Brantford gets boost for exceeding housing targets

The not-for-profit housing sector has a significant role to play in addressing the proliferation of tent cities, says Ontario’s associate housing minister.   “Obviously, we would hope that tent cities are not here to stay,” Rob Flack said during a visit to Brantford on Monday. “I take a look at Indwell and the not-for-profit sector and I think they’ve done a tremendous job of alleviating that concern.” Flack was asked to respond to a Postmedia story that appeared under the headline “Tent City Nation: Are Canada’s homeless encampments here to stay?” The story put a spotlight on homeless encampments and included an interactive map of tent cities across Canada. Flack was asked if the province needs to accept the fact that homeless encampments are here to stay.“No, we can’t accept that tent cities are here to stay,” Flack said. He said the government is working daily to address the problem and its efforts include partnerships with the not-for-profit sectors. Flack said he is thoroughly impressed with the work of organizations like Indwell, Habitat For Humanity and Good Shepherd that provide shelter and affordable housing. Locally, city officials have identified partnerships with non-for-profit organizations as an important part of an ongoing effort to build more affordable homes. The city is embarking on a pilot program with Jaycee Brantford Non-Profit Homes to fund the development of a 24-unit building at 32 Bridge St. Joined by Brantford-Brant MPP Will Bouma, Flack was in Brantford to present Mayor Kevin Davis with $3,066,849 in provincial funding. The money was given to the city for exceeding its 2023 new housing construction target. The funding includes an extra $400,182 because the city broke ground on 788 new homes last year exceeding its target by eight per cent. The money comes from the province’s three-year $1.2 billion Building Faster fund that encourages municipalities to increase local housing supply. “We call it a housing crisis, but I call it a housing supply crisis,” Flack said. “We need more homes.” It’s important that all partners including municipal, provincial and federal governments and not-for-profit organizations step up to get the job done, Flack said. Bouma said he’s proud of the work being done locally to address the crisis. “The city is doing its part” in building houses that can become homes for people in the community, Bouma said. “I’m thankful every single day for the incredible working relationship that we have with the City of Brantford,” Bouma said. “With the support of these provincial funds, our community will sustain its expansion while creating new job opportunities and business growth.” Davis said the city is continuing to grow at an unprecedented rate. “We appreciate the provincial Building Faster funding which will help our city sustain its expansion and our community to continue to grow,” Davis said. Vball@postmedia.com twitter.com/EXPVBall Source: Brantford Expositor

JANUARY 2024 LABOUR MARKET REPORT - Branford Ontario

The latest Statistics Canada local labour market report customized for the Brantford CMA for last month is now available. January Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [+] Ontario 6.2% [-] Canada 5.7% [-]Be sure to review the participation rate and the employment rate (reported as percentages), as well as the labour force, the employed, and the unemployed values (reported as absolute numbers). These give a better picture of changes in the market. LABOUR MARKET REPORT The report includes annual rates for the last 10 years, comparing Brantford to surrounding CMAs as well as the provincial and national levels. Overview from Statistics CanadaVisit the Statistics Canada page for full information. Employment increased by 37,000 in January, following three months of little change. The employment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 61.6%, as population growth (+0.4%) outpaced employment growth (+0.2%). The unemployment rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 5.7%, the first decline since December 2022. The participation rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 65.3% in January 2024, as the number of people in the labour force held steady and the population aged 15 and older rose. Employment increased in Ontario (+24,000; +0.3%), Newfoundland and Labrador (+7,500; +3.2%), Manitoba (+6,900; +1.0%) and Nova Scotia (+3,700; +0.7%). It declined in Saskatchewan (-6,200; -1.0%). There were employment gains spread across several industries in the services-producing sector, led by wholesale and retail trade (+31,000; +1.1%) as well as finance, insurance, real estate, rental and leasing (+28,000; +2.1%). There were declines in other industries, led by accommodation and food services (-30,000; -2.7%). Total hours worked in January rose 1.1% from one year earlier and were up 0.6% in the month. Average hourly wages among employees rose 5.3% on a year-over-year basis in January (+$1.74 to $34.75), following an increase of 5.4% in December 2023. Employment rate declines for the fourth consecutive monthFollowing three months of little change, employment rose by 37,000 (+0.2%) in January 2024, driven by an increase in part-time work (+49,000; +1.3%). The employment rate—the proportion of the working-age population that is employed—fell to 61.6% (-0.1 percentage points) in January, the fourth consecutive monthly decline, as the population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) grew by 126,000 (+0.4%) in the month. On a year-over-year basis, employment rose by 345,000 (+1.7%), while the working-age population, driven by permanent and temporary immigration, rose by 1.0 million (+3.1%), pushing the employment rate down 0.8 percentage points. Following two months of little change, employment rose by 48,000 (+1.1%) among public sector employees in January. It was little changed in the month for private sector employees and self-employed workers. On a year-over-year basis, employment was up 4.1% for public sector employees (+174,000), up 1.6% for private sector employees (+210,000) and little changed for self-employed workers. Local Top Line January Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.9% [+] Ontario 6.2% [-] Canada 5.7% [-] The local unemployment rate increased by 0.6 month over month.The local labour force expanded by 1,500 month over month.The number of employed increased by 1,000 month over month.The number of unemployed increased by 600 month over month.When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is second lowest. Note:  Brantford's unemployment reflects a 3 month moving average, whereas Ontario and Canada are monthly figures.   The sample CMA breakdown for Brantford area is detailed in text at the Stats Canada website: https://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p3VD.pl?Function=getVD&TVD=1348193&CVD=1348199&CPV=543&CST=01012021&CLV=2&MLV=3   Source Advantage Brantford 

