The federal government, along with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC), has released its design catalogue for standardized homes meant to ease Canada’s housing crisis.

Featuring 50 ready-to-use designs — including multiplexes, row houses and laneway homes that are aimed at fitting into existing neighbourhoods — the plans are meant to get more projects off the ground by cutting down on planning and red tape.

“They’re a head start for homeowners, builders, municipalities,” Daniel Rubinstein, adviser of client solutions at the CMHC, said in a

video announcing the catalogue.

“They allow them to skip most of the design process and jump right into finalizing designs for a specific site.”

Included in the details are cost estimates for each design, enhanced layouts, guidance on climate resilience and materials needed for construction.

The costs vary by region, but the CMHC estimates an accessory dwelling could cost as little as $275,000 to build in Calgary, while a six-plex unit in Toronto could cost as much as $1.9 million.

Overall, the CMHC estimates a six-plex in Yellowknife is the costliest project, with cost projections ranging as high as $5.7 million, compared to the cheapest estimates of an accessory dwelling in Saskatoon with a price tag of just $205,000.

Drawing inspiration from the CMHC’s post-war housing design catalogues from the 1940s and 1970s, the modernized version is part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s multibillion-dollar plan to address the country’s housing crisis, which includes opening up federal land to construction and the formation of a new agency, Build Canada Homes (BCH), to oversee federal housing programs.

So far, cities across the country have pre-reviewed the designs to streamline approvals, including major centres such as Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Halifax and Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.

“Like many cities across Canada, Waterloo is growing fast and the housing supply needs to keep pace,” Waterloo MP Bardish Chagger said in a release. “The Housing Design Catalogue provides a comprehensive set of tools to quickly create homes in existing neighbourhoods — homes that meet families’ needs, whether that’s an accessory dwelling for a family member or a six-plex in the city centre.”

Carney’s plan is not without detractors, however. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre last month said the federal government should scrap the Liberal plan and implement his own, which includes incentives for municipalities to speed up permitting and cuts to development fees.

Royal Bank of Canada housing policy director Stephanie Shewchuk

 last month
warned

that the BCH relies on all levels of government to work together and could face uncertain economic headwinds.

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“Success, however, hinges on its ability to bring partners together to rapidly execute and deliver on its ambitious objectives, against the backdrop of an uncertain economic environment,” she said in a note. “Lack of agreement or clarity on the ways to collaboratively move forward will reduce trust and hamper results, potentially creating even greater challenges.”

• Email: bcousins@postmedia.com