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Housing Accelerator Fund: Small/Rural/North/Indigenous Stream

Funding for the development of affordable, inclusive, equitable, and climate-resilient Indigenous, small or northern communities.

Thank you for your interest in the Housing Accelerator Fund: Small/Rural/North/Indigenous Stream.
The application window is now closed.

The Small/Rural/North/Indigenous Stream of the Housing Accelerator Fund provides incentive funding to local governments. The funding is meant to remove barriers and support the development of affordable, inclusive, equitable and climate-resilient communities.

To be eligible for the Small/Rural/North/Indigenous Stream, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

  • have a population under 10,000 in any Canadian province
  • be in a territory
  • be an Indigenous government

Approved participants can use incentive funding for investments in:

  • Housing Accelerator Fund action plans
  • affordable housing
  • housing-related infrastructure
  • community-related infrastructure that supports housing

The framework for determining the amount of incentive funding includes base funding, top-up funding and an affordable housing bonus.

NOTE: Larger municipalities should apply to the Large/Urban Stream


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Application Resources

IMPORTANT!   

Applicants applying through CMHC’s application portal will need to submit all required documents to successfully complete their application. Get all the details in the Applicant Guide (PDF).

If you are applying through CMHC’s application portal, you must have the following required documents ready and completed to apply:

  • Application Form (Excel)
  • Preliminary Attestation Letter (PDF)
  • Integrity Declaration (PDF)

 These resources help you determine if this program is right for you:

  • Program Highlight Sheet (PDF)
  • Pre-Application Reference Guide (PDF)
  • Applicant Guide (PDF)
  • Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)
  • Housing Needs Assessment Resource Sheet (PDF)

Learning resources to support your application:

  • Forecast your municipality's housing supply growth target Opens in new window
  • Housing Supply Growth Target Calculator Opens in new window
  • Develop your municipal action plan initiatives  Opens in new window

We’re offering information sessions to support potential applicants. Sign up and we’ll let you know about upcoming information sessions.

What is the Housing Accelerator Fund?

The Housing Accelerator Fund is an application-based program with 1 application window in 2023. The program was introduced in the 2022 Federal Budget with a funding allocation of $4 billion until 2026-27.

The program aims to bring about significant change in local government's control over land use planning and development approvals. The objective of the Fund is to speed up the housing supply in Canada, resulting in at least 100,000 additional permitted housing units compared to without the program. The goal is to support lasting changes that will improve housing supply for years to come.

Am I Eligible?

Eligible applicants must have delegated authority over land use planning and development approvals, including:

  • Local governments within Canada that have delegated authority over land use planning and development approvals with a population* under 10,000.
  • Local governments located in the Territories.
  • First Nation, Métis and Inuit governments located anywhere in Canada.

Note: In the absence of a municipal-level authority, a regional district or province that has authority for land use planning and development approvals may also apply to program.

*Population based on 2021 census data.

To be eligible for incentive funding, you’ll need to:

  • Present an application, including an action plan that outlines supply growth targets and specific initiatives to grow housing supply and speed up housing approvals.
  • Include a minimum of 5 initiatives in your action plan.   
  • Commit to a housing supply growth target within the action plan that increases the average annual rate of growth by at least 10%. The growth rate must also exceed 1.1%.
  • Complete or update a housing needs assessment report (this requirement may be waived if you recently completed or updated a housing needs assessment).
  • Agree to follow the program’s reporting requirements.

Formulas for supply growth target calculations are available in the Pre-Application Reference Guide. Refer to Appendix A (rows 8 and 9). See our interactive learning resource Opens in new window for more information on calculating your community’s supply growth target.

Refer to the Pre-Application Reference Guide for more details on program requirements.

Fund Details

Incentive funding can be used for prescribed uses, which fall under 4 categories:

  1. Investments in Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plans
  2. Investments in Affordable Housing
  3. Investments in Housing-Related Infrastructure
  4. Investments in Community-Related Infrastructure that Supports Housing

Funding methodology

If you qualify, you can receive funding based on your overall growth commitments and projected units that align with priority areas. There are 3 components of the funding framework:

  1. base funding
  2. top-up funding
  3. an affordable housing bonus

Your committed targets would be included in the action plan and reflected in the contribution agreement, if approved.

Refer to section 10 of the Pre-Application Reference Guide for more details on the funding methodology.

Funding schedule

Approved applicants will get 4 advances with 1 advance planned for each year of the program.

You will receive an upfront advance to begin implementing your action plan after the contribution agreement is signed.

Subsequent payments will be made annually for 3 years, subject to program conditions being met. This includes satisfactory progress reviews.

Refer to section 13 of the Pre-Application Reference Guide for more details on the funding schedule.

Approval Process

Evaluation criteria

We will review all applications to determine if they meet program requirements. We'll use the following criteria:  

  • the commitment to increase housing supply (exceeding minimum growth expectations)
  • the relevance of proposed initiatives to the objectives of the Housing Accelerator Fund
  • the effectiveness of proposed initiatives in increasing the supply of housing
  • having a current housing needs assessment report is considered an asset

Refer to section 9 of the Pre-Application Reference Guide for more details on the evaluation criteria.

Application Steps

  1. Assess your local context, including housing challenges and opportunities and determine if the Housing Accelerator Fund is right for you. (Start Now)
  2. Develop your action plan that aligns with program requirements. See Appendix A of the Pre-Application Reference Guide (Start Now)
  3. Get the necessary approvals for your action plan – for example Chief Financial Officer attestation and/or Council approval. (Start Now)
  4. CMHC invites applicants to apply*/Client portal opens for application intake. Submit your application before August 18, 2023, 11:59 PM PST.
  5. CMHC evaluates and prioritizes applications. You will be notified of the status of your application. (Summer/Fall 2023)
  6. We will confirm the funding amount for approved applicants and email the contribution agreement for signature. (Summer/Fall 2023)
  7. Get Council (or equivalent) approval, if not already obtained. (Required before signing a contribution agreement)

Once approved, you’ll receive the first scheduled advance shortly after the contribution agreement has been executed. This is anticipated for Fall 2023.

*We will encourage several anticipated growth leaders within the large/urban stream to apply to the Housing Accelerator Fund before the intake portal opens. These are cities that are expected to contribute significantly towards the 100,000-unit target for the program. Considering these cities earlier in the process will help us manage the overall funding envelope.

Catch up on webinars: recordings of past sessions

CMHC Housing Accelerator Fund Key Elements

Recorded April 13, 2023

Learn about program and funding details, expected outcomes and resources to support your application.

Your browser does not support the video tag. Transcript

[Speaker: Mark Stewart  – Specialist, CMHC]

[Visual: PowerPoint slide titled "Today's Presenter — Elizabeth Tang." Photograph of Elizabeth Tang. The National Housing Strategy word stamp appears in the top right corner.]

Mark Stewart

I would like to introduce today's presenter, Elizabeth Tang. Elizabeth is focused on engaging with professionals in the housing industry with academics, provincial municipal governments to ensure access to the latest and most relevant housing information from CMHC. She has been with CMHC since 2006.

0:1:54.551 --> 0:1:55.201
Mark Stewart
Elizabeth,

0:1:55.321 --> 0:2:1.241
Mark Stewart
the virtual floor is yours. Thank you for presenting today.

0:2:3.601 --> 0:2:8.11

[Visual: The screen switches briefly to a live image of Mark Stewart as Elizabeth Tang begins her presentation]

[Speaker: Elizabeth Tang  – Specialist, CMHC]

Elizabeth Tang
Thank you very much Mark and good morning or good afternoon.

0:2:9.241 --> 0:2:13.141
Elizabeth Tang
Let me put that into the presentation mode.

[Audio silence – The screen switches from PowerPoint mode with notes and tile view to presentation mode.]

0:2:25.611 --> 0:2:26.421
Elizabeth Tang
OK.

0:2:28.331 --> 0:2:30.581
[Audio silence as the screen switches from PowerPoint mode with notes and tile view to presentation mode.]

Elizabeth Tang
Just to bear with me a little bit.

0:2:31.301 --> 0:2:31.831
[Visual: PowerPoint slide titled "Here we gather." Title is set against a topography-themed graphic background.]

Elizabeth Tang

0:2:37.211 --> 0:3:1.511
Elizabeth Tang
Good morning or good afternoon depending on where you are.  I'm speaking from Burnaby, BC and wanted to acknowledge that I live, work, learn and play on the traditional territory of the ___ nations of Musqueam ___, and Squamish. I'm thankful for this land and appreciate its many generations of caretakers.

0:3:2.491 --> 0:3:26.741
Elizabeth Tang
In our virtual environment, it is important to recognize that even though we may come from different communities and backgrounds, we are connected through the traditions, values, and history of our ancestors. So please take a moment to reflect on the good things the landing which you are joining has brought you.

0:3:30.841 --> 0:4:1.811
Elizabeth Tang
In today's session, I will provide you with an overview of the new Housing Accelerator Fund, abbreviated as HAF, H-A-F. We will go over some key elements of the program with highlights on the eligibility and the program requirements, application intake and the prioritization, the funding framework and permitted uses and also the key dates

0:4:1.881 --> 0:4:32.621

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to slide outlining the session agenda on a plain background. A decorative image on the right shows a woman making a presentation to two individuals.]

Elizabeth Tang
and the resources that will be important for your applications.  This presentation will take about 40 minutes. If there is time remaining after this presentation, we will move into an open question and answer period. In the meantime as Mark has introduced, please feel free to ask your questions using the Q&A function. Our experts will do their best to answer your questions.

0:4:33.501 --> 0:4:45.351
Elizabeth Tang
We hope that at the end of this session you will come away with the information, the knowledge you will need to submit your application for the HAF program.

0:4:47.371 --> 0:5:8.641

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)" that provides an overview of the program and its purpose. White and yellow text is set against a dark background. A decorative icon of a hand pointing upwards to a set of three stars displays in the bottom right of the screen.]


Elizabeth Tang
So what is the Housing Accelerator Fund or HAF?  It is a new investment by the Government of Canada through CMHC to encourage local governments to implement initiatives that will speed up housing development and increase supply within their sphere of control.

0:5:9.721 --> 0:5:27.401
Elizabeth Tang
The funding will incentivize lasting systemic changes that will reduce barriers to housing supply so that more homes can be built faster and over the long run, make housing more affordable to everyone living in Canada.

0:5:30.91 --> 0:5:42.891

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Objectives and supported priorities" on a dark background. A linear graphic depicts two objectives and three supported priorities in boxes with light backgrounds, each containing a decorative icon.]

Elizabeth Tang
The primary objectives of the program are to create more supply of housing at an accelerated pace and enhance certainty in the approvals and the building processes.

0:5:44.101 --> 0:6:13.661

Elizabeth Tang
The program also supports housing supply that aligns with federal government’s priority areas including the development of complete communities that are walkable consisting of appropriate residential density and a diverse mix of land uses providing access to a wide variety of amenities and services through public and active transportation.

0:6:14.861 --> 0:6:27.661
Elizabeth Tang
It supports the development of affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse communities that encourage clear pathways to achieving greater socioeconomic inclusion.

0:6:28.351 --> 0:6:34.921
Elizabeth Tang
The program also supports the development of low carbon and climate resilient communities.

0:6:37.41 --> 0:6:52.121
Elizabeth Tang
With these objectives in mind, the HAF program will provide $4 billion in the form of contribution funding. The program will run until 2026-2027.

0:6:53.401 --> 0:7:7.851
Elizabeth Tang
This new fund is intended to increase the supply of housing across Canada by at least 100,000 net new permitted housing units over the course of the program.

0:7:8.941 --> 0:7:15.961

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that depicts the program investment of $4 billion until 2026–2027 and that the program will increase housing across Canada by at least 100,000 net new permitted housing units.]


Elizabeth Tang
It will also support lasting changes that will improve the housing supply for the years to come.

0:7:18.961 --> 0:7:47.531
Elizabeth Tang
Because local governments play an important role in creating the conditions to increase housing supply and then driving system reforms, the HAF program invites applications from any local government within Canada including First Nations, Metis and Inuit governments who have delegated authority over land use planning and development approvals.

