48 h. ago RESCON: Lack of affordable homes is only part of the problem

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 […]

Culture

3 d. ago Top Toronto pitmasters launching new barbecue restaurant this weekend

There's a new barbecue restaurant opening in Toronto this weekend, and it's helmed by two of the city's top pitmasters.When two of the top Toronto talents on the local barbecue scene join forces, there's bound to be some smoke. The type of smoke that renders brisket juicy and makes ribs fall off the bone, that is.That's exactly what's going down at the intersection of Dupont and Christie as Golden Horseshoe BBQ, the lovechild of 24-year-old barbecue savant Andrew Golden and Carbon Bar Executive Chef Kris Hansen.The pair are setting up shop in the former home of an oft-bemoaned Popeye's location in a historic building in The Annex, transforming it into a semi-quick-service spot with a collection of enormous smokers in the parking lot.A Depression-era bank building that has since been home to a revolving door of various concepts, the space, paired with the team of Golden, who made his name running pop-ups at local breweries, and Hansen, ...

Other

4 d. ago Toronto on pace for lowest annual housing starts in 30 years, CMHC says

Flat housing starts for seven key metropolitan areas, despite some markets building new homes at record pace

Culture

8 d. ago 5 enormous towers up to 56 storeys could transform Ontario city's skyline

A towering development proposal aims to totally reshape the skyline of Barrie, Ontario.Plans filed with the City of Barrie by Piveon Developments on Aug. 27 seek to rezone a site near the city's waterfront that would radically alter the local landscape with five towers rising as tall as 56 storeys.The ambitious proposal seeks to build out a pair of properties at 145 Bradford Street and 48 Ellen Street, currently a vacant lot and an adjacent home.Such density would have seemed unimaginable just a few years earlier, though significant changes in Barrie's urban fabric have essentially kicked the doors open for a transformative wave of tall towers that could further alter the city's skyline in the years to come.The enormous proposal on Barrie's waterfront would have been laughed out of the room a decade ago, though the nearby Debut Waterfront Residences project, located at 55 Dunlop Street West — now home to Barrie's current tallest buildings — ...

Other

8 d. ago Wildly popular Toronto BBQ restaurant opens new sandwich and salad concept

One of the city's most celebrated barbecue restaurants has branched out with a new concept, but don't worry: there’s still plenty of brisket.Toronto restaurateur extraordinaire Yannick Bigourdan, the man behind The Carbon Bar, Lucie and Amano, among many more, has once again put his Midas touch on the city's culinary scene. But his latest project is unlike anything he's done before.Meet The Carbon Snack Bar. Think of it like The Carbon Bar's yuppie, spin class-attending little sister. We mean that in the most complimentary way possible.Having officially opened its doors on Aug. 21, The Carbon Snack Bar takes over the historic building at the northwest corner of King West and Spadina, formerly home to Quantum Coffee.Here, Bigourdan and his team serve up a diverse selection of sandwiches, salads, pastries, beverages and coffee, designed to appeal to the hustling-bustling King West crowd, a divergence from the sumptuous sit-down experi...

Other

1 week ago Honda Indy to leave Toronto after almost 40 years in the city

One of the biggest annual summer sporting events in Toronto is leaving town.The Grand Prix of Toronto, also known as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, but known to most simply as the "Honda Indy," will relocate for its 2026 race and onwards.But it's not going all that far, as it will be held in the nearby city of Markham moving forward.The Indy has been held at Toronto's Exhibition Place since its inception in 1986. Interestingly, Exhibition Place had previously been floated as a destination throughout the 1960s and 1970s to host a Formula One race, but a proposal was rejected in 1978 that eventually opened the door for the IndyCar circuit to take over.The new temporary track will circle through Markham's downtown core."Markham is ready to build on its strong sports legacy and offer a new home where this celebrated summer tradition can thrive," Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said in a statement, via the Toronto Star&...

Other

1 week ago Carney’s cabinet retreat begins as trade war set to dominate fall agenda

This fall, the Carney government will aim to push through the creation of two new federal agencies: the Major Projects Office and Build Canada Homes.

Economics

1 week ago Canada needs to build homes in record numbers for a decade to drive down prices

Canada must deliver 3.2 million net new housing units by 2035 to close the country's supply gap, according to a new updated analysis by the Government of Canada's Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO).That works out to about 290,000 net new homes per year — a pace the country has never sustained. Net new takes into account the homes that have been demolished to make way for new additional homes.The report comes as household formation surges and then slows. After hitting a record 482,000 new households in 2024, the PBO projects a sharp decline in 2025 and 2026 due to recent federal policies curbing immigration. Household formation is expected to remain well below the historical average of 176,000 per year until 2030.On the construction side, the PBO expects a short-term boost, with completions averaging 256,000 units annually over the next three years. But beyond that, housing starts are forecast to fall back to historical norms, with about 2.5 million new units delivered ...

Economics

2 w. ago Canada on track to build far fewer homes than needed to meet housing gap

According to PBO’s projections, 2.5 million new homes will be added to Canada’s housing stock by 2035 — an addition of 227,000 net new units completed annually over 2025 to 2035.

Other

2 w. ago Parliamentary Budget Officer says 3.2 million new homes needed to close housing gap

OTTAWA — The Parliamentary Budget Officer estimates Canada needs to build 3.2 million new homes in the next decade to close the housing gap but isn’t currently on track to do that. The latest PBO report estimates the number of new home builds will be higher over the next three years but will gradually return […]

Economics

3 w. ago Lake Okanagan Resort residents push for new water treatment plant, following McDougall Fire

“Step up and show some real action toward resolving this so we can start building our building and get people home,” said Lake Okanagan community member.

Events

3 w. ago Alberta shows advantage in building homes to restore affordability

New CMHC study forecasts nation needs to almost double construction pace with Edmonton, Calgary among key cities for growth.

Other

3 w. ago New homes: Building a community where everything feels connected

Marshall’s Bay in Arnprior is getting a new builder. Ottawa-based eQ Homes has taken over the remaining lots from Neilcorp Homes in the partially finished development and will begin selling townhomes, bungalows and two-storey singles as of Aug. 16.  “It’s got an established neighbourhood feel because the community is half built out,” notes eQ’s director […]

Other

3 w. ago Nanaimo mayor pushes back after province rules out ‘sober’ housing project

The proposal is to build a five-storey building with 50 studio homes, targeted at people currently experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Nanaimo. 

Other