Guérette: Canada’s housing debate has a blind spot — it’s about time we fix it

The views expressed in this column are solely those of the author.

For decades, Saskatchewan has offered something that is becoming increasingly rare in Canada: a realistic path to homeownership. This has been our province’s quiet advantage. While affordability slipped out of reach in larger markets, Saskatchewan remained a place where families could enter the market, build equity, and put down roots.

That advantage is now attracting attention. More people are choosing Saskatchewan as a place to live, work and invest. That growing demand is now outpacing supply and putting real pressure on one of Canada’s last affordable housing markets.

Supply crunch hits home

In some communities, there is less than 32 days of housing supply available. If no new homes were listed, there would be nothing left to buy within a month.

Across the province demand remains steady. But supply has not kept pace. Inventory levels are more than 50 per cent below typical levels, and prices are rising as a result. Saskatchewan’s benchmark home price has climbed more than six per cent year-over-year, with increases recorded across every region.

A different problem than the national narrative

This stands in sharp contrast to the national narrative.

In Toronto and in parts of British Columbia, the story is about declining sales and softening prices. Those are real challenges, but they are not universal ones. Saskatchewan is facing the opposite problem.

Our policy response doesn’t reflect that. We apply a single national lens to a set of very different housing markets. In doing so, we risk solving the loudest challenges, not necessarily the most urgent ones.

Too often, the conversation focuses on “affordable housing” — subsidized units, purpose-built rentals and targeted supports for those at the lowest end of the income spectrum. These investments are important, but they are not enough. Canada is not just facing a shortage of housing; it is facing a shortage of realistic paths to homeownership.

Housing is not just a cost of living. It is a long-term investment and a foundation of economic stability. When affordability erodes in housing, it does not simply return. The pathway into the market narrows and becomes extremely difficult to rebuild.

Saskatchewan is beginning to experience this shift

As supply falls behind demand, pressure builds quickly. Prices respond, competition intensifies, and entry into the market becomes difficult. What has long been an accessible market can tighten in a relatively short period of time. It is a harsh example of how quickly affordability can change when housing supply is not sustained.

If we want to preserve affordability, we cannot rely on short-term, reactive policies. We need to treat housing as long-term economic infrastructure. That means planning for it, investing in it, and building it consistently over time.

It means every housing strategy, every policy decision, and every public conversation must include a clear path to increasing supply — not just for those in need today, but for those looking to enter the market tomorrow, five years from now, and a decade into the future. If our approach to affordability only focuses on one end of the housing continuum, prioritizing subsidized housing and purpose-built rentals, then we are leaving a critical gap in the system by failing to build homes that enable people to move into ownership and build their own personal wealth.

Treating housing as infrastructure means planning for growth, investing in systems that enable development, and ensuring a consistent pipeline of homes across the entire housing continuum. Housing is our collective infrastructure — one where we all benefit if it grows sustainably.

It means prioritizing supply not just in moments of crisis, but as a sustained economic strategy.

The window to act is now

Saskatchewan still has one of the most affordable housing markets in Canada, but that advantage is not guaranteed. Treating housing as long-term infrastructure requires commitment, coordination, and a willingness to invest ahead of demand. It is not always the fastest or flashiest solution. It is one that works. Because once affordability is lost, the pathway to homeownership narrows and it does not easily open back up.

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