ANALYSIS: Want to solve the housing crisis? Try a marriage counsellor

For years, politicians at all levels of government have espoused the dangers of the housing crisis. As Ontario’s minister of municipal affairs and housing, Rob Flack, often says, “Homes cost too much to buy, and they take too long to approve and build.”

If everyone knows this, why have we made so little progress in solving those problems? Well, what’s that relationship status category on Facebook again? Right. It’s complicated.

The Ontario Home Builders Association recently held its annual conference in Collingwood, inviting industry experts and politicians to get together and hash out some ideas. (Full disclosure: my brother is a home builder in southern Ontario. Although if he’s like everyone else, he’s not doing much home building these days).

The market in Ontario, particularly in the Greater Toronto Area, is confusing. Demand has disappeared, and yet home prices remain stubbornly high and out of reach for many, especially young people trying to[…] This is an excerpt. Read the full article on the TVO website.