To highlight Canada’s housing crisis, Toronto-based brand and business consultancy Blackjet has launched Taxopoly: The Unwinnable Game of Canadian Homeownership. Commissioned by the Blackjet-branded Coalition Against New-Home Taxes (CANT), a collective formed by 30 Canadian real estate companies, the game takes a satirical yet sobering approach to illustrate the financial struggles Canadians face when trying to buy a new home.

Drawing inspiration from Monopoly, Taxopoly is a fully playable board game where the property prices reflect actual data, with detached homes in Toronto soaring to $2.8 million. “Go” becomes “Looking for an Affordable New Home? Go F@#% Yourself.” And “Jail” is “Your Parents’ House.” The purpose of the campaign is to drive consumer awareness and lobby the government to lower taxes on new homes, Blackjet said.

Toronto-based public relations firm Policy Concepts led the initial phase of its PR efforts, with NKPR now continuing to amplify the campaign across the country. So far, it has achieved more than 50 million impressions in Canada.

The coalition was established to raise public awareness following an independent study revealing that nearly 30% of the cost of new homes comes from taxes and government fees. Through Taxopoly, CANT aims to engage Canadians and pressure politicians at all levels – local, provincial and federal – to address and reform these financial barriers.

“The goal is to lobby the government and try to drive down the cost to consumers,” Blackjet CEO Rob Galleta tells strategy. “It benefits both business and consumer as currently home builders are not selling homes in Ontario and consumers obviously can’t afford them.”

Taxopoly is being distributed to influencers, policymakers and the media. Additionally, Blackjet has launched a digital campaign and large-scale out-of-home displays mimicking elements of the board game.

“Taxopoly is a way to start a real conversation about the barriers Canadians face in homeownership today,” says Matt Young, president and CEO of Republic Developments and chair of CANT. “Housing affordability is a hot-button topic in Canada, with many politicians weighing in, but few acknowledge the significant role government taxes and charges play in causing the issue. We hope Taxopoly sheds light on this reality and opens the door for meaningful change.”