Ottawa pledges $96 million to create affordable housing in southern Ontario

The federal government has committed more than $96 million to build and renovate affordable housing in southern Ontario, with just under $25 million earmarked for projects in Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Wellington Counties.

Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, made the announcement Thursday morning at 82 Wilson Avenue in Kitchener. That development will receive $2.4 million to build 48 homes for low-income residents on the waiting list for public housing in Waterloo Region.

Other cities receiving funding include Guelph, Brantford, Norfolk County, Woodstock, Stratford, Hanover, Orangeville and Owen Sound.

In total, the government wants to create 7,685 affordable homes.

“We’ve committed to 500 homes,” said Waterloo Regional Councillor Colleen James. “This helps with that, so this is huge for us. It’s huge for our master plan and the future, and making sure that people in this area have a place to call home.”

The hope is that this will enable people to get a home more quickly.

“There will be builders across the country who can get pre-approved, which also gives them visibility into future developments, which is important in terms of investing in equipment, hiring additional staff, and so forth,” Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic explained.

Some argue the money is just a fraction of what is needed to address the growing affordability crisis.

“I’m pleased that at least a quarter of the dollars announced today are for affordable housing in Waterloo Region, but it’s clearly not nearly enough,” said Mike Morrice, Green Party MP for Kitchener Centre. “With this funding, we’re going to build 314 new homes at a time when we have 8,000 people in Waterloo Region on the waiting list for affordable housing.”

The minister also addressed the problem of renovations.

“The funding is going to go there so that there are additional resources available to tenants in exactly the situation that you’ve outlined, whether it’s a renovation or an eviction of any kind,” she said. “It’s important that tenants have the opportunity to get the support that they need because it’s a difficult thing to navigate.”

Sudds did not explain how the funding would be used to help tenants.

“It creates a level of uncertainty that, quite frankly, is not fair to people who have lived in these homes for 20, 30 years or more,” Vrbanovic said.