Now, four years later, Power remains as committed, if not more, and enthusiastic about the Homes For Heroes Foundation (H4HF) Kingston Village cause. 

“Our committee worked together on three Ride for Refuge events, garage sales, bake sales, a sign rider program which brought in over $200,000, plus Jackie Blakney and ReMax each raised $100,000, so in total local Realtors have raised over $400,000 working together,” said Power.

Power says she wanted fundraising events to be open to all real estate companies so the Kingston community would know their Realtors are there for them.

While the rider program is on hold (due to difficulties administering it), Realtors from many different companies and other volunteers continue to raise money in other ways.

This year’s committee of volunteers from Sutton Group Masters is Michelle Cifala, Joe Cifala, David Hatt, Kay Langmuir, Ryan Power, and Gail Power. Community members include Kendra Hodgson of KH Realty and Kathy Williams of Williams Auto. Blakney of ReMax Finest Realty recently joined. She raised $100,000 to build one home in memory of her father.

Marco Dipietrantonio and Rob Colangeli of ReMax Finest Realty also raised enough money to build one home.

Supporting veterans beyond housing

The Kingston Village, one of three in Canada, includes 20 tiny homes that offer a private space for each veteran in a park-like setting.

“We have been supporting since before there were shovels in the ground,” Power says.  “When I heard about the project, I wanted to help. Homelessness is a big problem everywhere. Homes For Heroes has found a way to connect with those who have served.”

H4HF was co-founded by David Howard and Murray McCann. Howard’s father, a Navy vet, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and poverty.

The organization’s mission is to end veteran homelessness in Canada by providing a full-service program that includes resources, training, and counselling to help veterans live independently in the long term. 

“It’s not a Band-Aid solution,” Power says. “One must be fully committed to it. A person who wants a hand up will be able to move into a fully furnished tiny home, provided with counselling, support, and guidance. They have a chance to get reconnected and will even have assistance in finding a job.”

To date, the Kingston Village has had 13 graduates, and its houses are full, says Travis Cellini, H4HF veteran services manager.

Continuing the mission with new events

Although it is up and running, funds are still needed for day-to-day operations, Power says. H4HF was created by people who saw a need and wanted to help. It is not government-run and relies on philanthropy.

“We were there from the beginning and are here now to continue the support. Our newest fundraising efforts include a garage sale on Sept. 20 and a new event, the Glimmer Gala, in November. The committee chose Nov. 7 to put the event in front of Remembrance Day and far away from Christmas,” she says, adding the auction items will make good holiday gifts.

“We’re super excited about this event, which will offer dinner, dancing, and entertainment at the renovated Kingston Marriott ballroom.”

Kim Shippey, national director, development for H4HF, says Power has been influential for the mission in Kingston.

Cellini said that having the support of the local real estate agents “opens so many opportunities.”

“Funds that are raised go directly to supporting veteran care right here in Kingston. In addition to the financial support, (Realtors’) businesses rely so heavily on word of mouth, the network of contacts and support they have is truly endless,” he said. “Having local agents supporting our village allows us to access their networks for potential housing for the veterans graduating our program. We are proud and fortunate to have the community support.”

Commissionaires Kingston is one of the major sponsors of the Kingston Village. “We are Canada’s largest employer of veterans and Canada’s only not-for-profit security company. Thirty-five per cent of our employees are veterans and veteran dependants, as well as all of our board members,” says CEO David Patterson, Commissionaires Kingston and Region, who retired from the army in 2017 before joining Commissionaires in 2019. “We have committed to offering employment to any Homes for Heroes residents who are looking for a job.”

The federal government recently announced its support in the form of a $1.9-million investment to combat veteran homelessness in Kingston, but fundraising continues.

It costs $10 million to build each village, plus $450,000 to $500,000 per year per village for operating costs, says Shippey.

The first village was built in Calgary in 2019. In addition to Kingston, there is another village in Edmonton. London and Winnipeg villages are slated for 2026, and future sites include Halifax and Hamilton/Burlington.

The much-needed fundraising continues. For Glitter Gala tickets ($150), visit https://www.zeffy.com/en-CA/ticketing/glimmer-gala-in-support-of-homes-for-heroes.

For more information about Homes For Heroes Foundation, visit www.h4hf.ca.

“We’re also looking for more volunteers,” says Power. For more information, email Gail Power.

Connie Adair

Connie Adair is a contributing writer for REM.

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Until we start solving the right problems, all the money, headlines, and government promises in the world won’t get us anywhere near sustainable growth.

Getting to the root cause

Let’s start by unpacking the narrative. Across every level of government, housing has become the political scapegoat of choice. But blaming the housing “shortage” is like blaming a doctor shortage for long ER wait times—it sounds intuitive, but it’s fundamentally misleading. In health care, we don’t actually lack physicians; we lack compensation structures that reward patient throughput. 

