BURLINGTON, ON, July 29, 2025 – As federal, provincial, and municipal governments race to develop innovative approaches to expand Canada’s housing supply, a new study from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University identifies that high-impact tools to boost housing completions are within reach of policymakers.
Head researcher Dr. Erkan Yönder, Associate Professor of Real Estate and Finance, adds: “There is nothing easy about addressing one of Canada’s biggest generational issues. However, we show that streamlining approval frameworks and reducing red tape can be a low-cost first step that could be quickly implemented for meaningful results. The cost of inaction is too great to ignore the tools we already have.”
Across Canada, a 10% reduction in building restrictions can raise annual home completions by almost the same percentage. A 10% reduction in approval delays adds another 3%.
A 10% increase in input costs — primarily materials, but also attributable to taxes, fees, and labour — can reduce housing completions by 25% to 35%, especially for apartment-style housing.
Under current trends, Toronto median home prices can reach $1.8M by 2032. Doubling completions could moderate prices to $1.6M.
In Vancouver, home prices may exceed $2.8M by 2032 at the current trajectory. Aggressive supply increases could moderate prices closer to $2.5M.
Montréal prices rise across all scenarios, while Calgary’s price growth is more responsive to completions and population shifts.
Dr. Erkan Yönder is an Associate Professor of Real Estate Finance and serves as the Director of the Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University. With a primary focus on real estate finance, Erkan’s expertise lies in commercial real estate and sustainable real estate. Erkan’s research has found its way into esteemed academic journals and has secured multiple grants from renowned institutions such as the National Pension Hub (NPH) and the European Public Real Estate Association (EPRA). Notably, his research earned him the Nick Tyrrell Real Estate Research Prize in the UK and the distinguished Best Published Article Award from Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), a United Nations-supported initiative. Erkan has had the privilege of presenting his scholarly work at some of the world’s leading universities, including MIT, Yale University, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and Cornell University. Erkan received his PhD degree in Finance and Real Estate at Maastricht University.
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