It is with sadness that we learned President and Chief Executive Officer of the Building Industry & Land Development Association Stephen Dupuis passed away shortly after receiving a high-profile industry award on Sept. 22. Our condolences go out to Stephen's friends and family.

How a bacon sandwich may change your life

September 22, 2011

I came across the catchy title of this column on the Greenbuild conference website, courtesy of Ashley Katz, manager of communications at the U.S. Green Building Council.

Markham Mayor ‘LEEDs’ the way with condos

September 07, 2011

The vast majority of the new highrise condo sales in the GTA are recorded in the city of Toronto, typically 75 to 80 per cent on a monthly basis. But who’s number two?

Fall Home Show all about better living

September 07, 2011

Home shows are for homeowners, and whether you live in a low- or highrise home, if you’re thinking of renovating, the Fall Home Show (fallhomeshow.com), which runs from September 22 to 25 at the aptly named Better Living Centre, at Exhibition Place, would be a great place to start.

Developers to watch during awards season

September 01, 2011

I’m glad Labour Day is relatively late this year because after that, it’s pedal to the metal -- not that things actually slowed down this summer.

The four seasons of the GTA housing market

August 25, 2011

Nothing says autumn more than the CNE, so I guess we can start talking about the fall housing market.

Low interest rates silver lining behind U.S. woes

August 18, 2011

They say that every dark cloud has a silver lining and although it took me a while to find the silver lining in the storm clouds associated with the downgrading of the U.S. credit rating and the ensuing stock market turmoil, I actually found two layers of good news.

GTA's hot high-rise market means jobs ahead

August 11, 2011

It has been said that analysis of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation housing starts data is akin to looking in the rearview mirror, and while that sounds a little derogatory, it’s not at all.

So what's the plan?

August 04, 2011

It should come as no surprise to readers of this column that development in the Greater Toronto Area is becoming much more intense, but a recent study has quantified the extent of densification that has been occurring.

'How's the housing market up there?'

July 28, 2011

I headed off to Northern Michigan last week for my annual golf junket with a great bunch of guys from the Southern U.S. (Tennessee, South Carolina, Mississippi) that I got hooked up with about 10 years ago.

Some high praise for GTA high-rise design

July 21, 2011

I had breakfast last week with some colleagues from Edmonton who were here for meetings with prospective clients.

Time flies when you're building condos

July 14, 2011

It might seem premature to write about the 2015 Pan Am Games given the fact that the four-year countdown to the day we welcome 10,000 athletes into the city has just begun, but we all know that time flies.

Captivated by the condominium market

July 06, 2011

Members of the Building Industry & Land Development Association receive monthly internal newsletters written by the foremost housing economists in Canada.

Merging Canada Day with Thanksgiving

June 30, 2011

Tomorrow is Canada Day, but the spirit of Thanksgiving always seems to come to me on our nation’s birthday as I think about how much Canadians have to be grateful for.

QR codes put more information in your hands

June 16, 2011

It can be tough to keep up with the rapid pace of technology sometimes, but the residential construction industry is not going to be left behind. Especially when it comes to giving you information about the latest development projects in your city.

Condo market breaks its own records

June 16, 2011

Low-rise, high-rise and total new home sales in the Greater Toronto Area were all up year over year in May, with high-rise condo sales racing ahead with a 50 per cent increase.

Vancouver condo market parallels Toronto

June 09, 2011

Buyers camped out for days. Controlled entry to sales events. Sounds familiar.

Building boom makes way for renovation boom

June 02, 2011

With all the new condo construction going on in this city, the last thing on many people’s minds is suite renovation, but I frankly expect it to be one of the fastest growing segments of the renovation market over the next few years.

New condo market sizzles in April

May 26, 2011

No amount of rain could slow down the high-rise housing market in the GTA in April as buyers snapped-up 3,249 new condominium suites, resulting in the best April ever for new condo sales.

Things you can learn by listening

May 12, 2011

I did something last Thursday that I hardly ever do. I devoted an entire day to listening.

Awards highlight the rise of high-rise

May 05, 2011

When the BILD Awards were first held in 1980, there was a grand total of zero categories for high-rise building.

'Sustainable equilibrium' in the housing market

April 28, 2011

According to RealNet Canada Inc., BILD's official source of new home market intelligence, there were 3,434 new homes and condos sold in March 2011 and a total of 9,374 units sold from January to March.

Canada dominates hoousing market growth

April 14, 2011

I went to a BILD-hosted seminar to learn about low-rise land supply -- actually, the lack thereof -- but I came away with three absolutely startling statistics gleaned from the GTA residential development market perspective presented by George Carras, President of RealNet Canada Inc. and the numbers guru for the entire industry.

Learning lessons from Vancouver's Village

April 14, 2011

I was in Vancouver last week, checking out the high-rise condo development scene in advance of a pending housing study tour by Toronto condo developers, designers and marketers.

The door is open to home ownership

April 07, 2011

If you’re a would-be first-time homebuyer, two different organizations are putting you in the spotlight this month, with the Canadian Home Builders’ Association celebrating April as New Homes Month and Genworth Financial promoting Homeownership Education Week, April 11-15, 2011.

Handing out the hardware to builders

March 31, 2011

The Golden Globes, Academy Awards, Grammys and Junos are behind us now, but it’s far from the end of awards season.

Don't overrate January's sales numbers

March 24, 2011

Recently, I was asked by a reporter what I thought of the fact that new home sales in the GTA were down 13 per cent in January. My response was that January is when builders are offering inventory as opposed to new launches, therefore I would be no more or less excited if sales were up or down by 13 per cent.

The economic value of home ownership

March 17, 2011

Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak had some interesting things to say about home ownership in Canada.

Singing the praises of the GTA's red hot market

March 10, 2011

I always say there’s a song about everybody and everything, and the song that came to my mind last week.

Things are looking good in our 'economic hotspot'

March 03, 2011

It was so cold in Banff, Alberta during the annual conference of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association held there last week that the ski resorts shut down twice, so it’s a good thing I wasn’t there for a holiday.

It can be easy being green

February 24, 2011

Incorporating green ideas into your home might seem overwhelming, but talking to a professional renovator can help ease those fears.