The federal government said Feb. 23 it would spend another $80 million on housing across Canada’s North.
The main focus of the funding is to address supply chain barriers in Northern and remote communities, according to Ahmed Hussen, federal minister of housing.
“This (funding) will look for solutions to address how communities can overcome long distances to get supplies, the impact of a harsh climate, and short construction season (and) will examine how communities can adjust in the face of the high cost of materials and skilled labor,” he said during a virtual press conference.
The $80 million is part of a broader five-year, $300 million National Housing Challenge being administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).
The funding isn’t limited to governments; other groups can apply. The deadline for applications is June 23; shortlisted projects will get $250,000 to complete their application between September of this year and next, successful projects will be funded between Nov. 2023 and March 2025.
“Innovators can use this, construction developers, academics, material providers, regional housing corporations, municipalities, provincial and territorial governments, housing providers, NGOs, foundations, charities, they have all they all have access to this money,” said Hussen.
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“It is really about making sure that communities can access the necessary materials and resources to build, operate and maintain housing,” said Hussen. “It’s about contending with the logistics of long distances between supply hubs, shorter seasons to order and receive materials, and (contending) with infrastructure that limits the size and method of the delivery of the material. All of these are things that are meant to be addressed by this $80 million.”