Under Ontario’s Academic Funding Plan, for example, many doctors receive a salary rather than fee-for-service billing. There’s no financial incentive to increase volume. So waitlists grow, not for lack of supply, but for lack of systemic efficiency.

Sound familiar?

In real estate, we face the same false premise. There’s no actual shortage of land, materials, or interest from developers. 

What we lack is coordinated infrastructure, aligned policy, and a functional approval process. 

Kingston: A case study for collaboration

Take Kingston, Ont. as a case in point. The city already has the land capacity to meet growth projections with medium- and high-density housing. But the Provincial Policy Statement (PPS) is pushing expansion beyond the urban boundary anyway, forcing new infrastructure spending in areas that don’t need it. That’s not growth. That’s sprawl.

Even worse, when we do invest in infrastructure, we often do it in silos. Picture going to work and discovering that your entire organization has been building toward different goals, with different blueprints, timelines, and metrics. That’s how cities operate when housing policy is separated from transportation, utilities, schools, and health care planning. Everyone’s working hard, but no one’s working together.

That’s why it was so refreshing to see the City of Kingston take a different approach: aligning its updated Official Plan with the Integrated Transportation and Mobility Master Plan and utility infrastructure strategy. 

This is what real master planning should look like. For too long, “master-planned communities” have been a marketing slogan, not a reality. If you don’t believe me, go look at school bus routes. Many of our new subdivisions were built without long-term demographic logic. They fill quickly with young families and then age out, leaving brand-new schools half empty a decade later.

We should be building communities people can live in across every life stage—from first-time buyers to retirees—all in the same postal code. Instead, we’re spending more public dollars than ever, producing fewer homes, and pointing fingers at the wrong culprits.

“We need carrots, not sticks”

The truth? Government doesn’t need to get back into construction. It needs to get back into coordination. Growth can and should pay for growth. New tax revenue can fund social and affordable housing—if we allow development to happen on time, on budget, and in alignment with local infrastructure needs. But that only works if we stop penalizing builders with outdated fees and start incentivizing them to build efficiently.

The Housing Accelerator Fund made a great headline, but very few municipalities will see the money. Why? Because the targets tied to that funding are unrealistic. We need carrots, not sticks. Instead of dangling unreachable housing starts, why not eliminate development charges and redirect federal dollars toward infrastructure expansion? Why not reform the New Home Warranty Act to encourage emerging builders with completion-based incentives instead of regulatory gatekeeping?

The system isn’t broken. We’ve just stopped reading the rulebook—if we ever had one to begin with. Fixing this isn’t about grand reinventions. It’s about understanding how all the moving pieces fit together, and then holding people accountable for playing their part.

Let’s stop chasing housing headlines. And start solving infrastructure problems.

Joel Thompson

Joel Thompson is a real estate broker and housing advocate who believes the system isn’t broken—we’ve just never handed out the instructions. Actively engaged in municipal, provincial, and federal politics, Joel uses his platform to push for practical, inclusive solutions in housing, infrastructure, and industry reform.

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While more people voted in favour, the proposal was defeated because it did not meet the required two-thirds approval.

“With an unprecedented number of members in attendance, we could not be prouder of the engagement of our membership,” said Mary Ambrose, president of the Kingston and Area Real Estate Association (KAREA).

The members voted on the proposed amalgamation with the Ottawa Real Estate Board, Renfrew County Real Estate Board, and the Rideau-St. Lawrence Real Estate Board.  

Of the 420 votes cast, 238 (56.6 per cent) were in favour and 182 were opposed, said Ambrose’s statement.

“We respect the decision of our members and remain committed to working collaboratively to strengthen our Association and support (Realtors) in delivering professional, informed service to their communities. We recognize the importance of ongoing dialogue about how best to serve our members’ evolving needs and to ensure the long-term sustainability and success of our industry.

“We thank all members who participated in this important decision and extend our appreciation to everyone who contributed time, energy, and ideas throughout this process.”

A special meeting of KAREA was held after its members did not reach the required number of votes in March to move forward with an amalgamation of neighbouring boards.

Of the nearly 300 votes in the first vote, 163 (55 per cent) were in favour of the amalgamation, failing to reach the 66 per cent majority required to pass. 

Seeking strength in numbers

Jason Clarke, with the Jason Clarke Real Estate Team, part of LPT (Listing Power Tools) Realty in Kingston, voted last Thursday for the amalgamation.

“I’ve experienced it on different boards and in different parts of the country. When it’s not unified, it just creates islands. It’s better to have everything united—it just makes business easier. You can sell more homes, and the customers get the most for their homes,” he said.

“That’s the reality. Whenever you’re making it more restrictive or harder, you’re just making it harder to sell homes. So I think it would’ve been a positive move to go ahead and do that.

“I was surprised. They’ve done it twice now, and both times the majority voted for amalgamation—but a majority isn’t enough.”

Carrie Brunet, a realtor with RE/MAX Finest Realty in Kingston, also voted in favour of the amalgamation.

