This series of reports on the financialization of housing in Canada was commissioned by the Office of the Federal Housing Advocate. “Financialization of housing” refers to the growing role of financial firms such as private equity, pension funds, and real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the housing market. These firms acquire, operate, and develop housing as an investment strategy, with an aim to maximize returns for shareholders.

The reports show that financialization is having a negative impact on the human right to adequate housing in Canada. It is associated with unaffordable rent increases, worsening conditions, and a rise in evictions in rental housing, and with higher rates of morbidity and mortality in long-term care. These trends are especially affecting the right to housing for National Housing Strategy priority groups, including Black and racialized communities, low-income tenants, seniors, and people with disabilities.

Reports

• The Financialization of Housing in Canada: Project Summary Report,
  Martine August, University of Waterloo
• The Uneven Racialized Impacts of Financialization, 
  Nemoy Lewis, Toronto Metropolitan University
• Housing Financialization: The International Landscape, 
  Manuel Gabarre
• The Financialization of Seniors' Housing in Canada, 
  Jackie Brown
• The Financialization of Multi-Family Rental Housing in Canada, 
  Martine August, University of Waterloo
• The Impact of Financialization on Tenants, 
  Bhumika Jhamb & Judy Duncan, ACORN Canada