Abacus Data poll commissioned by CivicAction shows three in four Canadians support governments enabling partnerships between employers, non-profits, builders, and public institutions
TORONTO, ON, September 15, 2026 – As governments look for ways to accelerate housing delivery and strengthen Canada’s economy, new national polling suggests Canadians increasingly see housing affordability as more than a household problem: they see it as a shared economic challenge that employers, governments and housing partners need to solve together.
The poll, commissioned by CivicAction and conducted by Abacus Data, found that three in four Canadians support governments taking steps to encourage partnerships between employers, non-profits, builders, and public institutions to create affordable housing for middle-income workers in high-cost regions.
The support crosses political lines. Seventy-five per cent of Canadians support government-enabled workforce housing partnerships.
“The findings point to an area of agreement in Canada’s housing debate,” said Eddie Sheppard, Executive Vice President at Abacus Data. “Across regions and political lines, Canadians see workforce housing as more than a personal affordability issue. They recognize it as a shared economic challenge, and they support governments enabling partnerships that bring employers, non-profits, builders, and public institutions together to help deliver affordable homes for workers.”
The poll also found that 58 per cent of Canadians believe major employers and institutions should play a major or moderate role in addressing housing affordability challenges for workers. Sixty-eight per cent see housing affordability as either a public policy issue or a workforce issue, rather than simply a personal or household challenge.
“Housing is workforce infrastructure,” said Surranna Sandy, CEO of CivicAction. “When workers cannot afford to live near the jobs communities depend on, the consequences show up in recruitment, retention, essential services, long commutes, and regional productivity. Canadians understand this is not a problem one sector can solve alone. They want employers at the table, governments enabling action, and partners working together to deliver.”
The findings reinforce CivicAction’s Workforce Housing Affordability Playbook for Action, shaped with input from more than 350 cross-sector leaders in the housing ecosystem. The Playbook makes clear that housing affordability is a workforce, economic resilience, and delivery issue all at once.
In the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA), CivicAction’s research found the region is producing fewer than 5,000 workforce-affordable homes each year, while needing roughly 15,000 annually to meet demand. Middle-income households, earning roughly $40,000 to $125,000 annually, represent about half of the region’s households and include workers in skilled trades, health care, education, retail, service, transit, childcare, emergency services, and arts and culture.
These households often earn too much to qualify for deeply affordable housing, but not enough to afford market rents or ownership near where they work.
The challenge is not simply a lack of land, capital, or goodwill. Fee cuts and faster approvals alone will not be enough. Affordable housing projects often stall because financing, approvals, infrastructure, public land, employers, builders, non-profits, capital partners, and community partners are not aligned early enough to make projects viable.
“Canadians expect employers and major institutions to be part of the solution,” said Sandy. “This is about governments using the tools they have to enable productive partnerships, and about employers, builders, non-profits, investors, and community partners working together toward shared delivery.”
The poll shows strong support for practical government actions that can enable workforce housing partnerships, including low-cost financing, grants for affordable housing projects, tax incentives tied to long-term affordability, public land for housing development, and streamlined planning and approvals.
This comes at a critical moment. With Build Canada Homes receiving Royal Assent, Ontario pursuing faster housing and infrastructure delivery, and municipalities heading toward the 2026 election cycle with housing top of mind, CivicAction is calling on leaders to focus not only on housing announcements, but on the partnership models needed to turn plans into thousands of affordable homes.
CivicAction’s Playbook is designed to turn public support into action by bringing employers, governments, housing organizations, capital, and delivery partners together to identify opportunities, remove friction, and advance workforce housing projects under real market conditions.
“The city works when housing does,” added Sandy. “Canadians are telling us they are ready for productive partnerships. Leaders should meet them there.”
About the poll: The survey was conducted by Abacus Data with 3,080 Canadians from June 12 to 17, 2026. Data was weighted according to census data to ensure the sample matched Canada’s population. The margin of error for a comparable probability-based random sample of the same size is plus or minus 1.76 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
About CivicAction: CivicAction is a catalyst for positive change, turning collaboration into action to build livable, inclusive cities in the GTHA. We support programs that open doors for emerging and underrepresented leaders. Mission: Affordable is CivicAction’s campaign mobilizing collective action to fix the region’s workforce housing crisis.
Learn more at civicaction.ca | missionaffordable.ca
Media contact: andrea.gunraj@civicaction.ca
