Welcome to Canadian Real Estate, Housing & Home.
Allow me to introduce myself! I’m Steve Fudge, and I’m celebrating over three decades as a realtor, property consultant, and proud resident of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Today, I’m sharing one of the recent instalments from my Dear Urbaneer blog series, where I am looking at what it means to buy, renovate and design Canadian.
Read on!
Dear Urbaneer,
There has been a lot of discussion in the media lately about buying Canadian and supporting Canadian products and services. It’s made me think beyond groceries and everyday goods to the money I spend on my home.
As a homeowner, I know there must be plenty of ways to support Canadian, whether I’m shopping for furniture and decor, renovating or choosing building materials. But I’m also interested in celebrating Canadian culture and identity through the way I design and decorate my home, without falling into obvious Canadiana.
Where should I start?
Signed,
Looking Closer To Home
Here’s my repsonse:
Dear Closer to Home,
The desire to buy Canadian goods has taken on new significance over the past year, as the tariff war with the United States has put more attention on where the products we buy come from, who makes them, and where our money ultimately goes. For many Canadians, “buy Canadian” has shifted from being a nice idea to a more deliberate purchasing decision—one that can support Canadian businesses, Canadian jobs, local manufacturing and, in some cases, the communities where we live.
When it comes to our homes, there are plenty of opportunities to put that intention into practice. From furniture, appliances and building materials to paint, lighting, textiles, cabinetry and household goods, what we choose to purchase when we renovate, decorate, repair or maintain a property can represent a significant investment. The same is true of the people we hire: designers, tradespeople, contractors, fabricators, manufacturers and other home-related professionals are all part of a much larger Canadian economy connected to housing.
But buying Canadian isn’t always as straightforward as looking for a maple leaf on the packaging. A company may be Canadian-owned but manufacture its products abroad. Another might be foreign-owned but operate a factory in Canada employing Canadian workers. A piece of furniture could be designed and assembled here using imported components, while another product might use Canadian raw materials but be manufactured somewhere else entirely. And depending on what matters most to you—Canadian ownership, Canadian labour, Canadian materials, Canadian manufacturing, or keeping more of your spending within the Canadian economy—you may come to a different conclusion about what qualifies as “Canadian.”
That doesn’t mean you need to investigate the entire supply chain every time you buy a lamp or hire someone to tile your bathroom. But having a basic understanding of the terminology, labels and resources available makes it much easier to make informed choices—and to decide for yourself what “buying Canadian” means when it comes to your home.
‘Buying loca’ has been trending for more than a decade, but making thoughtful financial and creative choices, not to mention actively supporting community and country, has never felt as relevant and crucial as it does in today’s cultural climate.
Terms, Tools & Distinctions
Here are some important terms, tools, and distinctions to be familiar with.
You’ve probably seen a lot of news stories around tools, scanner apps and websites to facilitate identifying Canadian goods and services. It’s true that these tools are helpful, but you need to know what you are reading, as this story from the Canadian Press points out: “Buy Canadian Scanner Apps Have Exploded Online. How Do You Know Which One Is Right?”
How “Canadian” a product is can depend on what you are measuring. A product might be designed by a Canadian company but manufactured elsewhere, made in Canada by a foreign-owned company, manufactured here using Canadian materials, or a combination of several of those things.
Where the product is made, where its materials come from, who employs the people making it, and where the company is ultimately owned can all represent different levels of Canadian involvement.
The Canadian Marketing Association, in this post – “Canadian Products Eh?” – has a handy reference guide to help you decipher various product labels to determine the “Canadian-ness” of a product or good.
The important distinction is that Made in Canada and Product of Canada labels are not the same thing.
Product of Canada indicates that at least 98% of the production or manufacturing costs are incurred in Canada and that all or virtually all major ingredients are Canadian.
Made in Canada denotes that at least 51% of the production or manufacturing costs are incurred in Canada. Product labels that have this tag must include a statement with additional information about the product’s origin and content, such as “Made in Canada with imported ingredients”.
If the products don’t meet either of these criteria, they cannot have this designation.
And be aware that there are a lot of similar-looking and sounding tags on products on the market right now to make them “appear” more Canadian.
Watch for Canadian symbols, like a moose or variations of a maple leaf, and language like “produced in” or “manufactured in” Canada.
That’s not to say that products with variations on the designations don’t have Canadian content, but they are not “official” as per the government, without the criteria laid out above.
The Canadian Marketing Association also provides some guidance for consumers looking to buy Canadian.
This is from their website:
- Understand the label. ‘Product of Canada’ has at least 98% of production costs incurred in Canada, with all or virtually all major ingredients being Canadian. ‘Made in Canada has at least 51% of production costs incurred in Canada, may include imported ingredients. Other terms that you might see on a label are not defined by law, so read them carefully.
- Look for the country of origin. Check the product’s label for its country of origin.
- Read packaging and disclosures. Many companies include details about ingredient sources on their packaging or websites. Look for information about where the ingredients come from and where the manufacturing occurred.
- Ask questions. If something is unclear, use customer service channels (email, websites, social media) to ask about a product’s origin.
- Use technology. Apps and websites might help you identify Canadian-made products.
A lot of the apps handy for scanning in the aisles of the stores don’t extend to housing goods & design products, but this website, Made in Canada, is a good resource and has various categories, including home products, furniture, and garden.
Embracing ‘Canadian’ In Your Home
So what does all of this mean when you apply the same thinking to your home?
