Canada supports 220 new homes in Toronto

Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that affordable housing is key to Canada’s recovery.

Today, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, alongside Salma Zahid, Member of Parliament for Scarborough Centre, John Tory, Mayor of Toronto, Tim Neeb, President of Mahogany Management, and Brad Saunders, CEO of Community Living Toronto announced over $72.4 million in federal funding through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund (NHCF) to build 220 new homes in Toronto.

These new homes are part of the Birchmount Green project, located at 1236 Birchmount Road. Residents will have access to a large amenity room with access to outdoor greenery and barbecues, an accessible rooftop garden, a library with computers, a children's play area, bicycle and scooter storage, a nurse’s station, and two offices for support service organizations that have been designed to provide a better environment to the residents of Birchmount Green.

Budget 2022 proposes to advance $2.9 billion in funding, on a cash basis, under the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, so that all remaining funds from this program will be spent by 2025-26, accelerating the creation of up to 4,300 new units and the repair of up to 17,800 units for Canadians who need them the most.

Quotes:

“Every Canadian deserves a safe and affordable place to call home. Through the National Housing Co-Investment Fund, our government is investing in affordable housing here in Toronto to help improve the quality of life for those who need it most. Thanks to today’s announcement, more individuals and families in Toronto will now have access to a place to call home. This is the National Housing Strategy at work.”

“This investment from the Government of Canada’s National Housing Co-investment Fund is improving the economic and social well-being of the families who will soon call Birchmount Green their home, and is making Toronto a better place to live. When people have a secure and stable home, they gain the confidence they need to succeed and fulfill their potential.”

“Today is another example of the work the Government of Canada and the City of Toronto are doing together to get housing built. I want to thank Minister Hussen and the federal government for their continued commitment to creating more affordable housing in the city and for helping us meet the goals we have laid out in our HousingTO Action Plan. These new 220 affordable homes will help hundreds of people have a place to call home and succeed in our city.”

“We are incredibly honored to be able to provide quality affordable apartments that our tenants can be proud to call home. Helping families and those in need of support by providing well-designed amenities and a beautiful environment to grow and prosper is fulfilling work and necessary in building a better future for everyone. I am extremely grateful to CMHC and the City of Toronto for their tremendous ongoing help and leadership. Their combined contribution was essential in making the dream of Birchmount Green a reality.”

Quick facts:

• Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10-year, $72+ billion plan that will give more Canadians a place to call home.
• With a budget of $13.2 billion, the NHCF gives priority to projects that help people who need it most, including women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, those with mental health, or addiction issues, veterans and young adults.
• Through the NHCF, the Government of Canada will work with partners to build up to 60,000 new affordable homes and repair up to 240,000 existing affordable and community homes.
• Under the NHCF, investments are also planned to create or repair at least 4,000 shelter spaces for victims of family violence, as well as create at least 7,000 new affordable housing units for seniors and 2,400 new affordable housing units for people with developmental disabilities.
• To expand co-operative housing in Canada by an estimated additional 6,000 units, budget 2022 proposes to reallocate $500 million of funding from the National Housing Co-Investment Fund to launch a new Co-operative Housing Development Program aimed at expanding co-op housing in Canada. This new program will be co-designed with the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada and the co-operative housing sector.
• Budget 2022 proposes measures to fight homelessness and support housing affordability, particularly for the most vulnerable. This includes providing $1.5 billion to extend the Rapid Housing Initiative and create at least 6,000 additional affordable housing units across Canada.

Associated links:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19)
• Canada’s COVID-19 Economic Response Plan
• Rapid Housing Initiative
• National Housing Strategy

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. CMHC’s aim is that by 2030, everyone in Canada has a home they can afford and that meets their needs. For more information, follow us on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

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

Information on this news release:

Arevig Afarian
Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
Arevig.Afarian@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
media@cmhc-schl.gc.ca