This one policy could allow Canada to dramatically reduce land costs for affordable housing

An Affordable Housing Gifts program would remove barriers to companies and individuals looking to donate land to qualified Community Land Trusts.

While residential land prices have seen a decline from their mid-pandemic highs, they remain the single biggest barrier to affordable housing across Canada, write Colin O’Leary and Acacia Pangilinan. The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade

Opinion

BY COLIN O’LEARY, ACACIA PANGILINAN

January 28, 2026

In 2026, housing affordability will remain the most difficult challenge facing federal and provincial policymakers. The problem is vast, the solutions expensive, and the responsibility dispersed to every level of government. While governments have rightly focused on bringing...

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