Feds announce $80M for northern, remote housing projects

The federal government announced up to $80 million in funding on Wednesday for housing in northern and remote communities to help with supply chain costs.

Ahmed Hussen, the federal housing minister, said at a news conference on Wednesday the funding can be used for temporary, transitional, supportive and permanent housing solutions.

He said the funding will “break down supply chain barriers,” open the door to more innovative housing solutions, and make sure communities can access necessary resources and materials to build, operate and maintain housing.

“This housing will look for solutions to address how communities can overcome long distances to get supplies and the impact of a harsh climate and short construction season,” he said, highlighting unique challenges northern and remote communities can face.

“It’s about contending with the logistics of long distances between supply hubs, shorter seasons to order and receive materials, and with infrastructure that limits the size and method of the delivery of the materials.”

A variety of groups can apply for the available funding including Indigenous governments and organizations, for-profit and non-profit groups, supply chain professionals, post-secondary institutions, and territorial and municipal governments.

The money comes from the federal Housing Supply Challenge which seeks to find new solutions to affordable housing across Canada and help communities expand their housing supply.

The Housing Supply Challenge, which was introduced in the 2019 federal budget, will award a total of $300 million over five years to projects across Canada.

Wednesday’s announcement is the third of six rounds of funding for the program. The first and second rounds saw 43 projects receive up to $65 million collectively.