The Honourable Consiglio Di Nino, Senator for Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Dr. Helena Jaczek, Member of Provincial Parliament for Oak Ridges – Markham, on behalf of Jim Bradley, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Bill Fisch, York Region Chairman and CEO, along with Margaret Black, Mayor, Township of King, made the announcement.

“Through the second year of Canada’s Economic Action Plan, the Government of Canada remains committed to helping seniors in Ontario and throughout the country during these tough economic times,” said Senator Di Nino. “Projects like this one are providing safe, affordable housing to many residents in this community while creating jobs and stimulating our economy.”

“The McGuinty government is committed to meeting the housing needs of the people in our communities that need it the most,” said MPP Dr. Helena Jaczek. “This 39 unit expansion will improve the lives of the seniors living in Kingview Court, it will generate new jobs and it will also support local businesses in King City.”

“Through the expansion of Kingview Court, York Region will continue to fulfil the goal of providing housing services that benefit our residents,” said York Region Chairman and CEO Bill Fisch. “The upgrades to the building will meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, maintaining York Region’s plan to build caring and safe communities for our residents and growing for a sustainable future.”

“By building on existing resources at Kingview Court in the Township of King, more residents will be able to live in and enjoy their community longer,” said Township of King Mayor Margaret Black. “This exciting development not only will create greater access to affordable housing, it will provide an opportunity to improve current units through renovations, upgrades and the installation of an elevator for increased accessibility.”

The 39 unit expansion project at 90 Dew Street received $4.7 million in funding. The federal and provincial funding is complemented by $2.9 million in municipal financial incentives.

The Government of Canada wants to ensure that Canadians on fixed incomes can live with independence and dignity and remain in their communities, close to family and friends. Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides $400 million, over two years, to build new rental housing for low-income seniors. Overall, the Economic Action Plan includes $2 billion for new and existing social housing, plus up to $2 billion in loans to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure. Canada’s Economic Action Plan builds on the Government of Canada’s commitment in 2008 of more than $1.9 billion, over five years, to improve and build new affordable housing and help the homeless.

In 2009, Ontario allocated a combined federal and provincial investment of $704 million for the renovation of social housing, and $540 million for the creation of new affordable housing. This investment is part of the Open Ontario plan, and will generate an estimated 23,000 jobs over the course of the program, while strengthening local economies across the province. To date, Ontario has approved more than $465 million for construction-ready projects, which will provide affordable housing for low-income families, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities, and $351.9 million for repairs benefiting some 148,000 social housing units. To find out more about affordable housing in Ontario, visit www.ontario.ca/housing.

Joe Preston, Member of Parliament for Elgin – Middlesex – London, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Steve Peters, Member of Provincial Parliament for Elgin – Middlesex – London, along with Acting Mayor Tom Johnston, on behalf of St. Thomas Mayor Cliff Barwick made the announcement.

“Locally, this achievement gives a hand-up to individuals and families who need safe, affordable housing that meets their needs,” said MP Preston. “Our government is investing in this project to get the economy moving, creating immediate jobs and economic stimulus for the community.”

“These new homes are changing the lives of dozen families in St. Thomas,” said MPP Peters. “By building more affordable rental units, we are ensuring people in need have a safe place to call their own.”

“There continues to be a great demand for affordable housing in our community. With the co-operation of the Federal and Provincial governments we can see these needs being met,” said Mayor Cliff Barwick. “These buildings are assets for our community, and we appreciate the investment by Walter Ostojic and Sons and Collier Homes Inc., in developing additional housing units.”

Today’s grand opening ceremonies recognized two affordable housing projects funded through the two-year extension of the Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program:

* Funding of $444,000 for a six-unit affordable housing project for low-income households at 5 Park Avenue.
* Funding of $480,000 for a six-unit affordable housing project for low-income households at 89½ Fairview Avenue.

The federal and provincial funding for both projects is complemented by more than $179,000 in municipal financial incentives.

The Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement comprises a commitment of $301 million from each of the two senior levels of government. In total, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will invest at least $734 million in the program, which will provide affordable housing for up to 20,000 households in Ontario.