0:7:48.531 --> 0:8:5.341
Elizabeth Tang
If there isn't a municipal level authority then a regional district or province or territory that has authority for land use planning and the development approvals may also apply to the HAF program directly.

0:8:7.661 --> 0:8:15.971

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that describes who can apply to the HAF. A decorative image on the right shows a Canadian urban seascape.]

Elizabeth Tang
There are two streams within the program, your location and the population determine the stream you apply to.

0:8:16.631 --> 0:8:31.61
Elizabeth Tang
The large urban stream is for Canadian jurisdictions with a population equal to or greater than 10,000 excluding those within a territory or an indigenous community.

0:8:32.221 --> 0:8:47.321
Elizabeth Tang
If a Canadian jurisdiction has a population less than 10,000 or is within one of the territories or an indigenous community, it can apply to the small rural north indigenous stream.

0:8:48.211 --> 0:8:54.971
Elizabeth Tang
The population is based on the 2021 census data from Statistics Canada.

0:8:57.881 --> 0:8:59.571
Elizabeth Tang
Application requirements.

0:9:1.401 --> 0:9:4.361
Elizabeth Tang
To be eligible for

0:9:5.591 --> 0:9:11.341
Elizabeth Tang
the funding, the applicant will be required to

0:9:13.921 --> 0:9:29.661

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Application Streams." Two tiles with a white background define the streams: Large/Urban and Small/Rural/North/Indigenous. 2021 census data from Statistics Canada is listed as the source for population data.]

Elizabeth Tang
meet these minimum requirements. They must develop an action plan that outlines the specific initiatives that the applicants will undertake to grow the housing supply and to speed up development approvals.

0:9:30.711 --> 0:9:50.721
Elizabeth Tang
All action plans must be approved by an elected council or equivalent including delegated authority and include an attestation of the applicants, Chief Financial Officer or equivalent on the viability of the plan using a prescribed form.

0:9:51.691 --> 0:10:8.301
Elizabeth Tang
The applicants must commit to a housing growth target. They must complete or update the housing needs assessment report and include reoccurring scheduled review date to keep the needs assessment current.

0:10:9.811 --> 0:10:17.951
Elizabeth Tang
This requirement may be waived if the applicants have recently completed or updated their needs assessment.

0:10:19.131 --> 0:10:27.421
[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Application Requirements." A decorative image on the left depicts an urban street with residential buildings.]

Elizabeth Tang
The Housing Accelerator Fund Awards announced last year on April the 7th during the 2022 federal budget.

0:10:28.241 --> 0:10:48.581
[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining minimum program requirements, including an action plan, a housing growth target, a new or updated needs assessment and reporting requirements. Decorative clip art of a city scape fills the bottom of the screen.]

Elizabeth Tang
If you have completed or updated your needs assessment reports within two years of that date which is to say that you completed or updated your needs assessment reports after April the 7th, 2020, you can request that this requirement be waived.

0:10:49.641 --> 0:11:9.911
Elizabeth Tang
The needs assessment report is not required to be completed at the time of application submission however, it must be completed by the prescribed timeframe which will be the third reporting period in the summer or fall 2025.

0:11:10.621 --> 0:11:22.361
Elizabeth Tang
And these periodic reports will be mandatory. We ask the successful applicants to report on their progress related housing data and fund use.

0:11:23.31 --> 0:11:32.731
Elizabeth Tang
And I'll talk more about the reporting requirements later in this presentation when we move into the monitoring and the reporting section.

0:11:33.871 --> 0:11:38.311
Elizabeth Tang
Now let's take a closer look at each of the requirements.

0:11:39.951 --> 0:11:52.541
[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining the key elements of the action plan: Housing supply growth targets, additional targets and action plan initiatives. A descriptive icon accompanies each element.]

Elizabeth Tang
In the action plan, there are 3 key elements we will be looking into: the housing supply growth targets, additional targets and action plan initiatives.

0:11:53.841 --> 0:11:58.11
Elizabeth Tang
Let's begin with the housing plan growth target.

0:11:58.881 --> 0:12:28.751

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that defines the housing supply growth target and the permitted unit projections required. A decorative image on the left shows an urban street lined with residential buildings.]

Elizabeth Tang
In the application, the applicant will be required to provide 2 projections. The first projection is the total number of permitted housing units without HAF. The second projection is the total number of permitted units with HAF and the projection with HAF is what we call the housing supply growth target. The projection should be based on a 3-year period ending.

0:12:28.851 --> 0:12:31.251
Elizabeth Tang
September the 1st 2026.

0:12:32.411 --> 0:12:59.681
Elizabeth Tang
If the applicant’s proposal has been selected to participate in HAF, the applicant will enter into a contribution agreement with CMHC and the housing supply growth target will be reflected in the contribution agreement as this is the number that the successful applicant will commit to and achieve by the third year of the contribution agreement.

0:13:0.631 --> 0:13:20.181
Elizabeth Tang
There is no prescribed formula when calculating the growth target.  The applicant must calculate their own projections based on reasonable assumptions and the data sources such as Statistics Canada and their own administrative data.

0:13:22.991 --> 0:13:33.961
Elizabeth Tang
Here is in illustrative example. You can see that there are 5 values in this table and let's begin by focusing on the first 3.

0:13:35.191 --> 0:13:47.381

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide illustrating an example of a growth rate projection. Five values are listed along with their projected numbers in a table: current housing stock/number of dwellings; total number of housing units projected without HAF; housing supply growth target; annual housing supply growth target; and housing supply growth target increase. A decorative image of a city scape appears in the upper right corner of the screen]

Elizabeth Tang
Within the application, an applicant must provide their current housing stock. In this example, the city has a current housing stock of 100,000 units.

0:13:48.261 --> 0:14:7.591
Elizabeth Tang
The second line is the city’s projection of the total number of housing units they expect to permit without HAF over the next 3 years until September 2026. In this example, there will be 7,000 units permitted without HAV.

0:14:8.381 --> 0:14:27.711
Elizabeth Tang
Then with the support of the HAF program, they will be able to permit an additional 1 000 units over the same 3-year timeframe bringing their total to 8,000 units. These 8,000 units will be their housing supply growth target.

0:14:29.741 --> 0:14:38.321


[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide illustrating how the annual housing supply growth rate is determined using elements from the table in the previous slide. The table from the last slide appears below bulleted text outlining minimum growth rate requirements.]

Elizabeth Tang
Using the housing supply growth target and the city’s current housing stock, we can calculate the housing supply growth rate.

0:14:38.981 --> 0:15:8.831

[Visual: Animated red outlines pop up to illustrate the table numbers used for the calculation: 100,000 and 8,000. A formula appears at the bottom of the slide: 8,000 ÷100,000 = 8.00%. A second formula appears below the first: 8.00% ÷ 3 = 2.67%/year. A red outline pops up around 2.67% in the table, which corresponds to the annual housing supply growth rate.]


Elizabeth Tang
In this example it would be 8,000/100,000 units which gives us a growth rate of 8%/3 years or 2.67% annually and this is their annual housing supply growth rate.  As a minimum requirement, the applicant must commit to an annual housing supply growth rate that is greater than 1.1%.

0:15:8.901 --> 0:15:14.901
Elizabeth Tang
In this example, the city will exceed this minimum requirement.

0:15:17.241 --> 0:15:47.391
Elizabeth Tang
The housing supply growth rate increase is based on the housing supply growth target and the total number of permitted units projected without HAF,  The minimum requirement is a 10% increase over a 3-year period. In this example, the housing supply growth rate percentage change is projected to be above 14% which is greater than the minimum requirement

0:15:47.731 --> 0:15:49.571
Elizabeth Tang
of 10% increase.

0:15:52.41 --> 0:16:8.511

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide introducing the next key element: Additional Targets, accompanied by a checkmark icon. A decorative image of an urban street lined with residential buildings appears to the left.]


Elizabeth Tang
Up next, we have additional targets. This is where the applicants are asked to set targets based on the type of housing supply that is projected to be permitted with the support of the HAF program.

0:16:9.321 --> 0:16:19.91
Elizabeth Tang
These additional targets will increase the amount of funding available to the applicants if they are selected to participate in the program.

0:16:20.481 --> 0:16:44.41
Elizabeth Tang
The target can be set for housing types that align with the priorities of the HAF program which include multi unit housing that is in close proximity to rapid transit, multi unit housing that is characterized as missing middle or other types of multi unit housing.

0:16:45.181 --> 0:17:12.601

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Additional Targets." Two tiles outline the characteristics of multi-unit housing and affordable housing. Building and house icons appear above the categories.]


Elizabeth Tang
Affordable housing units. When we say affordable housing, we mean housing units that are intended for households whose housing needs are not met by the marketplace. The local definition of affordable housing will be used for the purposes of HAF. If the local definition doesn't exist, then the provincial or territorial definition will be applicable.

0:17:14.941 --> 0:17:44.891

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that defines the "missing middle." A bulleted list of ground-oriented housing types appears to the right. A decorative image of an urban street lined with residential buildings appears to the left.]


Elizabeth Tang
For those of you who may wonder what is the missing middle, it refers to ground oriented housing types that exist between single detached and the midrise apartments. Missing middle housing can contribute to gentle density increases within single family neighborhoods. They are typically in the forms of low rise buildings less than 4 stories in height and they can provide diverse

0:17:44.971 --> 0:17:55.611
Elizabeth Tang
housing options such as garden suites, secondary suites, duplexes, multiplexes, core charter apartments and row houses.

0:17:58.521 --> 0:18:13.461

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to an application example slide. An image of a fictional application appears in the background. A call-out box with a megaphone icon reminds participants that they must provide a breakdown of their projected permitted housing units with and without HAF with the application. A decorative image of a city scape within a small circle appears in the upper right corner.]


Elizabeth Tang
As mentioned earlier in the application, we asked the applicants to provide a breakdown of their projected permitted housing units by type of housing with and without HAF.

0:18:14.151 --> 0:18:20.701
Elizabeth Tang
And this breakdown will determine the amount of funding the successful applicant will get.

0:18:23.431 --> 0:18:28.1

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide introducing and outlining the third key element: action plan initiatives. Building and siren icons accompany the text. A decorative image of an urban street lined with residential buildings appears on the left.]


Elizabeth Tang
The third key element of an action plan is the initiatives.

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Elizabeth Tang
If your community fits in the small rural ___ indigenous stream, you will develop a minimum of five initiatives

0:18:38.761 --> 0:18:43.161
Elizabeth Tang
and a minimum of seven for those in the large urban stream.

0:18:44.231 --> 0:19:6.481
Elizabeth Tang
We asked applicants to indicate to us how each initiative will increase the supply of housing and speed up approvals through the course of the HAF program as well as any other expected outcomes that will drive long lasting systemic changes after the HAF program wraps up.

0:19:8.11 --> 0:19:18.391
Elizabeth Tang
All initiatives included within the action plan should be new initiatives that have not yet started.

0:19:19.281 --> 0:19:45.971
Elizabeth Tang
If some applicants have challenges to meet the required minimum number of initiatives, depending on the circumstances, CMHC may offer exception to consider initiatives that are already underway but started after April the 7th 2022. That was the date of the federal budget that announced the Housing Accelerator Fund.

0:19:48.691 --> 0:19:58.811
Elizabeth Tang
We encourage applicants to assess their own housing needs, challenges and opportunities and regional matters when developing their action plan.

0:19:59.591 --> 0:20:29.161

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Examples of initiatives." A decorative image of balconies on residential buildings appears on the right.]


Elizabeth Tang
To spark ideas, there is a list of permissible initiatives in the pre-application reference material that you can download from the CMHC website.  Just to quote a few examples, the initiatives can be pertaining to promoting high density development without the need for rezoning, encouraging, accessory dwelling units, incorporating a climate

0:20:29.221 --> 0:20:45.821
Elizabeth Tang
adaptability plan into your official community plan. There is flexibility for CMHC to consider alternative initiatives proposed by applicants if they are aligned with the HAF program objectives.

0:20:48.421 --> 0:21:17.911

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Permitted Uses of HAF Incentive Funding." A decorative image of an urban street lined with residential buildings appears to the left.]


