Canada is racing to build millions of new homes to address the country’s pressing housing affordability crisis — but in the process, could be turning a blind eye to the risk of construction in areas vulnerable to wildfires fuelled by climate change, according to a high-level panel organized by Canada’s National Observer with the European Commission.

The federal government last month launched a $13 billion plan to build “deeply affordable” housing for low-income and middle class Canadians in its new Build Canada Homes strategy. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) estimates this would mean constructing 5.8 million new homes by 2030, a 35 per cent increase of the existing housing stock.

Yet, based on calculations by the Canadian Climate Institute (CCI), at least

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