In 2008, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless. Canada’s Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing and up to another $2 billion in loans municipalities for housing-related infrastructure. Combined for Ontario, this means a further $1.2 billion joint investment under the amended Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement. The federal and provincial governments are contributing equally to this overall investment.

Moishe Alexander presents YouTube video on St. Thomas

The announcement was made by Gary Schellenberger, Member of Parliament for Perth – Wellington, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

“Our Government understands the importance of infrastructure in maintaining strong and prosperous communities,” said MP Schellenberger. “This program is opening the door for municipalities to meet their housing-related infrastructure needs. Canada’s Economic Action Plan will continue to create jobs and stimulate the local economy here in Minto, and in all corners of the country.”

Moishe Alexander comments that the approval for this loan for Minto to upgrade treatment systems is essential. Canadian Funding Corp is very happy to report on this. Mr. Alexander is studying the increased capacity which will aid Minto citizens.

The Town of Minto has been approved for more than $2.3 million in a low-cost loan from CMHC’s Municipal Infrastructure Lending Program (MILP), to upgrade its wastewater treatment systems. These funds will increase the capacity of the collection system and reduce the risk of sewer backups for residents of Minto.

Canada’s Economic Action Plan provides up to $2 billion in direct low-cost loans to municipalities, over two years, for housing-related infrastructure projects through the MILP. Municipal infrastructure loans are available to any municipality in Canada and provide a new source of funds for municipalities to invest in housing-related infrastructure projects. These low cost loans can also be used by municipalities to fund their contribution for cost-shared federal infrastructure programming.

“The Town of Minto greatly appreciates the funds made available through CMHC’s Municipal Infrastructure Lending Program,” said Mayor David Anderson. “The funds made available through this program allows the Town of Minto to better prepare for future growth and prosperity.”

Eligible projects include infrastructure related to housing services such as water, power generation and waste services, as well as local transportation infrastructure within and into residential areas, such as roads, sidewalks, lighting and green space.

Minto video – Moishe Alexander

As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant and healthy communities and cities across the country.

Moishe Alexander points to Bob Dugan’s remarks. “Housing starts decreased in both the singles and the multiples segments in May,” said Bob Dugan, Chief Economist at CMHC’s Market Analysis Centre. “The decrease in housing starts in May is consistent with our forecast that housing starts for 2010 will reach 182,000 units.”

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts decreased by 9.5 per cent to 165,200 units in May. Urban multiple starts decreased by 5.6 per cent to 92,800 units, while single urban starts decreased by 14.1 per cent to 72,400 units.

May’s seasonally adjusted annual rate of urban starts decreased 21.8 per cent in the Prairie region, 13 per cent in Quebec, 12.9 per cent in British Columbia, and 2.7 per cent in Ontario. Urban starts increased 23.3 per cent in Atlantic Canada.

Rural starts2 were estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 23,900 units in May.

As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of high quality, environmentally sustainable and affordable homes. CMHC also provides reliable, impartial and up-to-date housing market reports, analysis and knowledge to support and assist consumers and the housing industry in making vital decisions.

According to a CMHC report, Canadian Funding Corporation says that the Government of Canada announced an investment of $3.7 million, as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan (CEAP), to improve housing conditions for the Piikani Nation community.

Ted Menzies, MP for Macleod and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and the Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development and Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians, made the announcement along with members of the Piikani Nation community.

“Our Government recognizes that social housing on-reserve is getting older and a significant number of projects are in need of repairs and upgrading” said MP Menzies. “Through Canada’s Economic Action Plan, we are helping alleviate some of the pressing needs of members who live in the Piikani Nation community and we are also stimulating the local economy by creating jobs.”

Through CEAP, the Government of Canada has committed $400 million over the next two years to help First Nation communities build needed new housing, repair and remediate existing non-profit housing for their members, and complement housing programs offered by CMHC and Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC). This investment will also provide an economic stimulus for many First Nations and surrounding areas by creating jobs.

The application calls for the new funding initiatives under CEAP were very successful and generated a large number of applications. As a result, both CMHC and INAC will be able to allocate the full $200 million available this year.

