RLB Blog

After nearly a year of delays, Bill C-4, the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act, is now law. This legislation, specifically designed to increase housing supply, was held up long enough to have the opposite effect, with qualified buyers staying out of the market and builders managing stalled pipelines and uncertain demand. That changes now! With Royal Assent granted on March 12, 2026, builders need to move quickly to understand their obligations under the enhanced First-Time Home Buyer (FTHB) GST Rebate and update their processes accordingly. 

After months of legislative delays, Bill C-4, the Making Life More Affordable for Canadians Act, officially received Royal Assent on March 12th, 2026. The legislation removes or reduces the GST on qualifying new home purchases by eligible buyers, saving up to $50,000. Ontario noted in their 2025 Fall Economic Statement that they would follow suit and remove the provincial portion of HST for first time buyers on homes up to $1,000,000, but we do not have an official statement or legislation from Ontario since the March 12th Federal announcement at the time of writing this article. 

This article was originally written for and published in the GVCA Journal (Mar-Apr 2023 - Issue 2).

This article was originally written for and published in the GVCA Journal (Jan-Feb 2023 - Issue 1).

New Year - New Opportunities

Benefits are an essential part of an employee’s compensation package. In an ever-changing industry with a competitive market for skilled labour, a good benefits plan can help your company retain and attract the right people. A portion of each employee’s benefits plan is legislated, but some aspects can be adjusted to be attractive to current or potential employees.

The construction industry is starting to see an increase in ownership changes as owners decide to retire and pass on their legacy to the next generation, a key employee or a third party. The sale of a business sets up the seller’s retirement plans while the purchaser can move from a skilled construction worker to an owner building his/her own legacy. As such, understanding the benefits and drawbacks of different purchase and sale options is vital.The actual structure of the company being purchased will vary the overall results, therefore obtaining advice from your trusted advisors early in the process will be important.

No matter how big or how small your construction company is, cash is the lifeblood of your business. There are several options for procuring funding to get started, enhance growth and invest in your company’s future. Each option has its own advantages and disadvantages so be sure to compare the different financing alternatives available to you before signing on the dotted line.

The latest round of changes to the Construction Lien Act that took effect on October 1st, 2019 making prompt payment the hot topic in the industry. As you begin working on projects that fall under the prompt payment rules, there is more to consider than just the wording of your contracts. Your staff also need to be prepared for the changes coming to their roles and processes.

Everyone in construction has heard of the changes that the Workplace Safety & Insurance Board (WSIB) has proposed to make to their rate framework. Although we did see decreases in some construction WSIB rate groups during 2017, there is still much confusion and uncertainty over what the future holds for WSIB premiums.