Liberal Party rolls out plan to revive WW2-era prefabricated housing strategy

The federal housing minister and local Liberal candidates toured a business in Ancaster that makes prefabricated buildings today, rolling out an old wartime idea that could work to combat Canada’s housing shortage.

Instead of building from the ground up, prefab homes are comprised of pre-existing components that are assembled wherever a home is being built – making construction much faster and cheaper.

“It reduces the cost of labour and materials, [..] and we in turn basically provide that saving to potential buyers” Ali Ozden of BECC Modular Systems said.

The building method is part of the Liberal idea of adopting wartime housing strategies that saw thousands of modest but livable prefab homes built across Canada – many of which are still standing and well-loved.

While the 1940s government created Wartime Housing Limited to build thousands of “strawberry box homes,” the Liberal plan would create a new Build Canada Homes agency to provide $25 billion in financing and act as a developer.

The project calls for building on a scale Canada hasn’t seen since the war, and it would take some time.

The Liberals say it’s too early to tell how much one of these houses would cost, but the modular designs could cover a range of prices starting around 20 per cent below average market price.

Meanwhile, the Conservatives say the federal government is part of the housing problem, and they’re skeptical the government could provide the solution.

The NDP is focused on protecting renters, and providing low-interest mortgages to first-time buyers.

READ MORE: Liberals promise to build nearly 500,000 homes per year, create new housing entity