Of the funding announced today, CMHC will allocate more than $853,000 to retrofit 41 social housing units and INAC will allocate $2.9 million over a two-year period towards various housing initiatives, such as renovations and conversion to market based housing, for the Piikani Nation.

Additionally, other federal funding sources are being leveraged to assist the Piikani Nation in skills development for the overall maintenance of its housing program.

Through the CEAP, some $50 million in federal investments will be made available to First Nations in Alberta to address immediate housing needs and assist the transition to market-based housing.

“The Government is actively working with First Nations towards increasing the supply of safe and affordable housing,” said the Honorable Chuck Strahl. “Not only will these investments in housing directly affect the recipients, they will also serve as an economic stimulus for many First Nations and rural areas by generating employment, developing skilled trades and fostering small businesses.”

“CEAP has been instrumental in assisting the Piikani Nation establish long-term and sustainable working relationships with professional contractors and suppliers, train and employ up to 35 Piikani Nation members, kick-start our market housing strategy and most importantly improve our living conditions,” said Piikani Nation Chief Reg Crowshoe.

http://businessexchangeblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/leased-heating-equipment-chattel-or.html

reviewed by Alexander Moishe, CEO of  canadian funding corp

The Re/Max Eastern Realty Inc. vice-president said when he bought his first house in 1972 his mortgage rate was 12%.

In 1980 mortgage rates topped around 21%. Earlier this week, Re/Max, which also has mortgages, was offering a 4.19% five-year fixed rate – the most common mortgage arrangement according to industry officials. “I’ve never seen a mortgage at these rates,”

Hope said. The time is right to buy a new home, he said. “They’re never going to be as affordable as they are now.” Local realtors and builders say the market slump has lifted and housing sales are rebounding because of unusually low mortgage rates.

May sales are almost on par with May 2008, which realtors said was a good year. “June is going like a rocket. But we’re playing a catch up game,” said Carl Oake, broker and owner of Century 21 Unity Realty Inc. Brokerage. His sales were down 75% from November to February. “But we’ll probably close that gap off by August and September,”

because of a rebound in the market, Oake said. Hope also said his sales have rebounded. Traditionally, it’s a busy time of year for home sales, Hope said. But he also believes there are a lot of first time buyers, and people looking to upsize, taking advantage of low mortgage rates. Re/Max mortgage agent Dave Griffin said six months ago Re/Max’s five-year fixed rate was 5.79%.

As of yesterday it was 4.39%, up from 4.19% on Thursday. On Wednesday it was 3.99% and 3.79% a few weeks ago, he said. A $250,000 home, with a 25- year mortgagee and 5% down, at 5.79% would cost $1,531 a month, Griffin said. At 4.19%, payments would be $1,308.91 a month.

At 3.99%, payments would be $1,282.33 a month. While the rate increased between Wednesday and Tuesday it’s “still a great rate,” Griffin said. He also said he thinks it will come down again. “I think now is the time is to lock in and take advantage of these low rates,” he said. “You see how quickly the rates changed.”

Earlier in the week, TD Canada Trust and RBC were both offering 4.15% five-year fixed rates. Yesterday those banks were offering 4.55%. BMO, CIBC and Scotiabank had a 5.85% rate posted online. When Bank of Canada interest rates go up, mortgages cost more.

Builders are also taking advantage of the low mortgage rates by boosting incentive packages, said Bill Turner Jr. with Triple T holdings, which specializes in building custom condominiums. Typically builders offer incentives but “not to the level that we’re talking about,” to help clear inventory, Turner said.

A typical incentive package could be about $5,000 worth of items, such as a new fridge, but Turner said he’s seen packages worth $16,000 including such things as hardwood floors and appliances. “Maybe where (builders) have been thinking we’d wait an extra year to two years to do something now is the time to make some serious financial gains by doing it,” he said.

“All the buyers that are sitting in the wings who might have been interested in upsizing their family home all of a sudden mortgage rates have dropped so much that they can actually afford to purchase a home that might be worth another $50,000 more than what their budget would have been a year ago.”