Elizabeth Tang
Next, we will review the permitted uses of the HAF funding. If you remember that at the beginning of this presentation, I introduced that the HAF program is about driving transformational change and creating the conditions for more housing supply over the short and the longer term. It is intended to incent applicants to commit to change show progress

0:21:18.281 --> 0:21:20.931
Elizabeth Tang
and to be provided with funding in return.

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Elizabeth Tang
Some of you may be familiar with other funding programs CMHC offers and for applications to those programs, we will typically look into the loan to cost ratio loan to value to determine the financing amount.

0:21:39.901 --> 0:22:10.231
Elizabeth Tang
But HAF is different from those programs in that it is not directly underwriting specific housing projects or reimbursing applicants for specific costs incurred. Rather, HAF funding can be used in support of activities under any of the following 4 housing related categories. The funding can be used for the development of HAF action plans,

0:22:10.871 --> 0:22:22.21

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining the four housing related funding categories: HAF action plans; affordable housing; housing-related infrastructure; and community-related infrastructure. A decorative image of a panoramic city scape with mountains in the background appears to the right.]


Elizabeth Tang
investment in affordable housing, development or upgrade of housing related infrastructure and investment in community related infrastructure.

0:22:23.951 --> 0:22:45.531

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide defining the HAF action plans category, including the example of implementing a new e-permitting system. A decorative icon of three people talking around a table appears below the text. The list of four categories appears on the left of the screen with the current category text in bright yellow font.]


Elizabeth Tang
In the action plan category, a wide range of activities and their costs can be eligible for HAF and use.  They can be related to resource development capacity, building IT systems, public consultations and engagement and so much more.

0:22:47.481 --> 0:23:2.431

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining examples for the affordable housing category: building, repairing or modernizing affordable housing, or purchasing land or buildings for affordable housing purposes. A decorative icon showing a set of buildings, a construction vehicle and a crane appears below the examples. The list of four categories appears on the left of the screen with the current category text in bright yellow font.]


Elizabeth Tang
The funds can also be used for investments in affordable housing including new construction or revitalization construction and land, or building acquisition for affordable housing use.

0:23:5.41 --> 0:23:22.631

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining examples for the housing-related infrastructure category, such as drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, solid waste management, public transit broadband and connectivity, and capacity building. A bulleted list of examples is set over a plain background. The list of four categories appears on the left of the screen with the current category text in bright yellow font.]


Elizabeth Tang
For housing related infrastructure, I won’t be going through this long list on the slide. The HAF fund can cover a wide range of investments for the development or upgrade of infrastructure to support housing in the community.

0:23:24.491 --> 0:23:37.821

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide containing examples of eligible community-related infrastructure initiatives: local roads and bridges, sidewalks, lighting, bike lanes, firehalls, and landscaping and green space. A decorative icon showing a park with trees and a bench appears below the examples. The list of four categories appears on the left of the screen with the current category text in bright yellow font.]
Elizabeth Tang
Finally, community related infrastructure, anything that promotes health and safety, walkability, inclusiveness and sustainability can be funded by HAF.

0:23:38.551 --> 0:23:41.551
Elizabeth Tang
And let's take a look at a couple of examples.

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[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Example of uses." A list of action plan initiatives and their permitted uses are shown in a table. A decorative icon of a city scape lines the bottom of the slide. A decorative image of a city scape within a small circle appears in the upper right corner.]


Elizabeth Tang
This example shows a simplified view of one of the action plan initiatives this city will complete. The city is interested in implementing high density as a right to zoning.  As a result of implementing this initiative, the applicant estimates that additional permitted units will be incented contributing to the overall housing supply growth

0:24:12.541 --> 0:24:13.91
Elizabeth Tang
target.

0:24:14.51 --> 0:24:37.621
Elizabeth Tang
They can also use the funds towards land acquisition and the construction of affordable housing. In addition to wastewater infrastructure and the local roads, sidewalks and the bicycle lanes that support housing, each of which falls under the 4 categories of permitted use of funds.

0:24:39.741 --> 0:25:3.491

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a second slide titled "Example of uses." A list of action plan initiatives and their permitted uses are shown in a table. A decorative icon of a city scape lines the bottom of the slide. A decorative image of a city scape within a small circle appears in the upper right corner.]


Elizabeth Tang
Another example where an applicant chooses to use their incentive funding on implementing a new E permitting system, and they can also use the funding tools, repairing affordable housing units and upgrading drinking water infrastructure and the firehouse that will support housing in their communities.

0:25:6.311 --> 0:25:12.211

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide introducing the prioritization section of the presentation. The text is set over a plain, dark background. A decorative image of an urban street lined with residential buildings appears on the left.]


Elizabeth Tang
In this next section, we will review how an application is prioritized.

0:25:13.901 --> 0:25:43.831

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide introducing the application intake portal. A decorative image shows a young Canadian working on a computer and wearing headphones.]


Elizabeth Tang
The application intake portal will open in the summer this year and stay open for 45 days. This is a short application window and there should now be subsequent application intake after this window closes. That's why we strongly encourage you if you want to apply to the program, you may want to start your action plan now and seek the appropriate approvals

0:25:43.921 --> 0:25:46.101

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining the application intake documentation checklist. Decorative work-themed icons appear next to each item.]


Elizabeth Tang
before the portal opens.

0:25:48.491 --> 0:26:10.531
Elizabeth Tang
This is a high level view of required documentation checklist. We ask the applicants to submit a completed application form including their action plan, assign the integrity declaration, their most recent audited financial statements if not available publicly.

0:26:11.171 --> 0:26:33.921
Elizabeth Tang
A current housing needs assessment report if it's available at time of application submission and also an attestation letter signed by the applicant’s Chief Financial Officer or equivalent using the prescribed form on the viability of the action plan.

0:26:37.301 --> 0:27:8.371

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that explains how applications are prioritized according to the four criteria: commitment to increase housing supply; relevance of the initiative outcomes; effectiveness of the initiative; and need for an increased housing supply. Decorative icons show work-related themes.]


Elizabeth Tang
CMHC will review all applications to determine if they meet the program requirements.  The evaluation of the application will be based on these criteria. The commitment to increase their housing supply, the relevance of the initiative outcomes to one or more of the objectives of the HAF program, the effectiveness of the initiative in increasing the supply of housing

0:27:8.551 --> 0:27:11.971
Elizabeth Tang
and the need for an increase the housing supply.

0:27:12.901 --> 0:27:43.271
Elizabeth Tang
All initiatives outlined in the action plan will be individually assessed and the scored. I mentioned earlier that we require a minimum of 5 initiatives for the small rural ___ indigenous stream and 7 for the large urban stream and if applicants want to propose more initiatives, they are very welcome to do so especially if the additional initiatives will support their housing

0:27:43.351 --> 0:28:1.501
Elizabeth Tang
supply growth targets.  However, for prioritization purposes only, the top 5 initiatives under the small rural ___ indigenous stream or top 7 initiatives under the large urban stream will be considered.

0:28:2.461 --> 0:28:22.131
Elizabeth Tang
The evaluation criteria will allow us to determine which applicants are selected to participate in the HAF program. We will then use a separate funding framework to determine the amount of funding these selected participants will get.

0:28:24.111 --> 0:28:36.771

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining the three funding framework components. The Base Funding component and its characteristics appears along with a decorative money-themed icon.]


Elizabeth Tang
In this funding framework, there are 3 components. The base funding which is designed to incent all types of supply across the housing continuum.

0:28:37.431 --> 0:28:57.381
Elizabeth Tang
A base funding is estimated to be $20,000 per incentive unit and we recognize that the remoteness will significantly increase costs so the per unit amount for those applications pertaining to housing in the territories or in their

0:28:57.531 --> 0:29:3.661
Elizabeth Tang
indigenous communities will be higher up to $40,000.

0:29:6.261 --> 0:29:24.741

[Visual: The second component, Top-up Funding, appears on the slide along with its characteristics and a money-themed icon.]


Elizabeth Tang
Second, the top up funding.  Top-up funding is designed to incent certain types of housing supply. The funding will depend on the type of housing and the associated projected increase in the number of permitted units.

0:29:25.521 --> 0:29:30.141
Elizabeth Tang

There is no top up funding for single detached homes.

0:29:30.841 --> 0:29:38.751
Elizabeth Tang
The estimated amount is to be between 7 and $15,000 for each incented unit.

0:29:40.911 --> 0:29:43.381

[Visual: The third component, Affordable Housing Bonus, displays on the slide along with its characteristics and a money-themed icon.]


Elizabeth Tang
Third, the affordable housing bonus.

0:29:44.271 --> 0:29:58.451
Elizabeth Tang
This bonus is designed to reward an applicant that can increase its share of affordable housing units relative to the total projected permitted units with the support of HAF.

0:29:59.431 --> 0:30:6.971
Elizabeth Tang
The affordable housing bonus is estimated to be a $19,000 per incentive unit.

0:30:8.81 --> 0:30:26.411
Elizabeth Tang
I will show you an example of how these 3 fundings work but before that, please keep in mind that the per unit amounts you see here in this presentation and in our published material on HAF are for illustrative purposes only.

0:30:28.891 --> 0:30:39.451

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide providing a base funding example for illustrative purposes. The example is animated, with each funding component and its corresponding amount appearing successively. A decorative image in the middle of the slide shows a city scape.]

Elizabeth Tang
In this example, a city has projected to increase their housing stock over the next three years to create 5,500 units.

0:30:41.391 --> 0:30:50.411
Elizabeth Tang
If they can secure HAF funding, they can then deliver an additional 500 units bringing them to 6,000.

0:30:51.921 --> 0:31:5.791
Elizabeth Tang
At the base unit amount is estimated at $20,000 which would mean that they could secure $10 million for the 500 HAF incented units.

0:31:7.651 --> 0:31:20.891

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide providing a top-up funding example for illustrative purposes. A table is shown listing four types of housing, their corresponding units with and without HAF, the increase in housing type, the per unit amount and the top-up funding amount. A decorative image of a city scape appears within a small circle in the upper right corner of the slide.]


Elizabeth Tang
On top of that, the city may be eligible for some top up funding.  In this table, the city provides the number of increased units with the breakdown by type of housing.

0:31:22.471 --> 0:31:52.61
Elizabeth Tang
The top up funding does not apply to single detached homes before the rest. The city could receive $750,000 for the 50 multi unit housing units in close proximity to rapid transit, 3 million for the 250 missing middle units and 700,000 for the 100 multi unit housing units referred to

0:31:52.381 --> 0:31:53.251
Elizabeth Tang
as other.

0:31:54.221 --> 0:32:0.991
Elizabeth Tang
These bring their total top up funding to $4,450,000.

0:32:2.841 --> 0:32:17.451

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide providing a bonus funding example for illustrative purposes. The animated table displays elements successively, showing how  plans to increase affordable housing units can result in bonus funding. A decorative image of a city scape appears in a small circle in the upper right corner of the slide.]

Elizabeth Tang
Finally, they could also be eligible for the bonus. We already know that before HAF kicks in, the city projected to permit 5,500 units in the next 3 years

0:32:18.131 --> 0:32:27.491
Elizabeth Tang
of which 2% will be affordable housing.  With HAF, they are able to increase permitted units to 6,000.

0:32:28.991 --> 0:32:39.891
Elizabeth Tang
If they keep the share of affordable housing units unchanged at 2%, there will be 120 affordable housing units

0:32:41.91 --> 0:32:53.981
Elizabeth Tang
but the city is aspired to increase the share of affordable housing to 3 1/2% and this incremental 1 1/2% will increase affordable housing

0:32:55.61 --> 0:32:58.231
Elizabeth Tang
by 90 units to 210 units.

0:32:59.421 --> 0:33:14.981
Elizabeth Tang
And these 90 units will be eligible to receive the affordable housing bonus at a per unit amount of $19,000. The city can receive another $1,710,000.

0:33:16.641 --> 0:33:41.331

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide illustrating the estimated funding totals for the example in the previous slides. The fictional example could receive a total of $16,160,000 in funding. A decorative image in the middle of the slide shows a city scape.]


