Canada Lands Company Transitions to Build Canada Homes to Enhance Housing Development

📅 3 days ago

The Canada Lands Company's land holdings and development expertise are being integrated into Build Canada Homes, with James Cox taking the lead to help accelerate affordable housing delivery on public land.

As of Monday, the land holdings and development expertise of Canada Lands Company have begun to transition under the purview of Build Canada Homes (BCH), a federal agency dedicated to expediting housing delivery on public land. This strategic move sees James Cox, who previously served as Vice-President of Real Estate for the Central Region at Canada Lands Company, stepping into the same position at BCH. Cox's impressive tenure at Canada Lands Company spans nearly 16 years, during which he has held various roles including Director of Urban Planning and Project Manager, Director of Real Estate for Ontario and Atlantic, Senior Director of Real Estate for Ontario, and Acting Regional Director of Real Estate for Ontario before assuming the VP role in 2022.
This transition follows a series of actions initiated by the federal government earlier this year, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of housing development on public land. In September 2025, Canada Lands Company was placed under the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure's oversight. The government has emphasized that the company will play a vital role in supporting BCH to streamline federal mechanisms for constructing affordable housing.
In February of this year, the government introduced legislation to formalize BCH as a Crown corporation, thereby granting it the authority to directly transfer Canada Lands Company’s land holdings and development know-how. Within Cox's portfolio, which encompasses regions in Ontario and Manitoba, are significant sites such as the Downsview Lands in Toronto, along with properties in Mississauga and St. Catharines, and the Naawi-Oodena lands in Winnipeg. These properties are integral to BCH's Direct Build pipeline.
According to STOREYS, BCH's Arbo project located at Downsview is set to introduce 540 new homes, with at least 40% designated as affordable housing. This initiative is part of a substantial $283-million infrastructure investment, which is anticipated to ultimately lead to the development of 63,000 homes in the Downsview area.
Moreover, the Naawi-Oodena site in Winnipeg and the Village at Griesbach in Edmonton are expected to yield a combined total of 675 housing units, developed in collaboration with Treaty One First Nations. Cox shared the news of his new role on LinkedIn, highlighting the integration as an opportunity to leverage his extensive public land experience more directly in the national housing initiative.

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