Ottawa’s new national housing agency is moving to accelerate affordable housing construction, leveraging federal land and billions in financing to boost supply across Canada.
BNN Bloomberg spoke with Ana Bailão, CEO of Build Canada Homes, about how the agency is deploying $13 billion in capital, partnering with provinces and the private sector, and advancing nearly 9,000 housing units, with projects already underway in Nunavut.
Key Takeaways
- Build Canada Homes was capitalized with $13 billion to accelerate affordable housing construction nationwide.
- The agency is leveraging federal public land and flexible financing to get projects approved and built faster.
- Nearly 9,000 housing units have been approved or are in development, with some projects already underway.
- A $1 billion allocation is being deployed for transitional housing alongside workforce housing initiatives.
- The agency aims to build a national project pipeline to support modern construction methods and scale factory-built housing.
Read the full transcript below:
ROGER: International Women’s Day is coming up, and we’re looking at companies led by women that are changing Canada’s economy, including Build Canada Homes. It’s a national agency tasked with accelerating the construction of affordable housing across Canada. Let’s bring in Ana Bailão, CEO of Build Canada Homes. Ana, thank you very much, as always, for joining us.
ANA: Pleasure to be here with you today.
ROGER: How are things going? How long has Build Canada Homes been operating? When did it start?
ANA: I came on Oct. 1. It was announced by the prime minister on Sept. 14, and I started a couple of weeks after that, so Oct. 1. It’s been about five months. Some days it feels like five years. Some days it feels like five minutes, to be honest with you, because there’s so much to do.
ROGER: You’re going to tell me you haven’t resolved everything yet, right? Is that what you’re going to say next? It is a challenge. Where do you even turn your attention first?
ANA: It is a big challenge. It’s a challenge the country has been facing for a significant amount of time. For somebody who has been working in housing for so long, it’s really inspiring to see the momentum and commitment behind this organization from the government, as well as partners in the non-profit and private sectors. They want to work with Build Canada Homes, and that’s where the solution lies.
It’s about partnerships — with other orders of government, because there isn’t going to be one order of government that solves this issue. We need all orders of government working together. We also need partners in the private and non-profit sectors, bringing their best skills and tools to the table.
Build Canada Homes is about building a set of tools the federal government has available. We’re bringing federal public land and flexible financial tools, which are especially important in today’s environment. We were initially capitalized with $13 billion, and we are deploying that money in flexible ways to make sure we get shovels in the ground. There are three key things we need: speed, scale and affordability.
RYAN: With changing dynamics in the housing market, the condo market in urban centres has softened significantly, and immigration dynamics have shifted. Where is the greatest need, and where are you focusing in terms of location and housing type?
ANA: We’re focused on affordable housing. There’s a huge mismatch between what Canadians can afford and what we’ve been able to produce. That ranges from deeply affordable transitional housing to what people call workforce housing.
That need exists across the country. The flexibility we have at Build Canada Homes allows us to respond to the largest needs in each community. We don’t have a single rigid program across the country. We can deploy land and financial tools in ways that respond to local needs.
We’re deploying the $1 billion announced for transitional housing, as well as workforce housing through public lands and partnerships with the private and non-profit sectors. We’re seeing strong appetite, particularly as the market has slowed in places like Toronto and Vancouver. Many firms want to work with us because they want to keep their workers employed. They’re looking at their projects and asking whether we can partner to incorporate affordable housing and get shovels in the ground.
The slower market in certain regions creates an opportunity to scale up affordable housing.
ROGER: The private sector is focused on profit, and some may fear government red tape slowing projects down. Is that being addressed to help speed things up?
ANA: That’s one of the key things we’re bringing to the table. Through partnerships with provinces and municipalities, we’re pushing implementation tables to get projects approved quickly, even in areas where we don’t directly control approvals.
We also have flexibility in how we deploy funds. It’s about making projects work, not about lengthy applications and checking boxes. We’re calling on private-sector partners and other orders of government to bring forward larger portfolios so we can move from project-by-project work to building a pipeline. That provides certainty and helps with timing and speed.
It also supports modern methods of construction. Manufacturers have told us they need a reliable pipeline. The more we can create that pipeline, the better.
ROGER: Very quickly, are any projects officially underway?
ANA: Yes. We’ve started work in Nunavut and have site servicing underway at most of our six sites. A number of projects will have shovels in the ground over the next few months. We’ve approved and are working on almost 9,000 units, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. Some projects are already underway, and we’re particularly proud of the work in Nunavut.
ROGER: We have to leave it there. Thank you, as always, for joining us.
ANA: Thank you.
ROGER: Ana Bailão, CEO of Build Canada Homes.
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This BNN Bloomberg summary and transcript of the March 3, 2026 interview with Ana Bailão are published with the assistance of AI. Original research, interview questions and added context was created by BNN Bloomberg journalists. An editor also reviewed this material before it was published to ensure its accuracy and adherence with BNN Bloomberg editorial policies and standards.