Paul Dietrich, vice-president of the Ontario Home Builders’ Association and president of the Peterborough and the Kawartha Home Builders’ Association, also credited mortgage rates and “good value” for homes. “It’s probably a very short window that this combination will be there for,” he said.

Several builders and realtors The Examiner spoke with said some of the market rebound could also be buyers trying to beat the harmonized sales tax (HST), which comes into effect in July 1, 2010. The HST only applies to sales of new homes. Right now only GST applies.

The province is creating a rebate to reduce the tax burden on new homes purchased for as much as $500,000. The rebate would be six per cent of the purchase price for homes purchased for less than $400,000, before taxes.

The rebate would be gradually reduced for homes priced between $400,000 and $500,000. For example, currently a $250,000 new home plus GST would cost $262,500. Once HST comes into effect and accounting for the rebate, a $250,000 home would cost $265,550.

Buyers of resale homes don’t pay PST and GST but the harmonized sales tax would increase the tax on services associated with buying a resale home, such as the mortgage insurance premium, legal fees, home inspections and the real estate agent commission, Barbara Criegern, president of the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Association of Realtors Inc., toldThe Examiner in March when Mortgage Calculator was released.

Criegern couldn’t be reached for comment this week but in a release, she said the recent activity is good news, but buyers and sellers shouldn’t assume the market has returned to pre-recession levels. “Our region is still suffering from many job losses but financial markets are slowly recovering.

Consumer confidence is returning. Many well-priced homes are attracting multiple offers. We expect this seasonal increase to continue well into the summer months to compensate for the slow start.”

http://www.americanpoems.com/members/alisashuang/housing-sales-are-rebounding-because-of-low-mortgage-rates/

reviewed by Moishe Alexander, CFC  canadian funding corp CEO

According to statistics released by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), actual (not seasonally adjusted) home sales, via the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS®) of Canadian real estate boards, totaled 147,351 units in the second quarter of 2009 – the fourth strongest quarterly sales figure ever. Up 1.4 per cent from the second quarter of 2008, this marks the first year-over-year increase in quarterly activity since the fourth quarter of 2007.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, national MLS® home sales numbered 114,173 units in the second quarter, jumping up a record 31.5 per cent from the first quarter of 2009.

“Potential buyers who moved to the sidelines late last year when economic uncertainty peaked are returning to the housing market now that the worst of the recession may be behind us,” said Dale Ripplinger, President of The Canadian Real Estate Association.

Seasonally adjusted resale activity in the second quarter was up from the previous quarter in about 85 per cent of local markets. Quarterly activity increases in Toronto (45 per cent), Vancouver (77 per cent), Montreal (33 per cent), Calgary (66 per cent) and Edmonton (39 per cent) contributed most to the national increase in activity.

Strong upward momentum for monthly sales activity was sustained throughout the second quarter. June marked the fifth consecutive month in which activity was up from month-ago levels. Some 41,304 homes traded hands via the MLS® of real estate boards in Canada on a seasonally adjusted basis in June 2009. This is up 8.7 per cent from May and represents the first time since January 2008 that monthly activity topped 40,000 units.

Actual (not seasonally adjusted) MLS® home sales climbed 17.9 per cent year-over-year to 54,616 units in June 2009. This is on par with the record for the month of June set in 2007 and is the fourth highest level for activity in any month on record.

The national MLS® residential average sale price reached the highest quarterly level ever in the second quarter of 2009. At $318,696, the average sale price was up half a percent from the previous record set in the second quarter of 2008.

The national average home price also scaled new heights on a monthly basis, climbing 3.6 per cent year-overyear to $326,613 in June 2009. However, only 13 local markets posted new average price records in June, less than a handful of which are among the most active or expensive. The strong rebound in sales activity, not price, in Canada’s most expensive markets is skewing average prices upward nationally and in some provinces, just as a sharp decline in activity in these markets skewed the average lower in late 2008.

MLS® home sales rebound in the second quarter. The price trend is similar but less dramatic for the weighted national MLS® average price, which compensates for changes in provincial sales activity by taking into account provincial proportions of privately owned housing stock. The weighted national MLS® average sale price was up 1.7 per cent year-over-year in June 2009 – less than half of the percentage increase in the unweighted national average price.

