Skilled homebuilders fleeing Hamilton, Burlington, Grimsby, says report

A study based out of Hamilton suggests the Steel City and surrounding neighbours, Burlington and Grimsby are seeing an exodus of skilled trades for the housing industry and need serious help quelling the issue from all three levels of government.

“It requires all hands on deck,” Mike Collins-Williams, CEO of the West End Home Builders’ Association (WEHBA). says.

“We need the industry to be at the table and we need the federal government, the provincial government, and the municipal governments to treat this like the crisis it is and work together to increase the supply of housing.

The report, called Who Will Swing the Hammer, also notes Hamilton, Burlington, and Grimsby find themselves at the centre of a troubling paradox. The shortage has caused home prices and rents to rise higher than in other communities, which risks pricing out the skilled trades who build them.

“There’s a lot of young people and very talented people with skills that are giving up on Ontario altogether and they’re moving to places like Edmonton, Halifax, Calgary, or they’re leaving Canada,” says Collins-Williams.

A report produced recently by the Smart Prosperity Institute (SPI) with support from the WEHBA and Hamilton Chamber of Commerce concludes failing to address the housing shortage will cause living in Metro Hamilton to become less affordable and strain the social and economic viability of the community.

According to the report, Hamilton and Burlington will need to double homebuilding over the next decade to meet the provincial target of building 47,000 and 29,000 units, respectively, over the next decade. Hamilton already has a pre-existing housing shortage of roughly 14,500 units alone.

“Failure to construct enough housing, mainly attainable family-friendly housing, will make it challenging for Hamilton employers to attract and retain talent, whether in the private or public sectors,” the report states. “Hamilton already lacks affordability for families; the region cannot allow the problem to worsen.”

Collins-Williams says it appears there is a bit of a “musical chairs effect” whereby people leave Toronto to buy a home in Hamilton and people in Hamilton who may have fewer resources are being displaced and head down the QEW to St. Catharines or along Highway 403 to Brantford and Woodstock.

The federal and provincial governments deserve top marks for focusing on the skilled trades shortage in the last couple of years, says Collins-Williams, and appear to be heading in the right direction.

“But you don’t snap your fingers and the problem’s solved. This needs relentless attention over the next decade to sort of deal with the retirements and have that next generation of skilled trades. The government is on the right track, we just need to continue that relentless approach.”