Premier Doug Ford is in Ottawa today to make a housing announcement.
Ford will be joined by Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Paul Calandra and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe to “provide an update on Ottawa’s progress towards its housing target,” according to a media release.
This is the second straight week Ford is in Ottawa for an announcement. Last week, the premier announced a new deal between the Ontario government and the city of Ottawa to provide $543 million in operating and capital funding to the city over 10 years.
CTVNewsOttawa.ca will broadcast Premier Ford’s remarks at 11:30 a.m.
The city of Ottawa reached 93 per cent of its housing target in 2023, qualifying for funding under Ontario’s Building Faster Fund. Statistics presented by the city last month show there were 10,313 housing starts in Ottawa last year.
The Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing set an annual housing target of 11,073 housing starts in Ottawa last year.
Ontario’s Building Faster Fund is a three year, $1.2 billion program to provide municipalities funding based on performance against the provincial housing targets. Municipalities that reach 80 per cent of their annual target each year will be eligible for funding based on their share of Ontario’s overall goal of 1.5 million new homes, according to the province.
Ottawa is also receiving $176.3 million in federal funding to help build new homes over the next 10 years. Council has confirmed 90 per cent of the funding will be allocated to building affordable housing projects by non-profit housing providers.
Funding for Kingston
The city of Kingston has received millions of dollars in new funding for exceeding its provincial housing target.
On Thursday, Ontario announced $3.2 million in funding for Kingston through the Building Faster Fund, after the city exceeded its 2023 housing target. There were 1,465 new housing units built in the city last year.