Elizabeth Tang
Now let's look at all the funding the city can receive. The city's housing supply growth target is 6,000 units and the projection without HAF is 5,500 so the number of HAF incented units is 500. It is the 500 HAF incented units that determines the funding amount.

0:33:42.391 --> 0:34:9.621
Elizabeth Tang
To summarize, for those 500 HAF incented units, the city can receive $10 million in base funding, $4,450,000 in top up funding and finally $1,710,000 for the affordable housing bonus bringing a total of $16,160,000.

0:34:12.381 --> 0:34:18.301

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide introducing the section on monitoring and reporting. The title appears over a plain, dark background. A decorative image of an urban street lined with residential buildings appears on the left.]
Elizabeth Tang
Moving into monitoring and reporting the requirements for successful applicants.

0:34:19.261 --> 0:34:48.731

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining program reporting requirements. Three decorative report-themed icons appear next to each of the requirements.]


Elizabeth Tang
Successful applicants will enter into a contribution agreement with CMHC and from that point on, there will be referred to as proponents and the contribution agreement will outline the 3 main reporting obligations of the proponents under the HAF program. First, the progress on the initiatives and the commitments outlined in their action plan.

0:34:49.191 --> 0:35:19.511
Elizabeth Tang
For example, the proponents will indicate to us the overall status for each approved initiative whether completed, on track, delayed or not started.  Describe the rationale for the status especially if there are delays or milestones have not been met, we expect them to provide us with a detailed rationale including a proposed

0:35:19.601 --> 0:35:22.881
Elizabeth Tang
plan to get the initiative back on track.

0:35:24.451 --> 0:35:42.291
Elizabeth Tang
Second, permit data for all housing units permitted during the reporting period. Proponents will need to report on their building permit for new construction conversion and the demolition of residential dwellings.

0:35:43.11 --> 0:36:6.661
Elizabeth Tang
CMHC will leverage the data points that are collected through Statistics Canada building permits survey. Third, details on the HAF fund they use during the reporting period. There will be prescribed forms in the timelines for proponents to fulfill the reporting.

0:36:8.811 --> 0:36:31.981

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining HAF key dates. Four tiles show elements to remember for each season, along with decorative, excellence-themed icons: Spring 2023; Summer 2023; Fall 2023; and Winter 2023.]


Elizabeth Tang
Some key dates to keep in mind. We are in the spring. CMHC is offering a series of info sessions, client meetings and presentations to communicate on this program. We encourage you to consider HAF.  If you are interested in applying, you may want to start your action plan now.

0:36:32.971 --> 0:36:41.941
Elizabeth Tang
The HAF application portal will be launched in the summer and the intake window will be open for 45 days.

0:36:42.631 --> 0:36:59.941
Elizabeth Tang
Again, it's a short window. This is why we strongly recommend that you start working on your action plan now because developing ideas, mapping out the initiatives and getting the appropriate approvals will take some time.

0:37:1.61 --> 0:37:13.421
Elizabeth Tang
Into the fall, evaluation and prioritization will complete. Successful applicants will be selected and then notified to participate in the program.

0:37:14.271 --> 0:37:23.861
Elizabeth Tang
By the winter 2023, all contribution agreement will be signed. The upfront advances will be processed.

0:37:26.141 --> 0:37:47.841

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that shows an HAF Summary. Four points to remember are shown along with themed icons. The address to the program webpage is on the bottom of the screen: cmhc.ca\HAF.]


Elizabeth Tang
To summarize what we have covered today, the HAF program is $4 billion in contribution funding for local governments. With that, we are tasked to have at least 100,000 net new units permitted over the life of the program.

0:37:48.851 --> 0:38:9.351
Elizabeth Tang
This program supports the development of communities across Canada which aligns with the federal priority areas including the development of complete low carbon and climate resilient communities that are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse.

0:38:10.441 --> 0:38:20.861
Elizabeth Tang
The program intent is to create lasting systemic changes that will reduce barriers to the housing supply and the development approvals.

0:38:21.711 --> 0:38:28.101
Elizabeth Tang
We want to encourage local governments to speed up housing development and increase supply.

0:38:29.401 --> 0:38:36.621
Elizabeth Tang
Finally, you can find the most up-to-date information about the program on our website.

0:38:37.841 --> 0:39:7.131

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Resources." The address to the program webpage appears along with images of CMHC's website displayed on a mobile phone, tablet and laptop computer.]


Elizabeth Tang
If you want to learn more about the program, several resources are available on the CMHC HAF web page. If you haven't already done so, we recommend registering for more information on the website. This way, you will stay in the know when resources are released and become available. In the meantime, we again encourage you to explore

0:39:7.271 --> 0:39:11.871
Elizabeth Tang
some of the resources under the pre-application resources section.

0:39:12.801 --> 0:39:28.841

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide that shows three webpages containing HAF resources.]


Elizabeth Tang
You can find items like the HAF program highlight sheet, housing needs assessment to resource sheet and the pre-application reference material which is a comprehensive guide for the program.

0:39:29.581 --> 0:39:57.391
Elizabeth Tang
The information you have seen in this presentation is explained with more details in this pre-application guide in which you can find helpful resources and the tools including the list of permissible fund uses. I have mentioned the action plan template evaluation criteria and scoring matrix example application form and so much more.

0:39:58.971 --> 0:40:21.351
Elizabeth Tang
In closing, the HAF program is complex in scope. The amount of information I just covered can be overwhelming. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us. You are not in this alone. Multiple CMHC teams and the subject matter experts are ready to assist you.

0:40:22.481 --> 0:40:29.811
Elizabeth Tang
So thank you for spending time learning with us and I now give the virtual flow back to you, Mark.

0:40:34.791 --> 0:40:38.461

[Speaker: Mark Stewart  – Specialist, CMHC]

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Questions." A decorative image shows a group of colleagues brainstorming a project.]


Mark Stewart
Thank you so much, Elizabeth, and thank you again everyone

0:40:40.671 --> 0:40:51.841
Mark Stewart
for being here today and in submitting so many great questions.  I've been just seeing a ton of them come through the chat here and the HAF subject matter experts have been very busy

0:40:51.941 --> 0:41:4.111
Mark Stewart
doing their best to reply to them and get them posted for you today and they're going to continue until we close this session.

0:41:5.141 --> 0:41:11.891
Mark Stewart
So it's at this point that I'd like to call on our subject matter experts from the Housing Accelerator Fund.

0:41:13.211 --> 0:41:24.311
Mark Stewart
If they'd like to open their microphones and discuss any questions and maybe some common themes, anything they've been noticing

0:41:24.701 --> 0:41:29.51
Mark Stewart
with you all today during our question and answer period.

[Speaker: Frank Berube  – HAF Subject Matter Expert]

0:41:32.461 --> 0:42:1.731
Frank Berube
Thanks Mark, I'll jump in and just say a few words about just a few recap reminders about the program. So as we're seeing a few questions, we're getting a lot of specific questions about individual projects and costs associated to individual projects. I just wanted to remind everyone that this program is quite unique. It's truly an incentive funding initiative which means that you're funding will be associated to those permitted units that you'll be achieving at the end of the program by the end of the program.

0:42:2.411 --> 0:42:32.501
Frank Berube
And the expectation is that your cost associated to the initiatives that you'll be implementing to achieve those units will be much less than the actual costs, the funding that you receive. So keeping in mind once you've implemented your action plan items, the municipality is free at the discretion within the eligible cost categories to use that incentive funding towards any existing, current or planned housing projects that they had planned to do.

0:42:32.601 --> 0:42:48.131
Frank Berube
So once again, it's really incentive funding so it's the action plan items will be one portion of your funding and then the remaining funds can be used at the discretion for the municipality as they see fit to the best ways to support housing.

0:43:1.551 --> 0:43:3.771

[Audio silence as speaker switches back to Mark Stewart]

[Speaker: Mark Stewart  – Specialist, CMHC]


Mark Stewart
Thank you so much, Frank. That’s great.

0:43:5.381 --> 0:43:6.801
Mark Stewart
Are there any other

0:43:6.881 --> 0:43:7.131
Mark Stewart
HAF

0:43:8.491 --> 0:43:12.741
Mark Stewart
subject matter experts here on the call that would like to discuss anything?

0:43:18.491 --> 0:43:21.181
Mark Stewart
No pressure, no one is putting you on the spot.

0:43:35.831 --> 0:43:36.271

[Audio silence as the speaker waits for comments from subject matter experts.]

Hi Roger, I see you’re joining us. Thank you very much.

0:43:38.11 --> 0:44:9.221

[Speaker: Roger Lam  – HAF Subject Matter Expert]


Roger Lam
Hi Mark.  So I think maybe I'll just comment quickly on which are the eligible applicants to the program. There's been a few different questions in the chat about that. And so just to clarify, like we're looking for that level of government that has authority over planning and development and so there are some nuances in that always because I know some municipalities may issue building permits and some may issue like zoning or development permits, but really we're looking at the planning and development

0:44:9.391 --> 0:44:21.891
Roger Lam
so that will be the zoning. So in cases where those are split apart, we're looking for the level of government that issues the zoning and the planning and development permits themselves.

0:44:23.61 --> 0:44:52.71
Roger Lam
And just as I know in different parts of the country, there's, you know, lower tier, upper tier municipalities or municipalities and regional levels of government and there's some questions about how they can work together.  What we're looking for is the eligible applicant which will be the one that has the ability to make those on the ground decisions around planning development to be the primary applicant. There's always the opportunity for them though to work with you either the regional

0:44:52.221 --> 0:45:4.451
Roger Lam
government or the upper tier government to help with submitting the application and there may be cases where like a regional level of government or an upper tier that's representing a number of governments.

0:45:5.51 --> 0:45:34.111
Roger Lam
Like municipal governments want to help with that application process but in every case, it will still require individual applications for each of those lower tier or municipal governments. So there's no group application, there's just helping to facilitate those applications but individual applications. But obviously with that being said, that creates that opportunity for some partnerships between kind of the different tiers of municipal governments.

0:46:9.111 --> 0:46:15.781

[Audio silence as speaker switches back to Mark Stewart]

[Speaker: Mark Stewart – Specialist, CMHC]


Mark Stewart
This is great. Lots of questions and thanks again to our subject matter experts for chiming in, that's great information.

0:46:17.341 --> 0:46:22.931
Mark Stewart
We'll give it another minute.  If there's anything else coming through the chat, we may want to address it.

Mark Stewart
Again to call on our subject matter experts, is there maybe a last call for anything else that we want to bring up today?

0:46:43.721 --> 0:46:45.731
Mark Stewart
All right. Well I see.

Mark Stewart
I think we're all set to wrap it up. So I'm happy to give you all back 12 minutes of your day. So thank you again so much for attending our session. Like we mentioned earlier or maybe you missed it, this recording will be posted on cmhc.ca on the HAF page in the next few days. The presentation will be sent to you

0:47:13.471 --> 0:47:33.841

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Thank you." A decorative image shows a Canadian sitting and shaking hands with another individual. The National Housing Strategy logo, Canada logo and CMHC logo appear on the bottom of the slide.]


Mark Stewart
in an email, the email that you used to register for this session following today's presentation as well with the survey asking you for your feedback on the session as well.  We really really appreciate that feedback, it lets us know how we can improve and what you like or what you didn't like.

0:47:35.961 --> 0:47:42.51
Mark Stewart
That feedback is very much appreciated and I'll, end it here

0:47:43.51 --> 0:47:48.41
Mark Stewart
a bit early.  Well thank you very very much again and have a wonderful day.

[End of presentation.]

Preparing your municipal application for the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)

Recorded May 31, 2023

Explore the key elements to include in the municipal action plan initiatives.

Your browser does not support the video tag. Transcript

0:02

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), introduces the presentation.]

[Visual: PowerPoint slide titled "Preparing your municipal application for the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)." Decorative photograph of colleagues having a meeting. National Housing Strategy and CMHC logos and Canada wordmark appear at the bottom of the screen. Some participant images and names appear on the right side of the screen.]


Courage to start their action plan now as there is a short application window once the client portal opens for application later this summer.


0:11
The topics we will cover today include information on creating an action plan, the helpful tools and resources available, and answers to the most frequently asked questions.


