Tag: Advocacy

The Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) congratulates George Darouze (Carleton), Karen McCrimmon (Kanata-Carleton), Tyler Watt (Nepean), Stephen Blais (Orléans), Catherine McKenney (Ottawa Centre), John Fraser (Ottawa South), Lucille Collard (Ottawa-Vanier) and Chandra Pasma (Ottawa West-Nepean) on their election victories.

OREB also congratulates Premier Doug Ford and the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party on securing a third consecutive majority government. Premier Ford’s re-election reflects Ontarians’ strong desire for stable leadership on the economy and housing affordability.

Since taking office, Ford’s government has worked to address Ontario’s housing challenges by reducing bureaucratic barriers, streamlining development approvals, and investing in infrastructure. These measures are critical to ensuring that more families, first-time buyers, and newcomers can find homes in Ottawa and across the province.

Ottawa REALTORS® are eager to work with all MPPs to advance policies that support homeownership, improve housing affordability and ensure Ontario remains a competitive and attractive place to live and invest. Addressing housing supply and affordability must remain a top priority as the province continues to grow.

Part of the plan to protect Ontario from the impact of U.S. tariffs must include stronger efforts to lower taxes on housing and speed up the construction of homes that families can afford. Ontario must also ramp up efforts to reform the Landlord and Tenant Board and clear the backlog of cases affecting the rental housing market.

OREB and its Members look forward to working with all elected representatives to deliver real solutions for Ottawa families striving to buy, sell or rent a home in the nation’s capital.

The Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) endorses today’s substantial federal and municipal housing announcement, committing $176 million through the Housing Accelerator Fund to expedite the creation of 4,400 new housing units over three years and stimulate the construction of 32,600 homes in the next decade.   

OREB is encouraged by these efforts, which parallel our advocacy for more inclusive housing policies. The initiatives announced, including Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s pledge to advance the Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw, resonate with OREB’s recommendations—particularly the proposal to allow up to four residential units on property lots to enhance density and address inventory shortages. We call on the mayor and city officials to deliver this commitment by passing the comprehensive bylaw review process by 2025. 

Recent market indicators highlight the urgency for such measures. In January 2024, the months of inventory reduced to 3.1 months from 3.5 months in January 2023. This signals a tight market with room for improvement in housing supply. Fast-tracking 4,400 new home units is a positive start in addressing the housing supply concerns.     

OREB has consistently called for an increased supply of affordable housing and rental units. We are particularly pleased that the funding targets more rental units, affordable housing, and missing middle housing. The bylaw review process’s potential to allow four units as-of-right on property lots is a transformative change we have long supported.    

This announcement represents a significant step towards meeting the persisting demand for housing in Ottawa. As we await the implementation of these zoning changes, OREB is steadfast in our commitment to supporting our Member REALTORS® and the community—advocating for a housing market that is both accessible and robust.   

This message on behalf of the board of directors is to address the recent social media posts and discussions by members of the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) promoting hateful thoughts against the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Hate has no place in our community. OREB unequivocally and unapologetically condemns any message or behaviour of intolerance and divisiveness against all persons, families and communities. 

Chief among the values that we uphold are professionalism, integrity and ethical practice. At OREB, we are resolute in our commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for our staff, our members, and clients. We believe in treating everyone with respect and ensuring that our industry serves the needs of all individuals, and we will continue our efforts to promote a more inclusive and accepting community.

Ken Dekker
Ottawa Real Estate Board
2023 President

Housing, and the challenges faced by Canadians with respect to housing, has been a major theme in headlines across the country for a number of years. REALTORS® of the Ottawa Real Estate Board (OREB) and throughout Canada have long been advocating for measures to alleviate what was a growing concern — the housing supply shortage.

Commenting on the housing elements of Budget 2023 cannot be done without looking back at last year when the federal government formally recognized that a chronic shortage of housing supply is at the heart of the housing affordability crisis. Budget 2022 recognized that housing policy is economic policy. It’s not a surprise then with last year’s lofty goals that housing investments for 2023 are mostly re-announcements, re-commitments, and status updates on not-yet-implemented measures, such as the Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights.

It is encouraging to see that the budget shows a concerted effort toward increasing supply across the housing continuum. For example, the government’s intention to support reallocating funds from the National Housing Co-Investment Fund’s repair stream to its new construction stream.

We’re also happy to see a commitment to ensuring that Canadians have fair and equitable access to relief measures appropriate to the circumstances they’re facing with respect to mortgage financing. We’ve long been in favour or extending amortization payments and welcome the suggestion of adjustment payment schedules and the authorization of lump-sum payments.

Housing is a basic human need, and we look to the federal government to take a leadership role in getting Canadians into affordable homes. We recognize, of course, that sustainable action from all three levels of government is the only way to impact housing policy meaningfully.

Budget 2023 is another step in the right direction. The investments that will be made are considerable, but they are not sufficient to address the housing supply crisis.

With that said, OREB and our Member REALTORS® will continue to advocate for effective solutions to the housing crisis and supply shortages. We’ll continue to advocate for a permanent national housing round table that convenes the various authorities, builders, real estate professionals, Indigenous partners and civil society organizations to ensure that budget items, like the Housing Accelerator Fund, are implemented as effectively as possible.