Mr. Speaker. with regard to the Housing Accelerator Fund, or HAF, and the decision to not fund the city of Windsor, Ontario, Ontario’s application, Budget 2022 announced $4 billion in funding until 2026-27 to launch the HAF. The target is to permit an additional 100,000 net new housing units over the course of the three-year initiative.
The HAF provides funding to local governments to incentivize local initiatives that remove barriers to housing supply, accelerate the growth of supply, and support the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities, which are affordable, inclusive, equitable, and diverse.
On October 23, 2023, the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities issued a public statement on the HAF progress which confirmed that “we will be prioritizing consideration of the communities based on their relative level of ambition and policy choices and we will work to finalize agreements with the cities, towns, and rural communities who are willing to do the most to provide homes for their residents.”
With regards to part a) and b), more than 500 local governments across the country submitted applications for the HAF. Applicants will be informed of the outcome of their application in the coming weeks. As this review process is being finalized, no other municipalities have been declined under the HAF. Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation, or CMHC, is not permitted to make any specific Action Plan public without the applicant's consent or discuss applications that have been denied. For cities with successful applications, their Action Plans will be made public. As of right now, summaries of local action plans and initiatives funded through the Housing Accelerator Fund can be found on the CMHC website: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs/all-funding-programs/housing-accelerator-fund/housing-accelerator-fund-progress.
With regards to part c) and f), CMHC consulted stakeholders throughout 2022 when designing the HAF. These stakeholders include the Canadian Urban Institute, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, provinces and territories, Indigenous groups and various organizations involved in the delivery of housing, alongside a public call for ideas. The Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities tabled a report in the House of Commons with a list of recommendations on the design of the HAF, to which the Government of Canada tabled a detailed response. CMHC considered these recommendations in the development of the program and those that aligned with the program objectives were incorporated in the design. As with all Government of Canada budget submissions, a Gender-based Analysis Plus was provided, noting that this is a broad-based housing supply program intended to accelerate the planning, permitting and construction of all types of housing, including non-profit and below market rental.
With regards to part d), CMHC has nothing to report.
With regards to part e), approved applicants have the flexibility to use their incentive funding to support housing in their communities, which include investments in affordable housing, investments in housing-related infrastructure, and investments in community-related infrastructure that supports housing.