Federal government releases one-year National Housing Strategy update

Published November 22, 2018

CHF Canada Government Relations Co-ordinator Scott Parry with Minister Duclos at the 2018 National Housing Day announcement

On the first anniversary of the Government of Canada’s release of the National Housing Strategy, Minister Jean-Yves Duclos shared updates on the federal government’s progress towards implementing the Strategy.

Highlights of the announcement included:

• $5.73 billion has been rolled out from Budget 2016 to September 2018
• 1 million Canadians have a more affordable place to live
• 14,703 new homes have been built or are being built
• 156,526 homes have been repaired or are being repaired
• 776,233 households have a more affordable place to live

The federal government has been in the process of signing bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories to implement the National Housing Strategy. With the agreements between the federal government and Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and the Northwest already signed, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) expects all bilateral agreements to be signed by March. The bilateral agreements are the important first steps in continuing assistance to low-income co-op households in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Yukon, and Nunavut.

To date, the Federal Community Housing Initiative Phase 1, the program responsible for extending rental assistance for federally-administered housing co-ops, has allocated:

• $1.90 million in British Columbia
• $1.78 million in Ontario
• $1.38 million in Québec
• $320,000 in Alberta
• $20,000 in Prince Edward Island

The total amount allocated under this initiative between April 2016 and September 2018 has been $5.4 million, supporting 13,330 low-income households.

Tim Ross, CHF Canada’s Executive Director, commented, “This announcement shows the depth of the federal government’s commitment to ending Canada’s housing crisis. The co-operative housing sector is ready to be a partner in making sure that everyone in Canada has a safe and affordable place to live.”