The supply of homes coming onto the MLS® market continued retreating in second quarter. Seasonally adjusted MLS® residential new listings were down 16.9 per cent from the previous quarter to 197,049 units, the lowest level since the fourth quarter of 2005.

Nationally, the number of months of inventory was 4.2 months in June 2009. This is the lowest level since August 2007, and well down from the recessionary peak of 12.8 months in January 2009. The number of months of inventory is the number of months it would take to sell current inventories at the current rate of sales activity.

The residential dollar volume for MLS® sales jumped 40.6 per cent on a seasonally adjusted quarter-over-quarter basis in the second quarter of 2009, to reach $34.8 billion.

“Low interest rates have improved the affordability of homeownership, as have price adjustments in housing markets that previously experienced rapid price increases,” said CREA Chief Economist Gregory Klump. “Housing markets where negotiations recently favoured the buyer have become more balanced and the stage is being set for modest price appreciation as inventories are drawn down by sales.”

“Sales momentum remains strong going into the second half of 2009,” said CREA President Dale Ripplinger. “Chances are good that the number of transactions in the second half of 2009 will surpass levels in the first half of the year.”

http://www.myseatosky.com/blog/?p=231

reviewed by Moishe Alexande, CFC canadian funding corp CEO

Canadian Funding Corp points to here – what is hopefully one of the last of a once-robust breed – The Apocalyptic Canadian Housing Market Story:

Judging by the latest real estate data, the Canadian housing market could scarcely be better. Average home prices are up more than 16 per cent this year, and in May they hit an all-time monthly high, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association. By those numbers, Canada didn’t just sidestep the housing market crash that continues to plague the United States, it sailed right through it virtually unscathed. And yet, there are plenty of signs that the Canadian housing market is still sitting on some very shaky ground—and even the potential that Canada’s big housing crash is yet to come.

Yadda yadda yadda.

We all know that the proximate cause of the US recession was the bursting of its housing market bubble: it blew up banks, laid waste to personal balance sheets, and left millions of people stuck in homes whose mortgages were more than their market value.

And then Canada went into recession. Unfortunately, this set up the following error of logic that was repeated in all-too-many Canadian newsrooms:

1. The US is in recession because its housing market blew up.
2. Canada is in recession.
3. Therefore, Canada’s housing market must be blowing up as well.

And so it was the fate of any number of hapless Canadian journalists to be given assignments to bash out pieces that fit this narrative. But these exercises were all doomed to failure. The decline in house prices in Canada is a symptom of the recession, not its cause.

Let’s look at how house prices have behaved since 2003:

US house prices have fallen almost 40% (all changes are expressed in per cent log terms: 100 times the difference in the logs), while Canadian house prices are still within 10% of their peak. There are any number of lazy analysts who have swallowed the faulty syllogism enumerated above and have concluded that ‘Canada is following the US with a lag’. This only makes sense if you think that Canadian house prices rose for the same reasons that US prices rose, and that they have fallen for the same reasons that US prices have fallen. This is not the case. As has been documented at great length here and elsewhere, the Canadian economy has avoided the worst of the bubble and its consequences for the following reasons (among others):

1. We never had restrictions on interstate banking, so Canadian banks spread their assets and liabilities across Canada. (So it doesn’t matter if a local housing market goes bust).
   
2. We don’t have Glass-Steagal. The investment banks joined the retail banks some years ago.
   
3. We don’t have mortgage interest deductibility from taxes. So paying down your mortgage is a tax-free investment. So most people want to pay down their mortgages.
   
4. (Except in Alberta), mortgages are fully recourse. You can’t just walk away from a negative equity home and hand the keys to the bank; the bank will come after you for the difference.
   

Yes, house prices have fallen. But the linkages that make the US story so compelling don’t exist here. We don’t have banks that are blowing up. We don’t have massive waves of foreclosures (even the Globe and Mail has given up on its series of articles that culminated in this silliness). Nor do we have much in the way of evidence that lower house prices are causing undue inconvenience to Canadians: when Maclean’s decided to jump on the OMGWTFBBQ housing market bandwagon, the best it could could come up with in the way of a victim was some flipper of 7-figure Vancouver condos who got caught mid-flip. Boo-hoo-freaking-hoo.