DECEMBER 2023 LABOUR MARKET REPORT

LABOUR MARKET REPORT The report includes annual rates for the last 10 years, comparing Brantford to surrounding CMAs as well as the provincial and national levels. Overview from Statistics Canada Visit the Statistics Canada page for full information. Employment was virtually unchanged (+0.0%) in December, and the unemployment rate held steady at 5.8%. The employment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 61.6%, as the population aged 15 and older grew by 74,000 (+0.2%). Among core-aged men (aged 25 to 54), employment rose by 25,000 (+0.4%). Employment also rose among young women aged 15 to 24 (+13,000; +1.0%) but declined among men aged 55 and older (-27,000; -1.1%). There were more people employed in professional, scientific and technical services (+46,000; +2.4%), health care and social assistance (+16,000; +0.6%) and "other services" (which includes personal and repair services) (+12,000; +1.5%) in December. There were declines in five industries, led by wholesale and retail trade (-21,000; -0.7%) and manufacturing (-18,000; -1.0%). Employment increased in four provinces in December, led by British Columbia (+18,000; +0.6%), while it declined in Ontario (-48,000; -0.6%). Total hours worked rose 0.4% in December and were up 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. On a year-over-year basis, average hourly wages rose 5.4% (+$1.78 to $34.45) in December, following an increase of 4.8% in November (not seasonally adjusted). Employment virtually unchanged in December Employment held steady in December (+0.0%), following little change in November (+25,000; +0.1%) and October (+18,000; +0.1%). Employment growth slowed in the second half of 2023, averaging 23,000 per month, compared with the first six months of 2023, when it averaged 48,000 per month. The population aged 15 and older in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) grew by 74,000 (+0.2%) in December, on par with the average monthly population growth in 2023 (+79,000 per month). The employment rate—the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed—fell 0.2 percentage points to 61.6% in December, the fifth decline in the past six months. The employment rate has trended down in 2023, as population growth generally outpaced employment gains. In December, the employment rate (61.6%) was down 0.9 percentage points from its recent high of 62.5% recorded in January 2023. Employment rates decrease in 2023 for core-aged men and women Employment among core-aged men (aged 25 to 54) increased by 25,000 (+0.4%) in December, following two months of little change. For women in the same age group, employment was virtually unchanged for the third consecutive month. From January to December, the employment rate fell for the core-aged population, as the rate of population growth for this age group (+2.9%; +446,000) outpaced employment growth (+1.9%; +243,000). For women in this age group, the employment rate fell 0.8 percentage points from a record high of 82.2% in January to reach 81.4% in December. For men aged 25 to 54, the rate declined in the latter half of 2023, down 0.8 percentage points from June (88.2%) to December (87.4%). Despite recent labour market cooling, employment rates remained above the average observed from 2017 to 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, for both core-aged women (+2.1 percentage points) and core-aged men (+0.9 percentage points). Employment for young women aged 15 to 24 rose by 13,000 (+1.0%) in December 2023, while it was virtually unchanged for young men. From January to December, the employment rate for youth fell more steeply compared with the other major demographic groups. For female youth, the rate was down 4.0 percentage points to 56.7%, while for their male counterparts, it declined 2.1 percentage points to 56.0%. In December, employment rates were below their averages observed from 2017 to 2019 for both female (-2.4 percentage points) and male (-1.4 percentage points) youth. Employment among men aged 55 and older fell by 27,000 (-1.1%) in December 2023, the first significant decline since February 2023. For women aged 55 and older, employment was little changed for the fourth consecutive month. The employment rates for this age group were similar to those observed at the beginning of 2023 for both men (40.2% in December) and women (30.4% in December). Unemployment rate holds steady, participation rate declines The unemployment rate held steady at 5.8% in December. This followed increases in five of the previous seven months; from April to November, the rate rose by 0.8 percentage points. In December, there were 1.2 million unemployed people, an increase of 202,000 (+19.3%) compared with 12 months earlier. The unemployment rate generally trended up from April to December for all major demographic groups, with the biggest increase among youth aged 15 to 24 (+1.7 percentage points to 11.3%), followed by people aged 55 and older (+1.1 percentage points to 5.0%). For those in the core-aged group of 25 to 54, the unemployment rate was up by 0.5 percentage points over this period for both women (4.7%) and men (5.0%). The participation rate—the number of employed and unemployed people as a percentage of the population aged 15 and older—fell in December (-0.2 percentage points) to 65.4%. This was down from a recent peak of 65.7% in June. Most of the decline from June to December was attributable to a drop in the youth participation rate, which decreased 2.1 percentage points to 63.5% over the period. On a year-over-year basis, the labour force participation rate fell 3.3 percentage points to 85.4% among youth who were not attending school, while it declined 1.0 percentage points to 46.4% among youth who were students (not seasonally adjusted). The participation rate held steady among those in the core-aged group (88.7%) and among people aged 55 years and older (36.9%), compared with June 2023 and compared with December 2022. Local Top Line December Unemployment Rate: Brantford 4.3% [+] Ontario 6.3% [+] Canada 5.8% [=] The local unemployment rate increased by 0.1 month over month. The local labour force expanded by 500 month over month. The number of employed increased by 300 month over month. The number of unemployed increased by 100 month over month. When compared to the surrounding CMAs of Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Guelph, and London, Brantford’s unemployment rate is the lowest. - Brantford Advantage

