Housing Accelerator update, week 18
Agreements with Summerside, Surrey, and Guelph
The summary is now an interactive table created with Datawrapper. The initial order is roughly geographical (west to east) instead of chronological.
The table includes links to letters from Sean Fraser asking municipalities for specific policy changes, obtained by Ashwin through a Freedom of Information request.
Previously:
Federal plan: London, Calgary, GST on new rental housing
Housing Accelerator update, weeks 2-4: Halifax, Mississauga, Vaughan
Week 5: Hamilton, Mississauga, Halifax, Metro Vancouver
Week 6: Quebec, Kitchener, Guelph, Burlington, Ajax, Mississauga
Week 7: Mississauga, Brampton, Ajax, Moncton, Richmond Hill, Kelowna, Metro Vancouver, Edmonton
Week 8: Metro Vancouver, Waterloo, Charlottetown, Winnipeg
Week 9: Kitchener, Quebec
Week 10: Calgary, Winnipeg, Moncton
Week 11: Regina, Saskatoon, Winnipeg
Week 12: Richmond Hill, Toronto, Oakville
Week 14: Windsor, Toronto, Vancouver
Week 15: agreements with Mississauga, Burnaby, Winnipeg, and Toronto
Week 17: agreement with Iqaluit
Summerside, PEI
Summerside is the second-largest city on Prince Edward Island (and the main service centre for the western part of the island), with a population of about 15,000.
The federal government and City of Summerside have reached an agreement that will provide the city with $5.8 million from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund to fast track 132 housing units in the next three years.
The funding is part of a longer-term plan for 725 housing units over the next decade.
$5.8M would build 12 homes at $500K each, so 132 additional homes is 12X as many, and 725 homes is 60X as many.
Under the agreement, Summerside will allow four units by right.
Surrey, BC
Surrey is one of the fastest-growing municipalities in Metro Vancouver, typically outpacing the city of Vancouver.
The Government of Canada has reached an agreement with the City of Surrey that would see British Columbia's second-largest municipality receive $95M through the Housing Accelerator Fund, the federal government announced on Wednesday.
The funding is expected to fast track 2,800 housing units over the next three years and spur the construction of more than 16,500 homes over the next decade.
$95M would build about 200 homes at $500K each, so 2800 additional homes is about 14X as many, and 16500 homes is about 80X as many.
It sounds like the federal government said yes because of the BC government’s housing policies, which municipalities are expected to implement by June 2024. Howard Chai quotes the press release:
"The funding will support zoning by-law amendments to allow higher density, multi-unit, and missing middle forms of housing. It will support incentive programs promoting high density development near rapid transit and affordable housing as well as policy changes to expedite development of below market housing."
Both actions appear to be referencing new legislation introduced by the Province in recent months — the small-scale multi-unit housing legislation and the transit-oriented development legislation.
Guelph, ON
Guelph is building more housing!
We’re partnering with them to add 750 new homes in the next 3 years, and 9,450 in the next 10. This will help to ensure that as Guelph grows, students, young people, families, and seniors can find affordable places to live.
The funding amount is $21.4M, which would only build 43 homes at $500K each.
The PMO press release says:
Guelph will permit the building of multiplexes higher than four storeys and will allow more than four units per residential lot.
I’m curious whether this is actually what the agreement says, or if this is just a mistake - Guelph city council voted on October 17 to move forward with four units per lot, not more than four units.
Ken Hashizume, Global News, notes that Ontario has set a target for Guelph of 18,000 homes by 2031.