Students interested in careers in housing, infrastructure, and urban development received an encouraging message: there will be opportunities.
That was one of the key takeaways from a recent fireside chat with Paul Halucha, Canada’s Deputy Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, hosted by the University of Ottawa Real Estate Club at Telfer School of Management’s Desmarais Building.
Mr. Halucha spoke positively about the future for young people looking to enter the sector, particularly through Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency focused on accelerating the supply of affordable housing.
“Currently, the federal government is going through an expenditure review process, so public service hiring will be pretty constrained in the near future,” he said. “But on the Build Canada Homes side of it, I think that’s where there will be a lot of hiring taking place.”
Mr. Halucha also told students he was excited to learn about the uOttawa Real Estate Club at Telfer “for a really selfish reason.”
“Organizations benefit a lot from having young people come in. I think there’s a good opportunity for us to get to know the students better. I’d like to have some senior managers come in and do sessions and guest lectures here and there. I think there should be opportunities for us to bring in some summer students in the not-too-distant future. There’s a lot of promise there.
Appointed in December 2024, Mr. Halucha brings extensive experience in public policy, having previously held senior roles at Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Privy Council Office, and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada.
During the conversation, moderated by Alexia Dumouchel, a fourth-year bilingual student at Telfer, Mr. Halucha described his career path this way: “I’m moved around to wherever there’s a big problem or crisis to solve, or a need for outside thinking or a different approach.”
One of the central topics of the evening was Build Canada Homes, launched last September with an initial $13-billion investment over five years to help accelerate the construction of affordable housing across the country. The agency made local headlines in December when the federal government and the City of Ottawa announced a $400-million joint investment to build up to 3,000 mixed-income and affordable housing units in the city.
uOttawa’s Real Estate Club was created by Telfer students to give them the practical experience needed to launch careers in the industry.
The club has helped connect students with industry leaders and create valuable networking opportunities, leading many to secure internships, said Seifried, who was a summer intern at Regional Group last year and held a co-op position with Minto Group in 2024.
“The goal is to equip students with the skills to learn, apply their knowledge, and grow,” he added.
The discussion with Halucha marked the Real Estate Club’s second Fireside Chat, following last year’s inaugural event with Minto Group executive chairman Roger Greenberg.