0:21
This one hour session will consist of a roughly 30 minute presentation followed by a 30 minute question. And today's session will be recorded.


0:31
Your videos, microphones and the chat have all been disabled for this session, so please use the Q and A button to ask any questions that you have during the presentation, and we'll try our best to respond to those questions at the end of the presentation.


0:47

[Visual: PowerPoint slide transitions to the logo "Here we gather" in a yellow text box over a black and white topography-themed background. Video image of the speaker and some participants appears to the right of the screen.]


As a resident of Vancouver, the land on which I live, work and play is a traditional, ancestral and unseeded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the Squamish, Slavich, youth, and Muslim nations. I am grateful and thankful for this land and truly appreciate and respect its many generations of caretakers. As we're trending more and more into a virtual environment, it's important to take a moment to reflect on the good things the land in which you're joining us from brings to you every day.


1:22

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide stating the session objective in white text with a dark background. A badge icon sits below the text, "Session Objective." Video image of the speaker and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears in the upper right corner of the screen.]


So this today's presentation will provide you with the information and knowledge you'll need to submit your application for the Housing Accelerator Fund. This presentation comes after a previous introductory presentation session that was recorded and is available for your viewing pleasure on our website. We would like to thank all of you who've taken the time to submit questions during the registration process. Many, if not all of those questions will be answered during the presentation or have been addressed in a previously recorded session. However, if anything is still unclear.


1:53
Please, as mentioned and put your questions in the Q and A box and we'll get to them at the end of the presentation.

2:00

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to the presentation agenda. Agenda items in bullet points on left side of the screen. Decorative photograph of colleagues having a meeting to the right. Video image of the speaker and some participants on the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy | Overview" title appears in the upper right corner of the screen.]

On our agenda for today, we will have a brief program overview. We'll consider what is 1/2 Action Plan. We'll get some guidance on development of Action Plan initiatives. We'll take a look at some other resources that are available to you, and, of course, our Q&A session.


2:19

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide introducing the webinar presenters, Cleo Corbett and Lucas Reinhardt, both senior specialists on CMHC's Municipal Relations Team. Images of the presenters are accompanied by their biographies. Video image of the speaker and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy | Overview" title appears in the upper right corner of the screen.]


You're all in for a special treat. Today. I'm really happy to introduce our presenters Cleo Corbett and Lucas Reinhardt. They're both a wealth of information and knowledge and they're and knowledge and they're very excited to share it all with you. Both Cleo and Lucas have spent many years working in municipal government before coming over to the other side of the federal government. So we look forward to hearing from them today.


2:45

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a Program Overview slide. Decorative photograph of urban residential housing on the left of the screen. Video image of the speaker and some participants appears to the right of the screen.]


We'll just begin by taking a look at a brief summary and expectations of this program, and then I'll pass it over to Cleo to continue with today's session.


2:57
[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to an HAF Overview animation accompanied by instrumental music. "Objectives" appears in the middle of the screen below icon of a hand with a finger pointing up towards three star outlines. The middle star is filled in yellow. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


3:13
[Visual: PowerPoint animation then lists the objectives in turn: "Implementation of initiatives to get more homes built faster" and "Speed up approvals & building processes." Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner]

[Visual: PowerPoint animation transitions to Supported Priorities. Hand icon moves to bottom of screen and icon of a park scene appears in the centre of the screen. A list of supported priorities appears: Development of complete, affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse low-carbon and climate-resilient communities. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

[Visual: PowerPoint animation transitions to Available Funding. Park scene icon moves to bottom of screen and money-themed icon appears above "Available Funding." An explanation of eligible applicants appears below title. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

3:33
[Visual: PowerPoint Animation transitions to a recap of the HAF Overview. Objectives + Supported Priorities + Available Funding = Expected program outcomes of 100,000 net new permitted units. The hand, park scene and money-themed icons appear above each item. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

[Visual: PowerPoint Animation transitions to an HAF Overview slide of the expected program outcome of 100,000 net new permitted units. Image of a street scape lines the bottom of the screen with progressive housing realities listed below: homelessness, emergency shelter, transitional housing, supportive housing, community housing, affordable housing, market housing. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

[End of PowerPoint animation and accompanying music. ]

3:54

[Presenter: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide explaining how HAF is different from other National Housing Strategy (NHS) initiatives. Two columns, Other NHS initiatives and HAF, appear in two light columns over a dark background. Money-themed icon appears on top of the Other NHS initiatives column. Rocket icon appears above the HAF column. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


Great. Thank you so much for the introduction, Marcia. And uh, I'm really glad to be with you today. Thank you everyone for coming.


4:02
So um indeed UH, the housing Accelerator fund or half as UH we've we've coined it is quite different from other National Housing strategy programs where typically you might be comfortable with CMHC programs that are more project based and maybe associated with some underwriting or a specific address. This is really more about transformational change.


4:32
The Housing Accelerator Fund aims to work directly with municipalities and First Nations and Indigenous governments to incentivize long lasting systemic changes in the housing system.


4:47
And funding is, um, based on you making progress towards implementation of your action plans, which is the main focus of our presentation today.


4:59
And the use of those funds is very flexible. This is the incentive part of the program. You can spend these funds on implementation of your action plan, but also on anything that supports the housing system, such as parks or active transportation or infrastructure upgrades, which we know are all things that are needed and associated with increasing housing supply in your communities.


5:33

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "What is a HAF action plan?" Text is offset in yellow over a light background. Decorative photograph of an urban residential street appears on the left side of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So uh, what is the action plan?


5:38

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to an outline of the action plan elements. Screen is split in half, with "The action plan" text offset in yellow over a light background on the left side. Decorative photograph of colleagues sitting at a round table working on the right side. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


Um, it will have some minimum requirements uh, which we have gone over in in previous UM webinars, but I'll I'll touch on those a little bit so, so that you can keep those top of top of mind.


5:52
Um, we're wanting to make sure that these action plans increase housing supply.


5:58
Increase the diversity of the housing supply.


6:02
But also that growth is aligned with other federal priorities, such as creating complete compact communities, communities that are low carbon and climate resilient, and also to ensure a diversified housing supply that meets the diverse needs of people in Canada. And all of these really do reflect best practices in urban planning.


6:31
Your action plan, uh, if your application is successful, will also form part of your contribution agreement. So this is really what you're committing to do over the life of the program.


6:47

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide outlining the action plan components in a white text box over a dark background: Housing supply growth target, Other Unit estimates and Action plan initiatives. Plus-sign symbols separate each component. Achievement-themed icons appear above each component. A reminder appears below stating that funding is based on alignment with program priorities. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

So, So what are the key components? Um, I talked about this briefly. UM, housing supply growth targets, uh, we have a handy dandy calculator on the housing accelerator website. So please feel free to check that out and and play around with that. And that will show you that if if you're entering a house, your housing stock and this is one of the first targets that you need or projections what is?


7:18
Your projected housing growth over the next three years, if nothing changed, if it just stayed at status quo, this can be based on historical trends. You can look back over three to five years, are there?

[Presenter's sound cuts out briefly.]


7:38
Housing projection and and your housing growth.


7:42
Then we're going to look at, OK, now you've got an action plan with a number of incentives. What is the growth or estimated number of units that your action plan is going to garner? So those are the two kind of main things that you need to contemplate when you're putting together your action plan.


8:06
We don't. We also want to know what types of units you think that you can create through your initiatives and this is important because it gets back to those priorities. In the pre application guide, there's an estimate that half will fund roughly $20,000 per unit, but there is incentive based funding depending on the typology of those units, the location of those.


8:37
Minutes and also affordability. So you're able to increase the amount of per unit funding depending on those things up to an estimated amount of 40,000 unit. So we have some questions. For instance, one of the incentivized unit types is transit oriented development within 1.5 kilometers of rapid transit. We understand that rapid transit does not exist in all communities across Canada.


9:09
However, UH smaller communities absolutely are encouraged to um, receive that incentive based top up funding by looking at creating other types of units such as missing middle which is ground oriented, infill type housing, gentle density, accessory dwelling units, things of that nature and there's also an incentive increase in funding for affordable housing and that's based on your local definition.


9:40
So all of those things will go into your action plan and and you're going to tell us in the application about how much supply you think that that will increase in your community.


9:54
As well as the estimated number of units and type of units that you're action plan will create.


10:03
[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to slide explaining how many initiatives are required. Two categories appear in white text boxes over a dark background: 5 initiatives for Small/Rural/North/Indigenous cities or communities, and 7 initiatives Large/Urban cities. Decorative image of a house, trees, a park bench and buildings appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

So how many initiatives are required? Um five in communities that are less than 10,000 people and seven as a minimum in large and urban centres over 10,000. So I know some of you are thinking, well my community is 20,000 but we don't consider ourselves at large in urban that that 10,000 mark is the split and and really is the number of initiatives are meant to take a comprehensive.


10:34
Approach to the housing challenges that we face, um the reason why we're looking for a minimum number of in initiatives is that we want to ensure that some are going to be supply focused but also others are going to be more foundational and more longer reaching and more systemic changes.


11:02

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a list of the kinds of initiatives that CMHC is looking in the applications. Bulleted list appears in dark font over a light background. Decorative photograph of an urban housing development appears on the left side of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So just to give you, um some examples, in our pre application guide material, we have a list of approximately 30 examples of different initiatives that you might want to consider. This is not an exhaustive list. We'd encourage you certainly to bring forward your own unique and creative ideas or or initiatives that suit the needs in your community.


11:27
But some examples of initiatives could be pre zoning for more density in low density areas in your community, reducing parking requirements, delegating approval authority for certain types of permitting. And so those would all kind of be supply and and timeline based initiatives but also some more systemic changes could be an asset management program where you do.


11:57
Capacity assessment on your infrastructure to better understand um what kind of upgrades or UM increases to your infrastructure that you need over a time to support growth and associated funding strategies. Also an E permitting system could be an example of of a more kind of farther reaching systems change initiative. So you can see here we are looking for things that speed up approval timelines.


12:28
That are long lasting in nature. We hope that many of these initiatives will outlast the housing accelerator program.


12:34
Um, again, we're we're hoping that these will look to create more supply over the long term, but also we hope that they'll have far reaching impact within your communities, so affecting a large amount of of your developable area within your community and a high number of eligible projects that you anticipate coming online in the next few years.


12:59
We're really looking to.


13:01
Um create more predictability and stability within the housing system. So not only could that be things like pre zoning to understand what kind of use and density you want in places, but it would also look to address concerns around disaster prone areas like floodplain areas and wildfire interface.


13:25
And and really this is what it's all about, we're looking to make positive improvements and impacts to the housing system.


13:41

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Guidance on the development of action plan initiatives."  Dark title text is offset in yellow over a light background. Decorative photograph of an urban residential street appears on the left side of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So now we're going to get into specifics. I know that we had a lot of questions around what kind of detail are you looking for, how much detail are you looking for? So, so we'll try and get into to some of that.


13:54

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide explaining pre-application preparation. Three elements are listed: Confirm you have authority to implement the action plan initiatives; Know the timeline for obtaining approvals with your council, board, or equivalent; and Determine the capacity required to plan and deliver the initiatives. The three elements appear as a numbered list over a light background. Numbers 1, 2,3 in yellow circles appear to the left of each element. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


Um, so before you start working on that UM, this program is meant for jurisdictions that have been delegated the authority to approve housing development and issue building permits.


14:06
Um, be prepared. Um, we will be looking for council support UM Council or Board support in principle for your action plans as part of signing a contribution agreement under the program. We know that each of your initiatives will likely require individual approvals from council, but we are looking at for overall support and also we understand capacity is a concern and and.


14:37
This really we're seeing UM in small communities and also large UM. So try and understand what capacity you have. We're encouraging people to be bold and be aggressive with your action plans. UM.


14:51
But you do need to have the confidence to be able to deliver because that's what your funding payments will be based on is your progress. I also want to mention here that many of you will have overarching community plans or policy documents. The probably have a number of action items already identified that have maybe been on the books for a while, but you may not have had support or capacity.


