Canadians open to alternative housing, but builders can’t keep up
“Many construction businesses continue to face financing pressures, labour shortages and rising costs that make it harder to deliver the attainable housing Canadians are looking for.”
The policy picture mirrors findings from Desjardins, which noted in early 2026 that total housing starts are poised to remain well below the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s (CMHC) target of up to 480,000 units annually — the level CMHC has estimated would be needed to restore 2019-era affordability.
Builders in the Meridian survey pointed to two immediate policy priorities: 38% called for targeted funding or tax incentives for affordable entry-level construction, and 33% called for streamlined municipal permitting to reduce costly administrative delays.
A financing and delivery problem, not just a supply one
Meridian’s report frames the housing crisis as both structural and systemic. Kevin VanKampen, Head of Business Banking at Meridian Credit Union, noted that the problem is not lack of demand — it is a failure to create the conditions under which attainable housing can actually be financed, approved, and delivered.
For mortgage brokers, the report signals a client base that is increasingly open to non-traditional product structures — co-ownership agreements, self-employed mortgages, and secondary suite financing among them.
