Ontario Signs Bilateral Agreement under the National Housing Strategy

A new milestone under the National Housing Strategy (NHS) has been reached. Families and vulnerable Canadians in need of an affordable place to call home can count on long-term funding for community housing in Ontario.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), along with the Honourable Peter Milczyn, Ontario’s Minister of Housing and Minister Responsible for the Poverty Reduction Strategy, today announced they have reached a bilateral agreement under the NHS. This agreement, which will be cost-shared by the governments of Canada and Ontario, demonstrates a shared commitment to prioritizing affordable housing.

The 10-year agreement will invest more than $4.2 billion to protect, renew and expand social and community housing, and support Ontario’s priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability. The governments of Canada and Ontario will also work together on the design and implementation of a new Canada Housing Benefit in Ontario. This new agreement marks the beginning of a partnership that will be supported by long-term and predictable funding starting April 1, 2019.

This is a first-of-its kind progressive housing agreement that commits both governments to new and higher standards of transparency, public engagement, and housing quality, including improved energy efficiency and accessibility. The agreement also acknowledges the importance of prioritizing those most in need, the federal rights-based approach to housing, and applying gender-based analysis to investments.

Quotes:

"The Government of Canada is proud to sign its first bilateral agreement under the National Housing Strategy which will help thousands of Ontarian families who are still waiting for an affordable place to call home. Long-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade. Together, we will build strong communities where Canadians can prosper and thrive, now and for the future."

"Signing this bilateral agreement is a major step in a journey that our governments have been taking in partnership – one that meets Ontario's unique needs and circumstances. I'm proud to say that this agreement builds upon our common vision of housing, where everyone in Ontario has a safe and affordable place to call home."

Quick facts:

• The $4.2 billion investment announced today is in addition to $2.4 billion in previously planned federal housing investments in Ontario through the Social Housing Agreement (SHA) over the next ten years. Combined investments under the NHS bilateral agreement and the SHA will target the preservation of at least 130,000 community housing units in Ontario.
• The NHS is an ambitious 10-year, $40-billion plan that will remove 530,000 families from housing need, create 100,000 new housing units as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent.
• The NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private sectors. This includes consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, including people with lived experience of housing need.
• All NHS investments delivered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments will respect the key principles of the NHS that support partnerships, people and communities.
• Ontario will develop and publish a three-year Action Plan, beginning in 2019-2020, setting targets and outlining how they will use federal and cost-matched funding to achieve the desired outcomes.

Associated links:

As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Investing in affordable housing is part of Ontario's plan to create fairness and opportunity during this period of rapid economic change. Since 2003, the province has committed more than $5 billion in funding for affordable housing, which has helped support more than 22,000 new affordable rental housing units, more than 335,000 repairs and improvements to social and affordable housing units and rental and down payment assistance to more than 93,000 households in need. These investments complement the commitments made through Ontario’s recent Long-Term Affordable Housing Strategy update, and support the province’s goal of ending chronic homelessness by 2025. For more information on affordable housing in Ontario, visit ontario.ca/affordablehousing or follow us on Twitter.

To find out more about the National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

Media contacts:

Émilie Gauduchon
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Duclos
819-654-5546
emilie.gauduchon@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

Wilbur McLean
Public Affairs
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
416-218-3331
wmclean@cmhc-schl.gc.ca

George Mason
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Milczyn
416-219-7616
george.mason@ontario.ca

Conrad Spezowka
Communications
Ministry of Housing
416-585-7066
MHO.media@ontario.ca