15:22
To move forward with those, um, really encourage you to look at at those things and and maybe the Housing Accelerator Fund can help you bring those forward and speed up your implementation on on those items that you've identified are of need in your community.


15:45

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Tips from Carolyn," reminding applicants to include a balance of supply-focused initiatives and initiatives that support housing supply in a broader way. Text in white appears over a dark background, with the balance reminder text offset in yellow. A photograph of a professional woman appears on the left of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So, so I've said this a few times, you do want to make sure that you have some supply focused initiatives because that is what you're funding will be based on that kind of 20,000 estimated amount to 40,000 per unit depending on typology.


16:02
But that's why we have five to seven initiatives identified. We hope that there will be many supply oriented initiatives, but also we welcome those longer term foundational system impact initiatives to to help with that stability and predictability in the housing system.


16:29

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to screenshot of the initiative outline in the application. Important information fields have numbers to the left within yellow circles. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


This is just an A to give you an idea of the kind of information that we'll be looking for for each initiative, and we'll go through each of these, um, each of these topics.


16:43

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to an animated slide listing important elements from the Initiative Outline. Five elements are numbered within dark blue text boxes and listed across the top of a blurred photograph of a residential development: Description; Start Date; Estimated Costs; Expected Results; Other expected results. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner]

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the Description box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the element.]


So description Um, I think this is a number of your questions. How much detail do you want? So we're really looking for you. To be specific, we don't want to see paragraphs or essays here. We really are hoping to see about 10 or two to five sentences for each initiative.


17:06

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the Description arrow back to a box and transitions the Start Date box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the element.]


Your start date, um, so the program will accept anything that was started after April 7th, 2022. And this date is important because that's when the Housing Accelerator Fund was announced in last year's budget. I want to make a clarification here because as I say, you have a housing strategy and you have a number of initiatives that are identified in that housing strategy, simply identifying them in a policy.


17:35
Document and saying you're going to move forward with them does not mean that you have started. So again, feel free to bring forward those things that you have wanted to pursue UM into your action plans.


17:50

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the Start Date arrow back to a box and transitions the Estimated Costs box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the element.]


Estimated costs. This also was some questions that we got. We are not looking for detailed cost estimates. We want your best guess at what it would cost to implement each initiative including staff time and that will really give us a sense of what the costs are associated with implementing some of these fairly significant chains changes within your communities.


18:20

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the Estimated Costs arrow back to a box and transitions the Expected Results box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the element.]


The expected results, so we're looking for two things here. How many units do you think each initiative will incentivize over the next three-year. The three years of the program, but we're also asking you to forecast farther out over a 10 year time frame. How many units do you think that that your initiatives, your proposed initiatives will will incentivize that gives us a longer term vision to see what?


18:49
The forecast is around these initiatives, but it will also help us with monitoring and evaluation and understanding the actual impact as these initiatives are implemented.


19:03

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the Expected Results arrow back to a box and transitions the Other expected results box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the element.]


And then we want to, um, give you an opportunity to let us know more broadly what you think some of the impacts of these initiatives will be. And and this gets back to some of those planning considerations around compact, complete communities and that type of thing.


19:23

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Tips from Holly," listing some questions to consider when developing the initiative outline. Text appears in white over a dark background. A prompt to answer the listed questions is offset in yellow. Photograph of a young woman with dark hair wearing decorative jewelry appears to the left of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So, um, yeah, I, I, I've gone through all of these, but here are some things to keep. Uh, keep in mind, um, ensure you've got a good mix of of supply and system impact initiatives. Do policies need to change for you to enact a regulation?


19:44
What actions will foster success? So does a certain initiative require public consultation to create, you know the right environment and education to create buy in from the community to move forward with some of these initiatives? And then also what do you have the capacity for and will you need to draw on outside help from consultants or expertise in say engineering areas to to implement your initiative?


20:15
And so, uh, thanks very much. And with that, I'm going to pass it over to my colleague Lucas, who's gonna take you through some very specific examples. Thanks.

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team]

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Initiative example." A screenshot of a sample initiative application fills the screen. A decorative photograph of a residential development appears to the right.  Video image of Cleo Corbett, Lucas Reinhardt and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

Great. Thanks very much, Cleo. So, yeah, so we'll take you through some examples here of what an initiative could look like.

[Cleo Corbett's image leaves the screen.]

This is one of the example that the team has put together. I will note that the example you're seeing today is a little different from what you'll see when you actually get in and once the CMHC portal opens.


20:43
We're currently finalizing the portal design, so we're expecting it to be ready for early summer, so likely within the next couple of months, so keep an eye out for that. With that said, the examples you're seeing today in the initiative here are the exact same fields that you'll see when you get into the portal. It's also found in Appendix A of the pre application reference material. So after today's presentation, if you wanna go over to our pre application reference material, go to Appendix A. You'll see the exact same fields. You can get a sense of what we'll be looking for but before you even go to apply.


21:15
So in terms of our example here today, we have a program that municipalities pitching around additional dwelling unit program. So the first thing you'll see in your initiative, we're going to be looking for your title. We'll be looking for you to tag an initiative type to the initiative. This will be in the form of a drop down, so you'll select the most relevant one. If you don't see a relevant one on the list, you can also there'll be an other category where you can fill in a title as well and then of course your description, so your description and these boxes you're seeing here.


21:45
They're all character limits. So we are looking for you to be concise, be very specific, be very clear, spend a lot of time tailoring this language. In the example here you can really see that the municipality has done that. They've described the program. They've mentioned that it's what it's going to require is a changes to their official plan, their zoning bylaw, they're going to be including design guidelines for pre approved Adu plans. The program also include an incentive component where the municipality will be offering a $10,000 interest.


22:16
Very long per AU and there's have also provided some details around the implementation timeline and the cost. So specifically when you get to the implementation timeline, they've included a start date here. Specifically, that start date is within the half time frame. So after April 7th, 2022, they've all included a completion date here, which is also within the half's lifespan if you will. So that's outside or excuse me inside of of 2026, the end of the program and then there's their.


22:46
Committed cost category here as well. So to Cleo's point earlier, this is their estimated, estimated or best guess in terms of the cost of the program, will, will, will cost the program, will cost them I guess and specifically here we are looking for this to include staffing as well and consultant fees. So something to keep in mind as you're projecting that out. When we move down to the expected results, you can see that there's two numbers here. The first one is the estimated number of permitted units the initiative will incent.


23:18
To close earlier point, this is across a 10 year time frame or the life of the initiative. So in this example here the municipality is projecting that the additional dwelling unit program will create 2250 units within the 10 year timeframe. More specifically for the housing Accelerator fund, we see this next projection which is the estimated number of units the initiative will incent within the three-year projection. So the half life cycle I hear the municipalities projecting 1350 units will be created as a result of this specific initiative.


23:49
And the last box here is the other expected results where you'll be able to provide some additional context on how you you will achieve these results. So here you can see the municipality again has been very specific. They've pointed out how many units the program will be creating annually against the overall total of their dwelling units. They included the proposed 5 year run span of the program in its current form, noting that there could be A at a five year window could be some changes to the program and some revisions.


24:19
And then they've also added at the bottom at kind of a justification for the cost, if you will, noting that in this case this initiative is planning to refund itself or replenish itself as those loans get repaid in the 5th year.


24:32
An important note is we saw some questions coming up leading into the session around the growth projections. Uh, so specifically here at time of application in your action plan, we will be asking you to provide expected results and growth projections tied to each initiative in that expected result column or in those boxes there at an initiative level. When it comes to reporting and this was the question we had on the annual reporting, what would the projections look like when it comes to if you're successful when it comes to your annual reports will be reporting?


25:02
You're increasing the number of permits at the overall level, so you won't be asked to report individually at the anniversary of your contribution agreement. That would be happening at the overall level and specifically here in year 2 will be requesting micro level permitting data from successful applicants. So we'll be able to help confirm the number of permits that have been created in each year.


25:25

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Evaluation Criteria." Screenshot of a sample evaluation criteria page fills the screen. Two important areas are offset with numbers 6 and 7 within yellow circles. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So in terms of how CMHC will be evaluating your application, um, the first step is actually done by you, the applicant, the municipality. And here you'll be self assessing against our evaluation criteria, which is also in our pre application reference material. And there's two groups of criteria. Once you've done your self-assessment and submitted your application, CMHC will then evaluate your assessment, verify it, validate it and finalize the scoring before returning back to you with your eligible funding amount and the contribution agreement.


25:56
Um, so the first set of this criteria is the connection back to the program objectives. Um, there's four program objectives here. Um, there are detailed in the pre application reference material. You will see them in the portal for sake of time today, it won't go through them all. Biggest take away from this specific criteria is that you'll be asked to select all that apply and you must. Your initiative must connect to at least one of them. So once you've identified how many objectives you connect to here, you then will also be providing an explanation in the box.


26:26
Hello.


26:28

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to an animated slide titled "Evaluation Criteria." Points 6 and 7 from previous slide appear in dark text boxes in the top left corner of a blurred photograph of a construction scene. Point 6, Objective supported, transitions to an arrow pointing to a brief description of the criteria. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So to summarize, you're gonna connect back to each of the objectives that your initiative connects to. That can be must be a minimum of 1, can be up to a total of four, totally up to you. However, you can make those connections.

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the 6. Objective supported arrow back to a box and transitions the 7. Explanation box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the criteria.]

Then in the explanation box, you'll be connecting your initiative to those objectives and justifying your connections. So this is a pass fail section. So we're really just looking for a brief outline of three to four sentences to highlight how your initiative meets that selected criteria. And in that description you're describing the relationship there. So in the case where your initiative.


26:59
Have a direct relationship back to the criteria we ask that you make it clear and elaborate on the impact to the accelerated to the acceleration of housing supply at the end of the day. So if anything else that's the key piece to connect back to is the initiatives impact to the acceleration of housing supply.


27:17

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to slide titled "Tips from Daniel," a sample applicant used to illustrate the evaluation criteria requirements. A prompt to answer three questions about your initiative is offset in yellow with remaining text in white over a dark background. Photograph of imaginary applicant Daniel appears to the left of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So we have tips from our imaginary applicant, Daniel here.


27:21
So in terms of trying to identify which objectives your initiative connects back to, there's three kind of questions you would be asking yourself. The 1st is how will this initiative reduce barriers to housing supply and development approvals, How will it speed up the development of housing supply and then how will it foster the development of complete, affordable and or climate compatible communities.

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions back to the Initiative example slide, this time filled in with information about Daniel's initiative. Evaluation criteria screenshot fills the screen. Decorative photograph of a residential development appears to the right. Video image of the presenter and some participants appears to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

So if we flip back to our initiative example here, the additional dwelling unit program this municipality has mentioned has pointed out that it connects to all four of the program objectives.


27:52
Totally acceptable. Um. And in doing this, they've in the explanation category. They've done a really good, concise job at connecting it back to each of these four objectives. So you can see that each sentence they have in this explanation connects back to one of those objectives or tells that story of the objective. So the first sentence there connects back to the impact on approval timelines and the revisions to the planning process that would be happening through the zoning bylaw amendments and official plan amendments. The second sentence connects to the complete and low carbon community.


28:22
Objectives. Um, so you can see that they've actually hit two objectives in that one sentence. Again, very concise, very perfect in that sense. And the 3rd and final sentence connects back to program, provides program details that explain how it's connected to creating attainable units, increasing housing affordability by creating those attainable units. So, really, elegance. Again, you'll want to spend some time crafting that language, and that's where starting your application early will really benefit you.


28:48

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a second set of evaluation criteria. This slide highlights four criteria: Duration; Timeliness; Supply Impact; and System Impact, each identified by numbers 8 to 11 in yellow circles to the left of the criteria. Screenshot of the criteria page fills the screen over a light background. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


The second set of criteria we have, uh, there's four of them here. This is more of a deep dive on the initiative itself. We'll be looking at duration, timeliness, supply impact and system impact.


