When Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed Gregor Robertson as Canada’s new Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities, the reaction from us in the homebuilding industry ranged from stunned disbelief to resigned frustration.
It was already clear that the federal government was floundering on a housing strategy that was created by incompetence, but this appointment sent an unmistakable signal that they’re doubling down on ideology over experience and on image over substance.
Let’s be clear: Gregor Robertson’s legacy as the former mayor of Vancouver is one of failures in housing. He presided over an era in which affordability deteriorated dramatically, supply stagnated relative to demand, and policies intended to help people often backfired by creating more barriers than solutions. His tenure left Vancouver with some of the worst housing affordability metrics in the world.
And now, Ottawa has handed him the reins for the nation’s housing file.
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