During the turbulent times of the last eighteen months, Canada, at federal, provincial and local levels, has been seized by a ‘get things done’ mindset. Whether it’s eliminating interprovincial trade barriers, increasing labour mobility or getting shovels in the ground on major projects, the focus on speeding things up across the board has been noticeable, and perhaps nowhere more so than when it comes to housing.

From the new Build Canada Homes initiative from the government of Canada, which aims to build more affordable homes by working with industry partners to deliver different types of housing to meet different needs and income levels, to the City of Toronto’s announcement this month it was expanding its Pre-Approved Building Plans Program by introducing pre-approved multiplex designs, providing building designs at no cost to make it easier to build more homes faster – speed has been deemed essential to get things done.