29:00

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to an animated slide titled "Evaluation Criteria – 2." Points 8 to 11 from previous slide appear in dark text boxes above a blurred photograph of a construction scene. Point 8, Duration, transitions to an arrow pointing to a brief description of the criteria. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So diving a little deeper, we start with duration. So duration is really an assessment of how quick an initiative can be implemented. So here we're looking to see when the initiative will start and when the initiative will complete. Ideally, your initiative will complete within two years or within a year of the first year of the program, so 2023 to 2024 or by 2024. But it is totally acceptable for the initiative to go towards the end of the program as well. The key piece here is when you're setting up these timelines and setting your duration, make sure you're the duration you're setting in this evaluation.


29:32
Criteria matches your start and end date for your initiative and also matches the start and end date for your milestones, which we'll dive into in a moment.


29:42

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the 8. Duration arrow back to a box and transitions the 9. Timeliness box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the criteria.]


Timeliness, So this criteria sounds very similar to duration, but it has a very different focus. So for timeliness, we're really focused on when you expect to realize those net new permits that the initiative is aiming to create. So when would you expect those permits to start rolling in once the initiative has finished and we'll dive some into that. You'll see that in the example in a moment here as well.


30:04

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the 9. Timeliness arrow back to a box and transitions the 10. Supply Impact box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the criteria.]


Supply impacts, this is more of our quantitative criteria outlining how the initial will contribute to the growth in housing supply in your community. And this can be expressed either as a percent in percent in terms of the increase of priority housing types. So as Cleo mentioned, how the number of units you're creating in the multi unit missing middle category or multi units in proximity to transits or multi multi unit other categories or you could express this as the contribution of that initiative towards the overall total half incented.


30:34
An account. A key piece here is when you're developing the initial part of your application, your initial growth projections, setting up the the future projections for the next few years in section B of the application. You'll want to keep those numbers handy as to determine your supply impacts. They'll be crucial to doing that, so you'll want to have them handy when you're looking at this category.


30:55

[Visual: The same animated slide transitions the 10. Supply Impact arrow back to a box and transitions the 11. System Impact box to an arrow pointing down to a brief explanation of the criteria.]

And finally, system impact is very much focused on identifying how initiatives will transform or improve the housing system in the long term. So here again to close earlier point, looking for things like how is the initial improving the permitting process, how is it, how long term is the impact that it will be having? Will it outlive the half? How large the geographic geographic impact of the initiative? Is it impacting a large portion of the developer land? Is it increasing the predictability or sustainability of the development process?


31:27
Is it, uh, contributing to climate resiliency, All those pieces. So it's a lot to try and bake in there, but we're recommending 3 to 5 sentences here. It's going to be a lot to put in there. But again, if you're able to be concise and clear to the point you'll see in the example, you can actually do this quite well and you'll satisfy the criteria.

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions back to the Initiative example. Screenshot of the application fills the screen over a light background, this time with criteria answers filled in. Decorative photograph of a residential development appears to the right. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

So flipping over to our example, you'll see here in duration the municipality for their additional dwelling unit program has put within one year. So within the first year of the program, they're expecting to deliver the amendments to the zoning.


31:58
By law, they're gonna be implementing all the policy changes, creating those design guidelines and creating the incentive funding program.


32:05
In terms of timeliness about how long it will take them to start to achieve those additional permitted units as a result of the initiative, they projected that the permits will start to be realized in October 2024. So really great here that they've provided us with an exact date makes it very clear, very concise in terms of when those permits would be coming in. On the supply impact side, they've noted that the if the proposed zoning bylaw amendment is passed, it's projected to contribute 30% of the half incented units. So here this one initiative alone is contributing 30%.


32:36
Out of the half incented units, the units that are being created as a result of the program to the total. So again, very clear, very easy for us to see how it's contributing to their action plan. And then the final category of system impact, you can see that they've provided some details on how quickly the initiative will be put into place. They know that the initiative will last or is expected to contribute units over the next 10 years and that this initiative will impact about 67% of the municipal land area, so a large geographic impact.


33:07
In the community covers the vast majority of it, so the scale of it is very, very large. The longevity of it is very long and it's done very quickly and can happen almost an immediate impact, So you can see what that high systems impact looks like.


33:22

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to slide titled "Milestone." A screenshot of the Milestone area of the application fills the screen over a light background. Number 12 appears in a yellow circle to the left of Milestone 1. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


Um, diving in a little deeper. So in your initiative, we mentioned earlier you're going to have milestones, UH, which help explain the progress you're making towards your initiatives. So the milestones look very similar to the initiative descriptions. You have a milestone title, a milestone description of what work is being done is attached to that milestone, as well as a start date and a completion date. The key message here is that you must have at least one milestone attached to an initiative, and you can have as many milestones as you think relevant for your initiative, again, when you're thinking about the start and completion dates.


33:53
Where you'll be wanting to make sure that your start date, so arguably your first milestone, the start date there will match the start of your initiative and then the last milestone, its completion date should arguably match the completion date of the initiative. Might be some exceptions there, but generally that's what we will be looking for. So take that into consideration as you're crafting your milestones and you'll see in a moment. In the example when you finish your milestones, it almost should look like a mini project plan. You'll see a number of milestones, all the activities sequencing one after the other.


34:25

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Milestones." Point 12 from previous slide appears in dark arrow-shaped text box above a blurred photograph of a desk holding paper graphs and charts. The arrow points to a brief overview of the Milestone requirements. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


In terms of what these milestones mean, they are very important for you to provide detail and and make sure they're very comprehensive as they will be helping CMHC to track and monitor your progress. So again, we will be watching to make sure your milestone dates match the duration section as well as the initiative start and completion dates. And a final note there that these your progress towards your milestones is included in your annual reporting should you be successful in your application. So we will be monitoring your progress as mentioned, so this could have impact towards your advances.


34:56
Think very carefully about your milestones, make them very concise, very detailed and make them very reasonable, of course.

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions back to the initiative example. A screenshot of the Milestone page fills the screen over a light background, this time filled with application information. Decorative photograph of residential buildings appears to the right. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

So in looking at our initiative example, what this could look like on paper. So in this case, in our additional Dwelling Unit program, the municipality has identified 3 milestones for the initiative. The first milestone is the Official Plan and Zoning Bylaw amendment approvals. You can see their start date matches the initiative start date.


35:21
That was in the earlier in the presentation, um the second milestone is hiring consultants developing out those Adu design guidelines and the final milestone is the implementation of the Adu incentive program with the completion date matching the completion date roughly of the initiative itself. So you can kind of see here it's you get that project scheduling sense that's happening here and you see in each description they're telling us the activities that are associated with those milestones to help us understand what work is happening at what time and.


35:52
They're reporting they will be, um, providing us with information about whether those activities have taken place.


35:58

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Tips from Lance," outlining some strategic items to consider when preparing an application. A prompt to be strategic is offset in yellow, with remaining text in white over a dark background. A photograph of imaginary applicant Lance appears to the left of the screen. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]


So again a tip from a fictional applicant here, Lance, be very strategic in developing your action plan. As Cleo mentioned earlier, we're really looking for a diverse set of initiatives, a nice mixture between those short and medium term initiatives that might contribute to the permit count and those medium to long term initiatives that hit that systemic change, transformational pieces that the program is also aiming for. That final note that in terms of application prioritization, this is a competitive process. The housing accelerator fund is a competitive program. So we are looking for.


36:30
Highest scoring applications and it is those highest scoring applications that will be selected for funding. A last point as you're digesting all of this information and realize it's a ton of information, we had a question coming into the webinar around how long should I set aside to create my application?


36:48
Uh, this is difficult question for us to answer exactly is it kind of depends on the initiatives that you're proposing in your action plan and the approach that your municipality is taking. As you can see in the presentation today in our other materials, there's a large number of initiatives you could be doing. So we suggest not waiting for the portal to open, start working on your application now. It definitely would be helpful and something we suggest is creating a cross functional working group or a multidisciplinary and working group to build your application, gather your initiatives.


37:18
Build your growth projections. Um, this can help really help your initiative. So this means including folks from your planning departments, your housing divisions, your legal team, engineering, public works divisions. Also would encourage you in the Ontario context to reach out to your upper tier municipalities and your other partners such as your provincial, territorial governments and regional governments as well to develop your action plan and partner with them to see how you can include their initiatives in certain contexts. And we'll get into it in the Q&A as well. You can delegate your application to governments as well.


37:50
Dive into that a little deeper, but highly recommend establishing Networking group to help you build your application.


37:56

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Other Resources." Text is offset in yellow over a light background. Decorative photograph of an urban residential street appears to the left. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen.]


Before we go to the Q&A and I'm moving quickly here, we did want to do a final shout out to some of our other materials.

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide listing some available resources, including the virtual community and HAP Micro-learning on CHMC/haf. Brief descriptions appear over a light background to the left. Decorative photograph of a young woman working on a computer appears to the right. Video image of the presenter and some participants appear to the right of the screen. "The National Housing Strategy" title appears over a yellow background in the upper right corner.]

There is a virtual community, the expert community on housing platform that shares ideas, can help you identify potential initiatives. So highly recommend joining that group, joining that conversation, learning from them, shout out to our other materials on the housing accelerator fund microlearning that's available on cmc.ca/HAF, a ton of content on there and we will be adding more. So as Cleo mentioned, we have our housing supply.


38:27
Growth target walkthrough, our micro learning module, we have our housing supply growth target calculator as well as coming soon developing out the half action plan initiatives and providing more examples. So thank you for your patience. Thank you for suggesting this a ton of information. I'll pass it over to Marcia who will take us into our Q&A.


38:47

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Questions and Answers." Title is offset in yellow over a light background. Decorative photograph of an urban residential street appears to the left. Video image of the Lucas Reinhardt, Cleo Corbett and the speaker, Marcia Jean-Baptiste, appears to the right of the screen.]


Wow, thank you so much Cleo and Lucas. That was a ton of information and great information. So we'll give you a minute to catch your breath, but really only for a minute as we just collect the questions I've come that have come through. We do have some time to get to believe all the ones that have come in, in the event that we do run out of time. Don't worry though, we will be posting the questions in the document on our website along with the recording of this presentation. So we'll just get to it now so we can just get started.


39:19
So our first question,

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

sorry Marcia Oht, yes, can can I just mention one thing I I forgot to put it in in the presentation and I know it was outstanding. We got a lot of questions from small communities and and kind of asking for advice around putting together a strong plan. And I know on on the list of participants I can see some of you who I know from small communities. I would just say that often small communities.


39:48
Have the ability to be a little bit more nimble and and uh can sometimes um implement things in in a really creative and more uh quick way sometimes than other bigger centres. So and and I also know that there are a lot of small communities that innovate in this space.


40:08
So just encourage you to put forward initiatives that you think will, uh, help create more supply and more diversity in your community. So, um, just just, yeah, wanting to, uh, put put that out there for those smaller municipalities. Sorry, Marcia, and thank you.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

No, it's OK That's great. Thanks, Cleo. OK. So our first question, could you speak to exactly how the minimum housing growth rate of 1.1% based on permitted units is calculated? Is it one per 11.1?


40:39
Percent growth over last three years, or year over year.

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

40:46
So the one point, uh, sorry, could you repeat that last part? Is it one point?

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

Yeah, is it, is it? Yeah. Is it 1.1% growth over the last three years or over or year over year?

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]


40:57
So it is year over year. At the end of the program, UH, there is an expectation that your growth will be at least the national average of 1.1% um. So at the end of the program that's where your and again we're talking about growth rate measure against permit count. So understanding that permits are arguably even easier to achieve than housing starts. So we would be looking to see that your annual permit growth rate is going to be at the 1.1% which is the national average.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

41:26
And maybe can I just add Lucas, so and it and it is over the life of the program. So we are looking for an average that exceeds 1.1. So you could say in your projections that you know things are a little bit tough right now. We're estimating .8 this year, but next year we're going we're anticipating 1.5 and in the third year 2% we would look at the average of those three years.


41:56
That needs to exceed that 1.1%.

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

42:01
That's a great point, Cleo. Like definitely when you're doing your projections in that other expected results column. Make clear your assumptions as well, because that context clear provided is exactly what we'd be looking for.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

42:13
Awesome, great. Thank you. Um, do we have a timeline on how we'll on when we'll notify notify successful applicants?


