Lack of affordable homes taking its toll on the economy

Layoffs in the home building industry have already started, and Ontario has shed nearly 12,000 construction jobs over the last year

When individuals and households that make six-figure incomes can’t afford to buy a home in the city where they work, it’s a problem. Sadly, that’s now the case in Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).

Hard working folks – nurses, teachers, emergency responders and tradespeople who form the economic and social backbone of our communities – are the invisible poor, according to a report from CivicAction, an organization that focuses on collaboration and ways to build better cities.

They’re being priced out of the very communities they serve. And, says the organization, when you do the math, it works out to a stunning $7.5-billion annual GDP loss for the re