Summary
This workshop will provide information on recent empirical housing research projects at Statistics Canada and will provide detailed information on key Statistics Canada datasets available in the research data centers (RDC).
Topics
Part 1: In-depth presentation of key housing microdata available in the RDCs
The first part of the workshop will provide information and hands-on guidance on housing microdata available in the RDCs. Workshop participants will hear from presenters on the Canadian Housing Statistics Program, the Canadian Housing Survey, as well as new custom data in the RDCs, such as longitudinal income and employment files for inhabitants of social and affordable housing, housing first programs and emergency relief shelters to describe impacts of non-market housing and homelessness.
Part 2: Examples of recent research on housing at Statistics Canada
Housing Use Projections for Immigrants and Non-Permanent Residents
This study explores key factors influencing the aggregate housing use of immigrants and non-permanent residents, including transitions from temporary to permanent residency, retention patterns of new immigrants, and historical housing occupancy trends observed from the 2016 to 2021 censuses. Building on these factors, it estimates the demand for owned and rented housing units corresponding to planned immigration levels from 2025 to 2030.
Renters’ Shelter Costs by Duration of Tenancy
Using Census of population and National Household Survey data, this study sheds light on trends in shelter cost differences by duration of tenancy from 1996 to 2021, and how this gap in rental costs between recent renters and longer-term renters varies across municipalities and neighbourhoods. Findings show that the gap between recent and long-term renters’ shelter costs have widened over the study period, and that tenure-based gaps in rental costs are pervasive beyond the priciest housing markets of Toronto and Vancouver.
Investors in Residential Real Estate
This research project provides detailed information on residential real estate investors and the properties they own in the select provinces, based on data from the Canadian Housing Statistics Program (CHSP). It documents the demographic characteristics of investors, including age, sex and immigration status. It also looks at the geographic distribution of investors in certain provinces.
Introducing the Housing Hardship measure
Housing hardship is a residual income measure that assesses whether households can afford basic necessities such as food, clothing, and transportation after paying for housing. CMHC researchers used Census 2016 and 2021 microdata to develop new insights about housing affordability that have not been previously observed using existing housing needs indicators.