Ottawa approves Halifax’s bid for federal housing money to fast-track new construction
Halifax Regional Municipality will get $79.3M over 4 years to build more than 10,000 new units
Ottawa has approved Halifax’s bid for federal housing money, which will be used to fast-track the construction of 2,600 new units in the municipality over the next three years.
Earlier this year, the Halifax Regional Municipality had asked for about $79 million through the federal government’s housing accelerator fund to fast-track development approvals, reduce fees and expand its affordable housing grant program, among other initiatives.
The federal program allocates $4 billion in funding until 2026-27 to encourage more home building in cities across Canada.
On Thursday, Housing Minister Sean Fraser announced that the federal government had approved Halifax’s request, after coming to an agreement on the city’s action plan.
“I want to say congratulations to Halifax for embracing the moment and being determined to build more homes for the city,” Fraser said at the announcement in Dartmouth.
“And I want to send a message to Halifax, and it’s one of gratitude. By working together, we’re going to be able to address the housing crisis in this city and we can set a model that the rest of the country can replicate.”
Fraser said the funding will also help with the construction of an additional 8,866 homes over the next 10 years. …[Continue Reading]