The City of St. John’s wasted little time beefing up its ambitions for housing since being called out by Ottawa two weeks ago.
CMHC announced a $4 billion housing program in March in an effort to speed up a fix for the crisis across the country.
In June, St. John’s submitted its application for almost $3 million to support the creation of 91 units. But with an estimated 60,000 more homes needed in this province by 2030, the feds said the city’s proposal was not ambitious enough.
Flash forward three months, and the city has approved a revised application seeking almost $20 million for nearly 500 units over three years.
The funds would be put toward initiatives meant to incentivize and support projects that would be led by private and non-profit housing development sectors.
Councillor Maggie Burton says the crisis is now front and centre for all to see.
(File photo.)
“There is an understanding in the public right now that the extent of the housing crisis and the impact that it has on individuals in our communities requires an ambitious response such as this plan would entail,” she said. “I think there is a broad understanding in the public that a lot of people don’t have access to safe, adequate, affordable options for their housing, across their lifetime, from birth to death really.”
The city’s revised application also includes setting up an online permit system within the next two and a half years, down from the originally proposed five years.
The feds had wanted that done within one year, which the city said was not feasible.
Mayor Danny Breen, meanwhile, says Ottawa and the province can help by unlocking more Crown land to build more units.
