Ana Bailão outlines Build Canada Homes plan for the housing crisis

The federal government created Build Canada Homes with an initial $13 billion and appointed Ana Bailão as its first CEO; Bailão says BCH announced over 7,000 units in its first 100 days and expects 700 units in Nunavut to be occupied by late April or early May.

The federal government established Build Canada Homes (BCH) last fall with an initial $13 billion to expand non-market affordable housing. Ana Bailão was appointed BCH's first CEO and has said the agency's priority is to accelerate construction and remove barriers that slow projects. BCH uses an income-based affordability definition and proposes partnerships, public land use and streamlined deals with cities to increase supply. Some analysts, including the parliamentary budget officer, have raised questions about how many units BCH will deliver under current models. Key points: - Build Canada Homes received an initial $13 billion allocation and is focused on delivering transitional and deeply affordable housing that the market does not provide. - Ana Bailão is BCH's CEO; she reported that the agency announced over 7,000 units in its first 100 days and emphasises partnerships and faster project approvals. - The parliamentary budget officer projected about 26,000 units over five years under a model counting only fully funded BCH homes; BCH leadership says the agency expects to exceed that figure by counting facilitated and partnered projects. - The prime minister announced 700 BCH units in Nunavut, and BCH has reported those units are expected to have occupants by late April or early May. Summary: Build Canada Homes represents a federal effort to expand deeply affordable housing where the private market does not supply it, with leadership focused on speeding delivery through partnerships and land-use arrangements. BCH has reported early unit announcements and set a near-term occupancy milestone in Nunavut for late April or early May; broader national outcomes and longer-term totals remain under review.