Housing and home represents a much broader opportunity not only to support Canadian business, but to celebrate and express elements of Canadian-inspired design, in addition to using Canadian-made or sourced materials to design, decorate, build, or renovate.
Supporting Canadian at home can mean looking not only at where furniture and decor are made, but at the materials that go into your home, the people you hire to design and build it, and even the influences that shape how you decorate and live in it.
Housing Encompasses A Broad Ecosystem. And housing is big business in Canada, so there is certainly a chance to contribute meaningfully as a consumer.
According to the Canadian Homebuilders Association, Canadians spend more than $100 billion a year renovating and repairing their homes, meaning decisions about where building materials, finishes and products come from represent a significant pool of consumer spending.
There are plenty of ways to bring more Canadian content into your home, and they extend well beyond looking for a Made in Canada label.
From choosing Canadian-made furniture and locally sourced materials to hiring Canadian designers and makers, buying Canadian art, and even taking some inspiration from what makes Canadian design distinctive, here’s how to buy, design, and decorate a little closer to home- and ways to celebrate Canadian identity with your home.
Embrace Canadian Design & Decor
A real celebration of all things Canadian is to design and decorate your home Canadian-style. But the question is- what defines Canadian design, and what does it really look like?
Spoiler alert- Canadian design and decor is a little more nuanced than canoes over the fireplace, plaid, and Hudson’s Bay blankets (although those are all iconic).
The beauty of Canadian design is that there isn’t really a singular identity or design style- which opens the door for style and aesthetic possibility.
A mountainside home in the Rockies is going to be different in style and materials to an urban infill home in Toronto or Montreal, or a coastal home in the Maritimes.
Historically, it has been thought that our country is too diverse, geographically large, and young, along with varied climates coast to coast, to have a singular architectural identity.
Architect John Bland, who taught at McGill University for decades throughout the early-mid 20th century and designed numerous iconic buildings coast-to-coast, spearheaded that philosophy.
In his paper from the 1950s from CMHC, The Development of Canadian Architecture, Bland argues that regional building materials and traditions/methods shaped architecture locally, across the country.
It’s true, when you think about it: Look at how different some historic homes/buildings look across the country. A few examples:
• Hart Massey House, built in 1959 and named a historic home in 2018, is notably “Canadian” because of its glass exterior and the way it frames the abundant natural landscape beyond, incorporating it into its design.
• Parliament Hill buildings are fashioned from stone from various locations in Canada.
• On the West Coast, Smith House II, built in 1964 in West Vancouver, is emblematic of West Coast Modernism.
• On the East Coast, shingled cottages and Maritime-inspired design are prevalent.
• The Château Montebello in Quebec features iconic log-cabin-inspired design and OG timber-framed style.
• Canadian design has also been shaped by Indigenous cultures and traditions, and European settlements too.
These are only a few examples of Canadian buildings, but the idea is the same- they are different and open to regional influence-which you can easily do too in your home to embrace the soul of Canadian architecture and design.
Here are some tips to keep in mind and get you started:
Use natural materials with regional significance: wood, stone, clay, sand, leather, like wood, limestone, river stone, reclaimed timber, and more.
Use indoor/outdoor connection to frame natural views. Just like Massey House, incorporate outdoor vistas into your interior design. You don’t necessarily have to wrap your home in glass. Just take advantage of views from abundant windows and glass doors, with a design that directs the eye and extends sightlines. Blur boundaries by mirroring similar color palettes inside that appear outside the windows.
Design for the seasons. Embrace the weather, no matter what it is, because having four distinct seasons is one of the most wonderful parts of Canada.. Make the fireplace the focal point in the winter, frame views of changing leaves in the fall, welcome natural light in the spring, and focus on outdoor spaces in the summer. Let your home design follow the seasons.
Borrow from your region, not a Canadian stereotype. Look at the architecture and building traditions around you for cues. In Toronto, that might mean brick, original wood floors, millwork or stone; somewhere else in Canada, the materials and references will be completely different. Regional difference is part of Canadian design.
Commission a piece from a Canadian artist. Original artwork is a wonderful way to create a meaningful focal point in your home, even better when there is a backstory- and home-grown art for sure has that, versus mass-produced, imported pieces.
Look Behind the Walls
Finally, with a build or a renovation, it’s easy to focus on finishes and decor, but it’s worthwhile to look at your home’s structure through a buy Canadian lens too.
Canada has major lumber, cement, steel and building-product industries, with companies such as Canfor and West Fraser producing lumber and wood products, Lafarge Canada manufacturing cement and concrete products, and CGC producing drywall and other building materials here.
When working with your contractor, in addition to questions around price, availability and other practical aspects, ask where things like insulation, drywall, windows, doors, roofing, concrete, framing and lumber come from, and whether there is a Canadian-made option available.
Bosley Real Estate – Fourth-Generation Canadian
And when we talk about buying Canadian, we think it’s worth remembering that the idea extends beyond what we put in our homes to the Canadian businesses we choose to work with, too. Bosley Real Estate is proudly fourth-generation Canadian, with deep roots in Toronto and a long history of helping people buy and sell homes in the communities we know and love. In an industry increasingly populated by large international brands, there’s something meaningful about choosing a Canadian company whose history, relationships and reputation have been built here, generation after generation. So whether you’re sourcing Canadian-made furniture, commissioning a local artist, hiring a neighbourhood tradesperson or choosing who represents you in one of life’s biggest financial decisions, supporting Canadian can start very close to home.
Thank you for your excellent question!
And thank YOU for reading!
~ Steven
