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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>Housing in Canada is in crisis because demand has outpaced the supply of new homes. <\/span> Photo by David Bloom\/Postmedia<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\nArticle content<\/h2>\n We continually hear from various levels of government about the latest programs, subsidies and other plans to deal with the housing crisis, but they always target symptoms, not the cause. And the source cause of Canada\u2019s housing issues is straightforward: excess taxation and intense regulation on construction, which limit supply and elevate cost.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\nArticle content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\nArticle content<\/p>\n
We tax and regulate the things we want to discourage: cigarettes, alcohol, gas and surprisingly, housing. In 1980, when I added a 10\u00d710-foot breakfast addition to my 1940s home, a permit cost $25 and took one day. Today, one would be exposed to public hearings, thousands of dollars for architects, lawyers and consultants and a process of a year or more.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
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