THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING THE
2025 BILDCR UNLOCKING DOORS HOUSING SUPPLY & AFFORDABILITY SUMMIT
The 2025 Unlocking Doors: Housing Supply and Affordability Summit was a landmark event focused on fostering constructive and innovative solutions to shape the future of housing in Calgary and the Region. The Summit brought together current and future municipal leaders, policymakers, industry experts, and the interested public for meaningful dialogue that challenged current practices, rethought conventional approaches, and inspired actionable change.
With a strong productivity lens to bolster housing supply, the initiative explored how efficiency improvements, streamlined processes, and innovative construction methods could reduce costs and accelerate housing delivery. By aligning industry insights with government policy, the Summit identified actionable solutions that fostered affordability, accessibility, and sustainable growth in the Calgary Region housing market—generating concrete strategies to alleviate market pressures.
Ultimately, the Summit aimed to remove barriers and deliver sustainable, affordable market housing solutions for current and future homeowners and renters in the Calgary Region.
Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the success of the Summit. Your insights, engagement, and collaboration helped shape a more accessible and affordable housing future for our region.
Housing is a ladder. It’s all connected. Whenever we block market housing that somebody wants to build, the people who would have lived there don’t disappear. They move down the housing ladder, competing with everyone else for the limited supply of existing housing.
Russil Wvong, Volunteer, Abundant Housing Vancouver, Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities, House of Commons, June 3, 2024
SUMMIT FAST FACTS
500+
Attendees
21
Expert Perspectives
10+
Media Engagements
2025 SUMMIT SESSION INFORMATION
Session 1: Framing the Challenge: Calgary Region’s Housing Shortfall
With a growing population and demand for housing far outpacing supply, according to CMHC, Alberta faces a significant challenge—130,000 additional homes are needed by 2030 to balance the market and achieve meaningful housing affordability. This session will provide a comprehensive overview of the housing landscape, examining the root causes of this shortfall and the potential impacts if the gap is not addressed.
Moderator: Brian Hahn, CEO, BILD Calgary Region
Speakers: Robert Hogue, Assistant Chief Economist, RBC
Session 2: How Policymakers Can Help Close the Housing Supply Gap
This panel will examine how government policies impact land development, housing supply and affordability. Experts and policymakers will discuss strategies to improve regulatory outcomes which support the timely delivery of more affordable market priced housing options and diverse housing supply. Attendees will gain insights into successful policy frameworks from other regions and explore practical approaches to address Calgary Region’s housing challenges.
Moderator: Scott Fash, CEO, BILD AB
Speakers: Wendell Cox, Urban Policy Analyst, Demographia, Salim Furth, Economist, Mercatus Centre, Reid Hendry, Chief Housing Officer, City of Calgary
Session 3: The Financial Landscape of Housing Supply and Affordability
Access to capital—and its cost—are key to unlocking housing supply and affordability. Investor and lender perceptions, risk assessments, and recovery timelines shape financing rates and availability. Economic and monetary policies, both domestic and international, further impact development costs and market stability. This session will explore how interest rates, taxation, financial regulations, credit capacity, and global economic trends influence housing production. Experts will discuss policy shifts and market strategies to improve capital flow and support sustainable housing development.
Moderator: Kevin Lee, CEO, CHBA
Speakers: Alex Ciappara, Economist, Canadian Banking Association, Catherine Rothrock, Chief Economist, Government of Alberta
Session 4: Leveraging Technology and Innovation to Boost Productivity
The housing industry is ripe for technological transformation. This session will showcase how innovations—from modular construction to advanced project management and implementation can drive productivity, reduce construction timelines, and lower costs. Experts in tech and housing will share insights on the latest tools and techniques that could help Calgary Region’s housing industry build smarter and faster.
Session 4A: From Red Tape to Green Light: AI’s Impact on Permitting, Building and Safety Codes
Moderator: Wendy Murphy, CEO, Timber Tech Truss
Speakers: Ryan Smith, Divisional Director, Planning and Development Services, City of Kelowna, Brenda Desjardins, Director Building Services, City of Calgary, Nicole Janssen, CEO, AltaML, Azam Khan, CEO, TRAX
Session 4B: Modular 2.0: AI, Automation and the Next Era of Construction
Moderator: Alex Miller, CEO, Big Block Construction
Speakers: Ryan Scott, CEO Avalon Master Builder, Ramtin Attar, CEO, Promise Robotics
Session 5: Putting It All Together: Actionable Solutions for the Calgary Region Housing Future
In this final session, Summit participants will synthesize insights and ideas from across the day into concrete, actionable solutions. Led by industry thought leaders, this session will encourage collaboration, brainstorming, and planning around the steps Calgary Region can take to close the housing gap. By the end of the Summit, participants will walk away with a shared vision and a roadmap of implementable strategies to address the housing crisis and make housing more affordable for all those in the Calgary Region.
Moderator: Brian Hahn, CEO BILD Calgary Region
Speakers: Scott Fash, CEO, BILD AB, Kevin Lee, CEO, CHBA, Wendy Murphy, CEO, Timber Tech Truss, Alex Miller, CEO, Big Block Construction
MEET OUR GUEST SPEAKERS
Rapid population growth, constrained land supply, a shifting labor market, rising construction costs, regulatory complexities, and infrastructure challenges are all driving a housing market that remains out of reach for many Calgarians.
Brian Hahn CEO – BILD Calgary Region
