Ontario Construction News staff writer
The West End Home Builders’ Association (WE HBA) is “eager” to start working with new Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath to significantly increase housing of all types and tenures across the city.
Noting Horwath’s campaign focus on increasing housing supply in Hamilton to bring market costs down, WE HBA CEO Mike Collins-Williams says the “residential construction industry is looking forward to helping our new Mayor with the establishment of a department to streamline the process of housing development here in Hamilton.
“The residential construction industry is looking forward to helping our new Mayor with the establishment of a department to streamline the process of housing development here in Hamilton,” he said. “The implementation of the anticipated online tracking system will allow individuals and organizations to easily monitor their progress and find ways to avoid municipal delays”.
highlights of Horwath’s 10-year housing platform included:
- Eliminating the affordable housing waitlist through collaboration
- Increasing housing supply to bring market costs down
- Creating a dedicated department to streamline the building process
- Recognition that housing is a basic human right
- Tackling homelessness
- Creating supportive housing for mental health, those with addictions, living with disabilities and safe housing for women and their children escaping violence
Horwath talked about setting clear targets for housing starts, overhauling the development approvals and management process, leveraging relationships at Queen’s Park and in Ottawa as well as attaching city owned land to housing projects as specific actions to fulfill the plan.
WE HBA represents more than 20,000 people in the residential construction sector.
