FCM president Taneen Rudyk issued the following statement on the launch of the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.
“Today, the Prime Minister announced the launch of the long-awaited federal Housing Accelerator Fund—an important sign of progress in the national effort to improve housing supply across the country.
“All orders of government, including municipalities, have a responsibility to address this challenge. With Canada’s population set to continue growing in the coming years, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) estimates that an additional 3.5 million new housing units are needed above the current trend if Canada is going to restore housing affordability by 2030. This is an ambitious target and a tight timeline—nobody better appreciates the need for urgency and collaboration than municipal leaders.
“FCM welcomes today's news. Our members have been steadfast in advocating for the Housing Accelerator Fund to be launched quickly to remove local barriers that block the creation of the right kind of housing supply and affordable housing. With the fund now launched, municipalities can prepare to leverage this support.
“A significant level of detail on the application process has been provided as part of this announcement. FCM must underscore the importance of an application process that is streamlined and accessible, with eligibility considerations that do not create barriers to the kind of transformative action Canada needs.”
“In this period, ahead of the formal intake process, FCM will continue to work with the federal government and CMHC to ensure the Housing Accelerator Fund is accessible to all local governments—in order to advance our shared goal of increasing the right supply of housing.”
The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) unites more than 2,100 local governments at the national level, representing more than 92 per cent of Canadians in every province and territory.
For more information: FCM Media Relations, (613) 907-6395, media@fcm.ca