Evidence of meeting #131 for Status of Women in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was living.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Thank you so much.
We'll now move on to Rachael Harder for her seven minutes.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Thank you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today.
My first set of questions are with regard to the national housing strategy that was just recently implemented. This is a 10-year program, or at least a 10-year rollout.
Mr. MacArthur, I'm wondering if you can comment on this. With a 10-year rollout on this program, when can we expect money to be rolling out the door and invested to make a difference in people's lives? What is that rollout going to look like?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I'll step back. In my opening remarks, I talked about budget 2016, and that was a several-billion-dollar investment that started money toward the most urgent and pressing matters. I talked about there being some 6,200 units; $200 million specifically for seniors was in there. We doubled the investments in affordable housing. There was $490 million for the renovation of existing social housing. That went for two years, until the end of March.
We began rolling out the national housing strategy. The first piece to roll out is the federal community housing initiative for those who were about to lose their ongoing subsidy in federal housing. They are able to maintain that, should they choose to continue. That's over two years, while we're designing a new, modern agreement for them; we'll make sure that 55,000 units are there. That started on April 1. On May 2, we opened the door for the national housing co-investment fund.
Conservative
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Yes, the federal community housing initiative, which is part of the national housing strategy, was announced in the most recent budget. I went from 2016, the front-end stuff, and now I'm in the federal community housing initiative, which started April 1, 2018, so the first year of that. I'll get the numbers, but over two years it will maintain 55,000 units with subsidies. The national housing co-investment fund started on May 2; the doors opened, and we've received some 200 applications. We will commit all the appropriation funding by the end of March. We're confident of that. I don't want to get ahead of announcements. It's rolling out now.
Four bilateral agreements have been announced with the provinces and territories, and we're confident we'll sign some more before the end of the fiscal year. That will coincide with the ending of the investment in affordable housing; the new partnership money will continue to flow.
We've started the investments. The innovation funding continues to flow, so money is flowing and it will flow over another nine years.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
How do you ensure that the money goes to the most vulnerable within the Canadian population?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
The way we've set up our application process, women and children are a priority. All things being equal, we will err on the side of going to a shelter. Our folks are out there on the ground, working with groups to try to bring in the projects. It's absolutely targeted at the most vulnerable folks.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Are women with children considered more vulnerable than single female seniors?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Can you help me understand what that scale would look like?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I'd have to get the detailed scale for you, but there's a prioritization. Vulnerable groups would include seniors, women and girls, and indigenous populations. They are considered vulnerable groups. Two projects being equal, we would err on the side of going with the more vulnerable, and we're out there trying to develop projects with the groups.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
There's a program in place that helps women over the age of 65 who live on a reserve to be able to make changes to their home so it better accommodates them as they grow older, including things like handrails, etc. This exists for indigenous women who are on reserve, but what about indigenous women who are not on reserve, and what about non-indigenous people who would also like to live in their home after the age of 65 and might benefit from that type of funding to be able to make those adaptations to their home? Is anything available for them?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
A number of years ago, through the partnerships with the provinces and territories, the renovation funding that CMHC had administered in the past was transferred to the provinces and territories. Provinces and territories may have—and, in many cases, do have—those adaptations.
In the national housing strategy, there's a requirement for us to improve accessibility by up to 20%. We look at projects—and it could be a portfolio, if somebody comes in with multiple buildings—to improve the accessibility to a minimum level of 20%.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Sorry, what does that mean, to improve accessibility by up to 20%?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
It means that 20% of the housing that's available is accessible, according to the Canadian standard.
Conservative
Rachael Thomas Conservative Lethbridge, AB
Sorry, they're accessible according to the Canadian standard...?
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Yes. We have a standard.
Conservative
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Conservative
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
There are—
Senior Vice-President, Assisted Housing, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
I'll get the exact standard and provide it. There is a standard.
In my speaking notes, I talked about universal design. Universal design is built so that, as the population ages, it's really easy to make those adaptations. That's a way of ensuring that it's there, but also, in our standard, if you're above 20%, we would favour that as well. We're targeting 20%.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Karen Vecchio
Excellent. Thank you very much.
We'll now move over to Irene Mathyssen.
Irene, you have seven minutes.
Irene Mathyssen London—Fanshawe, NDP
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Thank you very much for being here. I appreciate all of the expertise and what you do on a daily basis. I think that CMHC is a very important resource in terms of addressing housing needs. Over the years, I have come to know how significant its role is.
I have some questions with regard to the brief. On page 2, you talk about Porters Lake, Nova Scotia, and the investment in 13 new affordable housing units as an example. How does that match the need? In London, Ontario, we have an eight-year wait-list for accessible, affordable housing. The people who are waiting are among the most vulnerable. This example is encouraging, but how does it reflect what the need really is out there?