“I just think in the future we’re going to need it. Because we’re all on our own right now. Kingston’s kind of on its own. Eventually, we’re going to have to amalgamate with somebody, so why not do it now, rather than wait until we’re forced to?”

Anne Caldwell of Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty in Kingston, said she, too, was in favour of the amalgamation.

“Mostly for reasons that were shared—basically, more of us equals a bigger voice. The sharing of information across the board, across different regions, is helpful. Especially for agents who don’t live within city limits. They’re servicing people in the Kingston area, but also maybe closer to Ottawa, because they live an hour between both places,” she said.

“I didn’t really look at all of the information that came to us over the last few months about this, but I think—I wasn’t opposed to the change. It does seem like all of the boards are growing. It just seems like every other sector of industry is doing this, so why not real estate?”

Caldwell said there seemed to be a lot of conflict among members over the issue when the first vote came up.

“I don’t know, for some reason I really thought it would’ve passed this time around,” she said.

Where did the idea come from?

In June 2024, members of the Kingston, Ottawa, Renfrew County and Rideau-St. Lawrence boards learned of a plan for regional integration, spearheaded by a task force made up of representatives from the four Eastern regional real estate boards.

The proposal focused on enhancing professional services, increasing advocacy, and better positioning members to meet evolving industry demands and opportunities.

In December 2024, each of the regional boards of directors gave tentative approval to a proposed amalgamation, pending affirmative voting results by the members of each board.

The Ottawa and Renfrew County boards voted in favour of the merger. 

The proposed amalgamation would create the third-largest real estate association in Ontario.

Cornwall and District Real Estate Board proposed the amalgamation to its members, but formally withdrew from the process before it went to an official vote.

Mario Toneguzzi

Mario Toneguzzi is a contributing writer for REM. He has more than 40 years of experience as a daily newspaper writer, columnist, and editor. He worked for 35 years at the Calgary Herald, covering sports, crime, politics, health, faith, city and breaking news, and business. He now works on his own as a freelance writer for several national publications and consultant in communications and media relations/training. Mario was named in 2021 as one of the Top 10 Business Journalists in the World by PR News – the only Canadian to make the list.

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Before seasonal adjustments, the HPI rose by 1.6 per cent from April to May, the third consecutive monthly increase.

The data from the Teranet report reveals a positive trend in the market, with several cities experiencing notable gains in property prices.

Monthly increases in major cities and regional markets

In May, eight of the 11 major Canadian Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) covered by the index saw an increase in house prices. Toronto led the way with a significant 1.6 per cent rise, followed closely by Winnipeg with a 1.5 per cent increase. Victoria, Edmonton, Quebec City, Montreal, Hamilton, and Calgary also posted positive gains ranging from 0.1 per cent to 1.3 per cent. 

Three CMAs experienced a decline in prices during the same period, namely Halifax (-2.6 per cent), Vancouver (-1.2 per cent), and Ottawa-Gatineau (-0.3 per cent).

The report also highlighted the performance of regional markets not included in the composite index. Among the twenty CMAs for which data is available, 10 recorded growth in May. Sudbury, Guelph, and Kingston stood out with significant monthly increases of 4.9 per cent, 4.7 per cent, and 4.6 oper cent, respectively. Conversely, Brantford and Sherbrooke experienced notable decreases of -8.1 per cent and -4.5 per cent.

Year-over-year analysis shows signs of recovery

Although the report recorded a year-over-year decline of 7.6 per cent from May 2022 to May 2023, this represents a smaller contraction compared to the previous month’s record drop. 

Calgary emerged as the top performer among the eleven cities in the composite index, exhibiting an impressive 8.3 per cent increase in property prices. Edmonton and Quebec City also showed positive growth, with gains of 4.9 per cent and 3.1 per cent, respectively.

On the other hand, some cities faced significant challenges, with Hamilton experiencing the sharpest decline at -16.8 per cent year-over-year. Toronto and Ottawa-Gatineau also saw notable drops of -10.3 per cent and -9.5 per cent. Among the other twenty CMAs not included in the composite index, four registered annual gains, led by Saint John (7.2 per cent) and Trois-Rivieres (3.9 per cent), while Brantford, Peterborough, Oshawa, and Abbotsford-Mission faced the steepest declines.

“This turnaround in property prices is due, in particular, to the rebound in the resale market over the past four months.”

– Darren King, National Bank Financial

According to Darren King, senior wealth advisor and portfolio manager at National Bank Financial, the increase in home prices is a result of the rebound in the resale market over the past four months. 

“This recovery is taking place against a backdrop of record demographic growth, which is accentuating the shortage of housing supply on the market,” King observes. 

However, he notes that with domestic housing starts at their lowest level in three years, it is unlikely that the shortage will be resolved in the near future.

King also noted that the recent resumption of the monetary tightening cycle by the Bank of Canada and the anticipated economic slowdown could potentially moderate price growth later this year. 

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