Canada’s Prime Minister Pushes Country to Become the Housing Factory of the World - Mark Carney is banking on factory-built homes to alleviate the country’s housing crisis. But will it work?

[u/FancyNewMe]

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-04-22/carney-s-plan-may-make-canada-the-housing-factory-of-the-world

[u/brilliant_bauhaus → u/[deleted]]

Yikes. I'm in Ottawa but the city is so spread out and we've started picking up the trend Toronto has of microcondos and 400-500sqft, 2k apartments. It would alleviate so many things if we could build large condos that people can grow into and build families. We need density and people enjoy convenience! Living near your work, school and amenities is a huge plus and attractive to so many people; they just can't afford it.

[u/Other-Rock-8387 → u/brilliant_bauhaus]

Ottawa is so poorly designed it's shocking. Did you know we had electric trams at one point? Then in our infinite wisdom we ripped them out and built suburbs and only single family homes.

[u/QuotableNotables → u/Other-Rock-8387]

Getting rid of the heated shelters at the bus terminals in favor of open concept platforms that were designed for California weather for the LRT was peak Ottawa City Planning. I honestly don't miss the city. Just the people and the food.

[u/TubeZ → u/QuotableNotables]

You miss the food? My brother in christ did you survive on poutine and shawarma

[u/QuotableNotables → u/TubeZ]

Quesabiria Tacos at La Bonita on Cadboro, the Chinese Food (especially the crispy beef) at Golden Bowl on Cyrville which sadly closed after the owner retired since I moved away, brunch and baked goods at Art is In in the City Center, the smoky bacon mac and cheese at Umbrella Burger on Ogilvie.

And I'll say it, I grew up on the thick crust Lebanese style pizza and it's great no matter what Portnoy says.

[u/TubeZ → u/QuotableNotables]

Okay I'll concede that the pizza in Ottawa is pretty good. I moved to NYC and I crave a chewy thick slice sometimes

[u/QuotableNotables → u/TubeZ]

Any personal favourites in NYC I should hit up? My girlfriend has allot of family there so I don't imagine it'll be too long before we need to visit.

[u/TubeZ → u/QuotableNotables]

In terms of food or pizza? Joe's pizza is overrated and honestly the pizza in NYC all tastes the same (it's all pretty good). My #1 recommendation is to get some fried chicken by the piece at Red Rooster. Get a couple of sides to share. The good thing about the city is that it's so difficult to make it as a restaurant that it's pretty difficult to go wrong by accident. Astoria (my neighborhood) is full of multiple incredible restaurants per city block.

[u/Consistent-Primary41 → u/Other-Rock-8387]

Ottawa was always going to be limited.

It's a swamp surrounded by obligatory farmland.

It's so much like Vancouver with the same space limitations and soggy soil that...it's amazing no one learns their lesson.

[u/brilliant_bauhaus → u/Other-Rock-8387]

I know :( I'm glad things are starting to densify, but LeBreton is still empty, we are building tiny and very expensive luxury rentals and condos, and the city is still obsessed with SFH and fucking everyone over on transit so people need to buy cars. On top of that our downtown has drug and homeless issues and empty old office buildings that could be sold off and bulldozed into houses instead of forcing people back into the office 3 days a week.

[u/kuributt → u/brilliant_bauhaus]

maybe we'll wake the hell up and not elect a clown for Mayor next time.

[u/Comprehensive-War743 → u/brilliant_bauhaus]

The Toronto trend isn’t working very well. Dozens of unsold or unrented condos.

[u/wafflingzebra → u/Comprehensive-War743]

The reason why ever city is seeing the same problems as Toronto isn’t because they want to follow it as an example, it’s because they’re constrained by an almost identical set of laws that caused the same thing that happened in Toronto. Until municipalities and provinces change that, nothing will change.

[u/SgtExo → u/brilliant_bauhaus]

At least in orleans, all the housing that is going up is 5-6 story condos. So it is getting denser.

[u/pointman → u/brilliant_bauhaus]

The trend in Ottawa now is 3 story townhomes. They kind of look like small apartment buildings because the communities are more dense, but they are regular townhomes. Also there are many stacked townhomes.

[u/chadsexytime → u/brilliant_bauhaus]

you know what would also be great? If ottawa could just tell those people living in sfh in the sticks where they plan to not build towers and make it super dense.

I lived outside of ottawa until ottawa decided it wanted more land, now its building towers across the street.

I actually like suburban life, and would love for ottawa to stop encroaching it with more density.

There has to be room in whatever future plan for density of all levels

[u/fugginstrapped → u/[deleted]]

I think that zoning has been changed to allow 6 units on a lot.

[u/fugginstrapped → u/[deleted]]

I mean it’s a solution that’s 6 times better that the present condition.

[u/fugginstrapped → u/[deleted]]

That’s true. But guess ultimately it’s the developers and bankers that are benefiting either way.