Why is housing so expensive in Canada when the country has lots of buildable land with less population than the USA?

 Last offer I had for my "little" mountain retreat that I call home was 7 figures in cash from an American visitor.

 My Dad paid less than $100,000.00 for it in the mid 1980s. It was a gov't tax sale and no government agent had ever inspected the property believing the house and buildings to be derelict. In fact, the previous absent landlord's caretakers had kept the property in impeccable condition and the sale included furnishings, outbuildings, workshop and an assortment of abandoned vehicles, some functioning.

 As to current market values; CANADIANS make a higher average wage than Americans. Housing is usually in high demand and that results in higher prices.

There is a shortage of housing in the places where people want to live.

Most "buildable" land isn't where people want to live.  And the places where people do want to live have lots of expensive zoning regulations and requirements that drive up the cost of housing.

Rape pool......

They don't want to build on their land, not homes, not businesses, and certainly not refineries. They want to keep Canada clean. That's why they want to build a leaking pipeline across America.

Most of the country is covered in snow, which is why they are massing along our norther boarder they are planning an attack, dont let them fool you. 

Canada has devolved into a totalitarian state, I do not respect Canada 

Depends on where you want to live in Canada. Most people live in the southern border where the climate isn't too extreme. The northern parts of Canada are sparsely populated and probably have cheap housing becsuse it's so cold.