column in Daily Commercial News.

Pausing construction work in downtown Toronto due to the FIFA World Cup could delay occupancy at several high-rise developments, RESCON president Richard Lyall explained in an interview with CityNews.

If governments are serious about restoring housing affordability and reviving residential construction, they should expand tax reductions on new homes to all buyers - not just first-time purchasers, RESCON president said in a column in Canadian Real Estate Wealth.

Lengthy approvals, excessive regulatory requirements and layers of red tape have slowed residential construction to the point where, in some regions, activity has nearly ground to a halt, RESCON president writes in a column in Real Estate Magazine Canada.

Legislation that eliminates the five-per-cent federal GST for first-time buyers on new homes priced at or under $1 million is extremely welcome news, RESCON president Richard Lyall says in an article in Canadian Contractor.

RESCON is urging Queen’s Park to implement a three-year HST holiday for buyers of all new homes up to $1.3 million.

Tiebacks have served Ontario well for decades and abandoning them in favour of other methods of supporting deep excavations during high-rise construction would only raise costs, RESCON president Richard Lyall argues in a column in Canadian Contractor.

The gap between the new housing we need and what we’re delivering is expanding, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Building Excellence.

Municipalities across the GTA and beyond continue to apply green development standards through planning approvals, resulting in a regulatory maze that adds substantially to construction costs, and results in delays, RESCON president says in a column in Canadian Real Estate Wealth.

If no action is taken, the province stands to average 21,500 fewer housing starts every year over the next decade compared to the recent 10-year average, RESCON president Richard Lyall warns in a column in Storeys.

RESCON president Richard Lyall addressed the issue of development charges and other fees levied on homes by the City of Toronto on the Toronto Today show with host Greg Brady on AM 640 Radio.

Latest stats show that mental health and addictions issues are still a persistent problem for the construction industry, as suicides and drug overdoses remain exceedingly high for workers, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Contractor.

When it comes to housing affordability, a recent Senate report validates many of the core recommendations in RESCON’s pre-budget submission - and governments would be wise to take note, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Daily Commercial News.

RESCON supports the provincial government’s proposal to pause Inclusionary Zoning requirements in Toronto, Mississauga and Kitchener that force developers to include a certain percentage of affordable apartments in major housing projects near transit stations.

Jerry Agar of Newstalk 1010 spoke with RESCON president Richard Lyall about a new report that indicates implementing a three-year HST holiday on new home construction would boost Ontario’s battered housing sector.

Budget 2026 is an opportunity for the province to reverse years of policy drift that have layered taxes, fees and delays onto new housing until many projects no longer make financial sense to build, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes in a column in Canadian Real Estate Wealth.

Ontario’s housing crisis didn’t happen overnight. It’s been decades in the making, caused by overly restrictive policies and regulations, slow approvals, excessive red tape and exorbitant taxes.

RESCON is urging the provincial government to take a series of bold steps in its upcoming budget to address the most severe housing crisis the province has ever faced.

NRU GTHA reports that a recent pre-budget submission from RESCON has laid out 10 steps it would like to see the province pursue in its upcoming 2026 budget.

Tens of thousands of jobs in the residential construction sector are at stake - as well as jobs in the wood and forest product industries, RESCON president Richard Lyall writes.

A RESCON pre-budget submission is calling on the provincial government to take a number of bold steps to tackle Ontario's housing crisis.

RESCON is urging the provincial government to take a series of bold steps in the upcoming budget in order to tackle the severe housing crisis.