UDI Nova Scotia has long been concerned with providing affordable housing options to Nova Scotians. We closely watch government rules and regulations which may impact affordability, and lobby for changes which will allow more first-time home buyers into the market.
Here are some of our initiatives:
Infrastructure Charges: HRM & consultant Turner Drake are in the process of reviewing all Infrastructure Charges (Capital Cost Contributions) which apply to developments within HRM. UDI supports fair and clearly outlined fee structures for all charges applied by HRM, however, we are concerned that unnecessarily high fees will increase the affordability of housing. We recently commissioned a report from Altus Group comparing all infrastructure charges in HRM and Moncton, our closest equivalent in the Canadian Maritimes, which is complete and will be shared with HRM and members shortly. Visit our Infrastructure Charges page for more information.
National Mortgage Rules: In 2016 new Federal mortgage regulations designed to cool overpriced housing markets in Vancouver and Toronto came into effect. UDI believes these regulations adversely affect smaller markets such as HRM and lobbied to have the regulations and their effect reviewed. We have a Task Force dedicated to this issue and continue to work with the Federal government and local organizations to ensure rules are fair for Atlantic Canadians.
In 2017 UDI Director David Graham travelled to Ottawa to present on UDI’s behalf to the Standing Committee on Finance (FINA) as part of their study on the Canadian Real Estate Market and Home Ownership. UDI was one of several organizations invited from across Canada to present on this issue. We believe our message was well-received, and look forward to hearing the results of the study. A recording of the hearing is available online; to listen to David Graham’s presentation please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTOJ0SkrGnQ&t=2s, or click here to hear the full session
Housing Market Policies for Canada: UDI Board member David Graham co-authored a paper with Policy Scotland’s Duncan MacLennan – view the paper on Policy Scotland’s website at https://policyscotland.gla.ac.uk/housing-market-policies-canada-short-term-measures-system-challenges/.
Deed Transfer & Land Taxes: UDI has a Task Force dedicated to this issue, and we are working with local governments to reduce the impact these taxes have on housing affordability.
Will Dunning Report: This UDI commissioned report showed that government-imposed charges could skyrocket to $25,000 per door in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) driving up the cost of home ownership. View the full report here.