2023 Building Permit Values: Brantford Breaks Records Once More

In 2023, annual building permit values in Brantford set another new record and exceeded $550 million for the first time. For the past few years the City experienced a steady climb in values. Going back nearly 20 years, Brantford building permit reached $211.8 million in 2005. Since that time, however, annual construction values remained below $200 million until 2020 when they hit $255.2 million. From that point, such permit values continued to increase to $472.3 million in 2021, to $538.1 million in 2022, and to $550.9 million last year. Industrial, commercial and institutional numbers remained strong as housing permits declined in 2023. There were 1,481 houses, apartments, and multi-unit homes built in 2022 compared to 611 in 2023. Single-detached home numbers dropped from 452 new builds in 2022 to 183 in 2023.  Brantford is one of several Ontario communities for which the province has set a housing target. The set goal locally is the creation of 10,000 new units in 10 years. Combined in 2022 and 2023, around 2,100 permits were issued in a pace that set the community on track for this goal. Industrial builds were a standout in 2023 with construction values estimated at $196 million for 43 projects. This represented a three-fold increase in the value of work over 2022. Along those lines, institutional and government permits also significantly eclipsed the previous year with 36 permits issued for construction estimated at $101.8 million and a sharp increase over last year’s $12.9 million. Following are some project highlights from 2023: Industrial: Barry Callebaut, Bowery Road, $93 million. Institutional: a six-storey retirement home and three-storey long-term care home, Lynden Road, $70 million. Commercial: Costco, Lynden Park Mall, $33.5 million. Industrial: Mitsui High-Tec, Fen Ridge, $25 million. Industrial: warehouse, 151 Garden Ave., $32.4 million. Industrial: Metrus Construction, Fen Ridge, $16 million. Residential: LIV, several permits including townhomes on Colborne St. West, $21 million. - Brantford Advantage