City of Vaughan hosts its first-ever Modular Housing Symposium

Today, the City hosted a Modular Housing Symposium at Vaughan City Hall, bringing industry stakeholders and all levels of government together. Discussions focused on modular housing, which is built from prefabricated components constructed wholly or partially off-site in a manufacturing facility before being transported to a property for assembly. 

The meeting began with opening remarks from Mayor Steven Del Duca, followed by remarks from Francesco Sorbara, Member of Parliament for Vaughan-Woodbridge, and the Honourable Robert J. Flack, Associate Minister of Housing. Eisa Lee, Founder and Partner Architect of xL Architects, delivered a keynote session to more than 50 organizations in attendance, including home builders, manufacturers, financing authorities, labour unions and advocacy groups.

The remainder of the symposium explored three major challenges of modular housing construction and adoption, including regulatory framework, capital and financing and consumer confidence and affordability. Albert Bendersky, Vice President of Design at BECC Modular Systems, spoke about regulatory framework, Steven Haylestrom, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Modular Solution, discussed capital and financing and Xavier Toby, Director of Manufacturing and Supply Chain at UnitiWall Corporation, explored consumer confidence and affordability.

Vaughan is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada. Now through 2051, Vaughan will become home to 228,800 more people, bringing the total expected population to more than 573,000. Vaughan’s expected growth will account for almost one-third of York Region’s growth over the next three decades. That’s why the City has committed to forward-looking planning that supports building complete communities with a diversity of housing to meet the needs of current and future generations. Modular housing is a potential solution being explored to reduce barriers to affordable housing. 

Here are other ways the City is building more homes in Vaughan: 

Housing Pledge

On March 21, 2023, Vaughan Council approved a staff report that commits the City to achieving the Province’s Housing Pledge. The City’s provincially mandated housing target is 42,000 new homes by 2031. Read the Committee of the Whole (1) Report: More Homes for Everyone Act, 2022 – Community Infrastructure and Housing Accelerator(PDF) for more information. Mayor Del Duca also issued a statement on this commitment that same day, following Council’s approval. 

Housing Accelerator Fund

On Oct. 5, 2023, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Vaughan will receive $59 million to build more housing units as part of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund. The Government of Canada and City of Vaughan have agreed to expedite the creation of more than 1,700 new housing units and incentivize thousands of additional homes over the next three years. This is the most significant housing investment in Vaughan's history. 

Vaughan’s construction and building materials sector

Vaughan’s construction and building materials sector is integral to supporting residential, commercial and industrial building growth within Vaughan, and also across Ontario and Canada. The sector is anchored by many of Canada’s top builders, developers, contractors and suppliers. In 2022, the city’s construction and building materials sector contributed more than $4.1 billion in real gross domestic product to Vaughan’s economy. 

Vaughan’s construction and building materials sector offers end-to-end supply chain support from manufacturing building materials to building design, engineering and construction. The city is home to 1,630 construction businesses, employing 50,000 workers and more than 330 building materials businesses, employing more than 11,800 people. The sector is supported by a large and concentrated workforce in the construction trades and engineering, 15 technical and trades schools, and three state-of-the-art training centres supporting the industry’s growing labour needs and provincial and national construction projects. 

To learn more about Vaughan’s thriving construction and building materials sector, visit vaughanbusiness.ca/construction.

QUOTE

“Vaughan is one of the fastest-growing cities in Canada with a rapidly increasing population, as our city is a place many people dream of calling home. One of the City of Vaughan’s top priorities is managing this expansive growth and building Vaughan for current and future generations. To guarantee more affordable housing options for our residents, today, the City hosted a Modular Housing Symposium with industry leaders and different levels of government to discuss modular housing. I want to express my appreciation to Francesco Sorbara, Member of Parliament for Vaughan-Woodbridge and the Honourable Robert J. Flack, Associate Minister of Housing, and Eisa Lee, Founder and Partner Architect of xL Architects, for their time, expertise and dedication to reducing barriers to affordable housing. Together, we will continue to seek new and innovative ways to build more homes in Vaughan.”

- Mayor Steven Del Duca

QUICK FACTS

• The City hosted a Modular Housing Symposium on Thursday, March 28 at Vaughan City Hall for all levels of government to discuss modular housing as a potential solution to reduce barriers to affordable housing.
• The symposium explored three major challenges of modular housing construction and adoption, including regulatory framework, capital and financing and consumer confidence and affordability. 
• Now through 2051, Vaughan will become home to 228,800 more people, bringing the total expected population to more than 573,000. Vaughan’s expected growth will account for almost one-third of York Region’s growth over the next three decades.
• Vaughan’s construction and building materials sector is integral to supporting residential, commercial and industrial building growth and contributed more than $4.1 billion in real gross domestic product to Vaughan’s economy in 2022.
   

LEARN MORE 

• City of Vaughan’s Building Vaughan for current and future generations news release
• City of Vaughan’s Economic Development Construction and Building Materials sector webpage
• City of Vaughan’s Economic Development website
• City of Vaughan’s Economic Development department’s eNewsletter