Homebuilders navigate higher material costs, uncertain supply chains amid trade war
As a tariff storm blew in from south of the border earlier this year, many industries in Canada, including the home building sector, feared the unknown ahead of them.
With stakeholders already keenly aware of the need to rapidly scale up housing supply and improve Canada’s housing affordability gap, blanket tariffs and more targeted material-specific levies meant additional unwelcome obstacles to overcome.
That included a potential need to slow down the pace of construction as supply chains shifted and key construction parts became more expensive.
“I would say that’s been borne out,” said Cheryl Shindruk, executive vice-president of Geranium Homes, a residential developer in southern Ontario.
