Key Housing Measures: 

Cornerstone supports some key measures from the budget, in particular the recommitment to the First-Time Home Buyers’ GST Rebate, and the $1 billion for transitional housing and a $2.8 billion recommitment to the Urban, Rural, Northern, and Indigenous Housing Strategy. However, the budget still requires further measures to make homeownership attainable such as flexibility on amortization of mortgages and the development of missing middle housing. 

Cornerstone attended CREA PAC Days in Ottawa, where REALTORS® across Canada advocated on housing policy to create much-needed supply. Cornerstone met with 7 MPs from Mississauga, Waterloo Region, Hamilton, and Burlington. 

The two main recommendations were: 

On October 29, the Bank of Canada announced a policy rate cut of 0.25 per cent to 2.25 per cent. The next rate announcement is on December 10. 

The full technical designs for the CMHC Housing Design Catalogue have been released and are ready for use. The goal of this catalogue is to reduce the time and cost of developing construction plans and to help accelerate approvals and construction starts. 

On Thursday, November 27, Ana Bailão, CEO of Build Canada Homes, will take the stage at The Empire Club for a keynote address entitled Building Canada’s Future: A New Era for Housing Delivery.  

The Provincial government matched the federal government’s pledge to create a rebate for the HST on new homes up to $1 million, and a reduction in HST for homes between $1 million and $1.5 million. 

The Provincial government put forward Bill 60 in October. Key goals of this bill are to  streamline approvals and site plan control in time for the spring construction season, address the Landlord & Tenant Board backlog, launch a section-by-section review of the Ontario Building Code, and create a Water and Wastewater corporation for Peel Region to reduce the need for development charges to create infrastructure needed for new growth. 

As of November 3, the following changes came into effect to help developers build more by providing more flexibility and reducing costs. This includes:  

Removed authority for municipalities to charge interest on any legislated DC deferral amounts. 

The City of Burlington is investigating removing development charges if the Provincial and Federal governments compensate them for the reduction in revenue. This initiative would help significantly reduce the cost of building new homes. 

Cornerstone attended the West End Home Builders’ Association Housing Summit on November 3, where Cornerstone Chair Julie Sergi introduced the Hon. Andrea Khanjin, Ontario’s Minister of Red Tape Reduction. Other featured speakers included the Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward , and Mike Moffatt, PhD from the Missing Middle Initiative. 

As of November 3, the following changes came into effect to help developers build more by providing more flexibility and reducing costs. This includes:  

Removed authority for municipalities to charge interest on any legislated DC deferral amounts. 

Cornerstone is excited to sponsor and attend the Haldimand-Norfolk Home Builders’ Association’s Annual Christmas Gala on Wednesday, November 26, at the Monthill Golf & Country Club in Caledonia. The keynote speaker for the event is Hon. Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Cornerstone was pleased to sponsor the Mayor’s Breakfast on October 9, hosted by the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce. Mayor Horwath discussed many key topics including housing, collaborations and partnerships, new developments, and more. 

Cornerstone attended the Hamilton Chamber of Commerce’s Provincial Budget Discussion featuring the Hon. Peter Bethlenfalvy, where we heard more on the Fall Economic statement and thanked the Minister for bringing forward the HST Rebate for First Time Home Buyers. The Hon. Donna Skelly, Hon. Niel Lumsden, and MPP Monica Ciriello also gave remarks at the event.  

Hamilton City Council voted to maintain the Vacant Unit Tax for the upcoming year. At the same time, they extended the notice of complaint to November 30, 2025. 

Hamilton City Council voted to maintain the Vacant Unit Tax for the upcoming year. At the same time, they extended the notice of complaint to November 30, 2025. 

On December 2, Hamilton’s Planning Committee is expected to receive the final staff report on the rental licensing pilot program. Stay tuned for details.  

The new Go Train station Confederation GO opened on October 27, offering 13 stops on weekdays and 15 on weekends. 

The Niagara Association of REALTORS® is hosting their Growing Niagara Housing Symposium on November 14. There will be speakers from the federal and provincial governments and a panel including municipalities throughout the Niagara Region.  

Grimsby’s Draft Official Plan, Envision Grimsby, is now ready for review! The draft plan sets out the town’s vision for the future. It's expected that the statutory public meeting will be held in February/March and brought forward for adoption by Council in June.  

The Town of West Lincoln is looking for feedback until November 13th on its Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan. 

The City of Mississauga is increasing enforcement and penalties on short-term rentals which are not compliant with their by-law. Residents may only operate a short-term rental form their principal residence and must have a short-term rental license from the city.

The City of Cambridge is considering simplifying its zoning while allowing further types of housing to be built in the city.  This item will be discussed at the December Council meeting.  

Mark your calendars for Mayor Jan Liggett’s Cambridge Breakfast event on December 10 at the Galt Country Club.  

On Wednesday, November 19, Cornerstone’s CEO, Bill Duce, will participate in a panel discussion at the Vision 1 Million event series hosted by the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce at the Double Tree by Hilton Kitchener. This event will bring together leaders in the community to address critical challenges and opportunities facing the growing region.  

The City of Kitchener published their one-year report subsequent to last year’s changes allowing Additional Dwelling Units. The report was accepted, and the current policy will continue. 

Cornerstone is thrilled to celebrate the Province's announcement of expanded GO Train service on the Kitchener line, which includes 40 kilometres of new track. This development will enable increased train frequency to Union Station in downtown Toronto from Kitchener and Bramalea. Starting November 23rd, the first weekend service to Kitchener will launch, alongside trains operating every 30 minutes between Bramalea GO and Union. During the week, two additional trips from Bramalea to Union will be added, and a train currently stopping at Mount Pleasant will be extended to Kitchener. Once the track is completed, there will be all-day, two-way GO service to Kitchener every 60 minutes, seven days a week. REALTORS® in Waterloo Region welcome this news after years of advocacy, as it enhances connectivity to the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor and supports local growth, making the region more accessible and attractive for residents and businesses alike. 

Cornerstone will be delegating on Monday, November 17, at the Waterloo City Council meeting on the need to pause its development charge review process in light of recent provincial legislation. The City of Waterloo is determining their development charges plan for next year. 

The report is expected to be posted on the Council’s calendar page shortly.