housing

The federal government will allow 30-year amortization periods on insured mortgages for first-time homebuyers purchasing newly built homes. Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland made the announcement in Toronto today, saying it would take effect Aug. 1.  The Canadian Home Builders’ Association has advocated for longer amortization periods, saying five more years would help with affordability and […]

Two federal Liberal cabinet ministers were in Regina Wednesday making a pre-budget announcement on housing funding from the federal government. Arif Virani, Minister of Justice, and Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services Canada and minister for FedNor, made two announcements while in Regina. Hajdu confirmed that the 2024 budget would propose a new program Canada […]

The federal auditor general is “completely discouraged” to see so little improvement to substandard housing in First Nations over the past two decades, a new report says. Karen Hogan also looked at the planned expansion of the highly criticized First Nations policing program, and found poor management is leaving communities underserved and funds unspent. The […]

The Canadian Real Estate Association says February home sales jumped 19.7 per cent compared with a year ago. The association says the increase in part reflected weakness last year, as the result for February 2023 was one of the lowest for the month in the past two decades. On a month-over-month basis, CREA says seasonally […]

After a year marked by caution and shifting expectations spurred by rising borrowing costs, economists believe the Canadian housing market could be in for a rebound in 2024. That’s largely dependent on forecasts that the Bank of Canada could begin cutting its key interest rate from the current level of five per cent as early […]

“Buyer Beware” Its a familiar saying, mostly because it rings true. For example, Regina Police have arrested and charged a contractor with fraud after dozens of people reported problems with repair or renovation work not being done well, or not being done at all. Between June 2022 and December of this year, police received almost […]

Premier Scott Moe and his counterpart from Nova Scotia say Canada’s need for housing is too complex for provinces not to be at the table when Ottawa strikes housing deals with municipalities. The issue was a prominent part of the communiqué released Monday following a meeting of provincial premiers and territorial leaders in Halifax. At […]

The Bank of Canada held its key interest rate steady at five per cent, but hasn’t ruled out future rate hikes as price pressures remain high.   “With clearer signs that monetary policy is moderating spending and relieving price pressures, governing council decided to hold the policy rate at five per cent,” the Bank of Canada said in a news release on Wednesday.  […]

Members of Parliament will return to their seats in the House of Commons on Monday as the governing Liberals lay out new housing and cost-of-living initiatives hoping to end the beating their party is taking in the polls. While the Conservatives, whose own poll numbers are shining, return with a spring in their step, the […]

Regina’s first Rapid Housing Initiative project was officially opened at a ribbon-cutting ceremony late last week. The misatimosimôwin mîhkowâp (Horse Dance Lodge) is a 29-unit permanent supportive housing facility for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity in Regina. The project broke ground in September last year with collaborations from the Silver Sage Housing […]