42:23
Considering you know this is 45 calendar day window for them to submit,

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

So we yes and it's dependent on when the portal will open. So we do have a a plan that by end of year we'll have those contribution agreements out the door to get started so that the program can get up and running this year. The exact timeline is still TBD as we are waiting for the portal to be completed. We are projecting that this will be done in early summer. So you can kind of expect.


42:52
That's, um, by fall type time frame, you would be hearing back from us about whether your application was successful.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

43:01
Great.


43:02
UH, the CMHC have a required historical time horizon for the baseline housing projection. Five years? 10 years.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

43:11
Other, Yeah, So, So we, we aren't person prescriptive in your methodology. So we've seen communities using the last three years, the last five years and some will look over a longer time frame. What we are looking for though is for you to be as accurate as possible. So you're going to give us a little bit of an explanation on your methodology. We're going to check that against census trends.


43:42
And and and really communities are using their best information that they have UM and then their best estimates uh to move forward with those growth projections.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]


43:56
Perfect. Would an initiative be eligible for both multi unit missing middle and multi unit transit oriented and affordable top ups or only one or the other?

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]


44:12
So we would be asking that you would connect your initiative back to the most relevant category. We do want to avoid double counting, um. The key piece is to take pay close attention if you're linking it to our multi unit in close proximity to transit. I believe Cleo, the close proximity is defined as 1.5 kilometers I believe. Is that correct?

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]


44:32
Yes, yes, that's correct.

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

Yeah. So you'll be wanting to pay close attention to those definitions and make sure that the units are in in that close to proximity 1.5. And then if if not, you would be looking to attach to another category, but we would be looking for you to identify only one to avoid that double count and select the one that you believe most relative most relevant for that initiative.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

44:56
And I will just add that, um that's the typology piece, but you can stack the affordability incentive on top of that. So and I'm I know I'm hand talking a lot today, but I feel like it helps people's understanding. So we've got a base per unit amount, then there are incentives for the unit typology and then on top of that is an affordability bonus if you will for affordable and non market housing.


45:26
Nothing.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

45:30
Great. I'm a hand talker too, Cleo, so don't worry about it. I'm just sitting on them right now. So uh, question #5, will we, will we be required to project incentive units for non supply initiatives or can that be left blank?

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

45:46
Great question. It it could be left blank. So for example, uh an E permitting platform that you're looking to procure the supply impact could be 0 and that's totally acceptable. Just not looking at our evaluation criteria, supply impact is one of the four that you'd be trying to connect to. If you're only if in say any permit example the number is 0 for supply, you would want to make sure that it has a strong systemic impact and what you know you wanna make you wanna communicate that to us in your evaluation to tell us the story of how this is changing.


46:17
Your local process, how it's improving local process, how in the long term it might contribute growth. So that would be the story you'd wanna tell, um is that, well it doesn't have an immediate supply impact within the Housing Accelerator Fund window. You wanna let us know, OK, maybe within five years or 10 years when our E permitting for example, is up and running, we would actually be processing permits faster. We'd be realizing additional permits in say five years. So in that systemic category you'd want to tell that story and in your initiative description as well to to to paint the picture but.


46:48
To summarize, yes it could be. The answer could be supply impact 0, but make sure you're picking up points in other areas if you can.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

46:57
Will this program be applicable to municipal districts and counties?

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

47:03
Great question. So uh, in terms of the Ontario context, that is an important distinction with our upper and lower tier structure. For context, I'm located in Ottawa and from Renfrew County. So in my hometown it would be the lower tiers that are eligible applicants. Generally speaking, in Ontario, it's the lower tiers that have responsibility over land use planning and the issuance of building permits. So generally speaking, the lower tiers would be the applicants. That's not to say that upper tiers can't support lower tiers in their applications.


47:34
Or that lower tiers couldn't choose to designate their application to their upper tier municipality. There will be a function in the portal to designate your application similar to our other programming does with intermediaries. If you do that, the upper tier can then apply through the portal on your behalf. And if upper tiers are supporting their lower tiers and doing this, it's important to note that the upper tier is must be applying for an individual lower tier. Their portfolio applications won't be allowed through the Housing Accelerator Fund as we need to do.


48:04
Apples to apples comparisons. So in developing out action plans, the upper tier would then be developing out individual action plans and submitting individual applications for each lower tier that has requested their support. That being said, lower tiers were encouraging you to reach out to your upper tiers for support and to Co create these applications. There's a ton of potential linkages and a lot of great support that can come from that. So I guess in summary, it's not required that lower tiers engage their upper tier, it's highly suggested.


48:35
And if there's capacity issues, or should they wish to, they can delegate their application to the upper tier.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

48:41
And maybe if I could just add some regional district context for British Columbia. So regional districts are absolutely able to apply, especially like where they're controlling land use and issuing building permits in say, electoral areas. So we invite those applications. Also, municipalities may look for support, much as Lucas talked about in Ontario, municipalities may look to their regional district.


49:12
For support UM we would just need to ensure that UM, uh those plans are worked out together and and that the application is kind of a joint application on the behalf of the municipality. And and I will just say I I saw some very specific questions on regional districts I think from Gerald in Columbia, Shuswap.


49:40
Let's touch base and we can get into more detail on those questions. Thanks

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

and it's a great point to clear if you have specific questions. I think the half section of our website also points you to the contact centre. If you reach out to the contact centre, they'll be able to connect you with answers on the very specific questions.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

50:01
Thank you. Um, next question. I see that a housing needs assessment is not required until the third reporting period. But if your application contains an HNA, then your application gets an extra five points. Does that mean that applications that contain a current HNA will score higher?

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

50:19
So that's correct. Um they they will get um some extra points in applying and and we want to ensure that these housing needs assessment stay current. So I requirement of the program is that housing needs assessments will be updated every five years. So depending on the date when you developed yours, you may need to update it within the life of the housing accelerator program. I will just say that.


50:49
That is the case for most of British Columbia based on the timelines of when people um created and and adopted their housing needs assessments. Anything to add there Lucas,

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

No, that's great. And that's the same case for Ontario as well. You'll see in our documentation that we were referring to a recent housing needs assessment. In terms of recency, I think it is defined in our material, but just in case it is not, we're looking for recent as being within since April.


51:20
2020, so within two years of the announcement date of April 7th, 2022. So yeah, in terms of the overall points that's being scored for having that recent housing needs assessment, as mentioned it is some minor points. So yes, you would be getting more, but it is minor in terms of the overall total of points. So almost viewed in least personally for me almost like a say a tie breaker in a very tight scenario.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

51:49
Hey, are there any suggestions on how to set the baseline projections for affordable housing?


[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

51:59
That I know that's tricky Um but uh hopefully uh if you do have a housing needs assessment, um potentially you know your percentage of non market housing stock within your community. Have you had significant projects over the last few years and if So what is the average percentage of non market affordable housing that you're creating? So again this is a bit of a look back in time.


52:30
On average, how much affordable housing are we creating annually? And then looking at with your initiatives and action plan, do you have some specific initiatives that are targeted at affordability and increasing affordability in your community and forecast an estimate what that increase would be in number of units annually created of affordable housing And yeah that's that's like a little bit of a.


53:00
Funding top up or that if you can look at an initiative that increases that affordability piece.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

53:11
Hey, thank you. Uh. Based on this presentation it appears that the application with drop down windows is in fact the action plan. Is this correct? Please clarify the difference between the two.

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

53:25
So the application, the initiative example you saw today, um the portal won't look exactly the same as this. Um, the IT will be very similar, but of course that this is just more of a mockup. Today. The fields that you're being asked to collect are the same, so you know the details. If you're looking for. What we'll be looking for are in the Pre Application Reference Guide and Appendix A.


53:50
In terms of the UH, UH, yeah, the portal itself though it will be a different approach and you're actually plan includes the initiative, the initiatives and all their milestones. Your housing growth projections, housing growth, supplied housing supply growth target and then how you're contributing to those other estimates around multi unit housing and proximity to transits multi unit housing missing middle and those other categories to break those down. So that as Cleo mentioned earlier in the presentation, there are those other elements that.


54:20
Are included in your application the action plan of which is the largest piece, the vast majority, some other details about your municipality, the applicant name, so on and so forth and other attachments. But yes, generally speaking, the action plan is the bulk of your application. Anything to add to that, Cleo, I think I captured that maybe.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

No, no, that's great. And I would say indeed and that I think that's part of why we're here today. Is that your action plan?


54:51
Indeed forms the largest part of information that we're looking for in the application.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

55:01
OK. We've got a couple more. I think we're actually going to make it. Let's see what happens if municipalities that are accepted into the half fail to meet their targets for new housing units during the three years.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

55:13
So um, this is I think why we're trying to focus on progress, Um. So and I'm going to hand talk again here. So you get 25% of your funding upon signing the funding agreement, so 25% at that point, then another 25% in both years one and years two that is based on your progress made toward implementation of your action plan.


55:45
Then it's only in the last year that last 25% that we will look at the number of units that were created through your action plan and incentives over the life of the program, the actual results of permitted units and that's what that last payment will be based on. We absolutely understand and appreciate that municipalities do not typically control development in the sense of of you.


56:15
You don't typically develop the housing, um, you need to depend on uh developers, industry and the market to do that. So that's why half is designed in such a way that the majority of your funding will be based on the things that you control your progress made towards your action plan.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

56:37
OK. And I think this next question, I think he just answered it, Cleo, but just wanted to make sure, um, about the funding, how is it attached to the examples that Lucas provided? Is it based on the estimate of units in the application or the actual number of units created after the fact I think?

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

56:53
Your funding amount will be in in the application, in an approved application will be based on your projections, your housing growth projections, with and without half, and that difference between your baseline and the half incented units. It will also be based on those different typologies and your anticipated affordability. So this really gets to we encourage you to be bold, we encourage you to be aggressive.


57:24
But we really encourage you to be realistic as well, um, because payment of the approved funding will be based on what you're achieving.

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

57:35
And to round that out as well, there is a category for that systemic change as well. So as you're putting that together, of course you're it's that kind of sweet science between those short to medium term things that are delivering the units for the program and the transformational pieces to help you pick up scoring in those other categories too. So yes, it's the action plan is definitely the bulk of the what you're applying for here.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]


57:59
OK, so I'm just looking at the time and I'm scrolling. There's still a few questions left. Um, as mentioned.


58:08
We can collect them for and put them in like we will collect them. We have them all written down here. Um, and put them in the Q&A. Uh.


58:17
Document that will be attached to the UM. I think it's gonna be in two places. I think you'll get it in your closing e-mail, like your thank you e-mail for coming and also on our website. Unfortunately, we will not be able to get to all of these questions that are left. As I was scrolling down, I'm like, oh, I said we were almost done, but we were not.

[Visual: PowerPoint transitions to a slide titled "Thank you." Title in yellow font over a dark background. Decorative photograph of a woman shaking hands with another person, not visible on screen, appears to the left. Video image of the Lucas Reinhardt, Cleo Corbett and the speaker, Marcia Jean-Baptiste, appears to the right of the screen. National Housing Strategy and CMHC logos and Canada wordmark appear on bottom of screen.]

But thank you to everyone for coming. Thank you so much. Thanks Cleo. And Lucas, as mentioned this presentation, the previous introductory presentation are going to be online a lot.


58:47
Along with a rotating list of frequently asked questions. So just keep checking our website and also check your emails so you'll be getting some more invitations and more notices once the portal does open. In your thank you e-mail, there is going to be a link to a survey. Please, please, please respond to the survey. We count on your responses to help us improve and also help us, you know, continue doing what we're doing fantastically. So on that, thanks again for your attention. Thanks for coming today. Enjoy the rest of your Wednesday.

[Speaker: Cleo Corbett – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]

59:19
Thank you so much everyone, and thanks, Marcia.

[Visual: PowerPoint closes. Video image of all three presenters fills screen. Icons of some webinar participants appear to the right.]

[Speaker: Lucas Reinhardt – Specialist, CMHC Municipal Relations Team.]


59:23
And a pleasure. Thank you.

[Speaker: Marcia Jean-Baptiste – Senior Account Representative, Outreach at CMHC.]

59:25
Bye, bye.

[End of presentation.]

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Date Published: March 17, 2023

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