MNPHA was a partner on a research project to investigate the relationship between community housing and economic productivity.

The partners commissioned Deloitte to produce the report, The Impact of Community Housing on Productivity, which finds:

• There is a causal connection between the proportion of community housing within the overall housing stock and gains in economic productivity.
• Bringing Canada’s community housing stock to the OECD average by 2030 would boost economic productivity by a staggering 5.7% to 9.3%.
  
  • In Manitoba, it would be a 3.5% to 5.8% increase
• The economic benefit would increase GDP by an estimated $67 billion to $136 billion, without adding to inflation since gains in productivity boost our economy’s ability to grow.
  • In Manitoba, this would be a $0.9B-$2.2B increase in GDP.
• CHRA estimates that gains to the economy will outweigh the costs within two years of hitting the target.
• The economic gains are from the productivity-enhancing benefits of having more community housing, rather than just the stimulus impact of building new homes. The impact is derived from addressing five productivity-depressing phenomena:
  • Geographical mismatch between workers and jobs that are the best fit;
  • Diminished human capital accumulation due to poor living conditions;
  • Neighbourhood effects that impact wellbeing and opportunities;
  • Diversion of income towards housing costs rather than upskilling; and
  • Depressed business investment and captive employment.

Download the report here