A new federal Housing Design Catalogue fails to address the construction sector’s most pressing challenges, says Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON). The catalogue was released Tuesday with just 14 municipalities committing to review the standardized plans.

“A housing catalogue may help a few limited specific situations, but it is nowhere near the top of the long list of issues that need to be addressed,” Lyall said. “It is therefore, relative to the scope of the issues, not a solution at scale nor a subject of conversation amongst builders.”

The catalogue provides 50 technical design packages for rowhouses, fourplexes, sixplexes and accessory dwelling units. Each package includes architectural and engineering drawings, cost estimates and guidance on building performance. The designs consider local building codes and were created by regional teams across Canada.

The participating cities include Burnaby, Kelowna, Vancouver, Edmonton, Regina, Ajax, Kitchener, Mississauga, Ottawa, Toronto, Saint John, Halifax, Whitehorse and Yellowknife. Discussions are ongoing with other local governments.