Moreover, it’s becoming pretty clear that the decline in house prices is not so much a national story as it is one of falling house prices in Vancouver, Calgary and Toronto:

Vancouver is and always will be a special case whenever we talk about housing prices in Canada: its geography makes it extremely difficult for developers to respond to increases in demand. This is the sort of environment in which bubbles flourish so I’m not going to pretend that I can predict movements in Vancouver house prices. In Calgary, the incipient recovery in the oil sector will no doubt establish a floor on housing prices there fairly soon. And there’s even not-entirely-bad news out of Toronto these days. So I don’t see just how the national index is supposed to fall by another 30% or so.

It’s worth following the housing market numbers. But they are going to be at best a coincident indicator in this cycle.

http://worthwhile.typepad.com/worthwhile_canadian_initi/2009/06/the-housing-market-the-nonstory-of-the-canadian-recession-.html

reported by Moishe Alexander, CFC CEO

“The Government of Canada recognizes that streamlining approvals enables housing projects to avoid costly delays,” said Minister Finley. “By reducing red-tape and eliminating hurdles in planning and building regulations, these ACT grants will result in changes that will make housing more affordable and provide more housing options for Canadians.”

Operating since 1990, ACT provides grants up to $5,000, to local teams made up of municipalities, builders and housing stakeholders who promote the improvement of planning and building regulations in their communities to lower the cost of housing. ACT also offers a wealth of proven best practices and lessons learned so that communities can benefit from the innovations of others.

ACT is funded by CMHC and administered and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM), with the participation of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA) and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA).

“ACT enables municipalities, home builders and housing groups to work together on regulatory reforms that support innovation. This results in tangible actions that improve housing affordability and choice,” stated FCM President Basil Stewart.

“Non-profit housing groups can benefit from the experiences of ACT project teams in addressing housing needs in their communities,” added CHRA President David Eddy.

“ACT grants support solutions that the home building industry and municipalities across Canada can use to expand housing affordability and choice, such as secondary suites.” said CHBA President Gary Friend. “ACT shares these regulatory reform solutions across the country so that others can benefit from them.”

As Canada’s national housing agency, CMHC draws on more than 60 years of experience to help Canadians access a variety of quality, environmentally sustainable, and affordable homes — homes that will continue to create vibrant, healthy communities and cities across the country.

For further information please contact:

Michelle Bakos
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
Tel.: 819-994-2482

Kristen Scheel,
Senior Media Relations Officer
CMHC-SCHL
Tel.: 613-748-2799

ACT Grant Recipients — June 2009

Affordable Housing Now — Designing Secondary Suites: Safe N’Sound Residence, Owen Sound, Ontario
A $5,000 grant to host an information booth showcasing design options for secondary suites at a local Home Expo, followed by a seminar-style workshop specifically geared to help interested homeowners move forward with secondary-suite construction projects.

Flexible Housing Suites in Affordable Townhouses: City of Abbotsford, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to host two workshops where municipalities with recent experience and communities with an interest in promoting flexible housing will be invited to attend. The City of Abbotsford is partnering with CMHC and Habitat for Humanity to build a flexible housing pilot project consisting of 12 to 14 townhouses, six of which would be designed and built with a secondary suite. This pilot project will look at the feasibility of more widely permitting secondary suites in townhouse units and at relaxing parking requirements. It will also introduce agreements to protect both the use and long-term affordability of the housing units.

Secondary Suites — Public Education Program: City of Victoria, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to offer a one-day open house at City Hall where residents can bring in their plans for secondary suites and be briefed on the regulatory process. It is intended that one-on-one discussions will provide greater clarity on what it takes to create secondary suites. The ACT grant will be used to plan and promote the open house, to communicate the regulatory changes and the financial incentive program to residents.

Workshop on Sustainable Communities and Housing: Town of Calmar, Alberta
A $5,000 grant to host a two-day workshop on affordable housing and community revitalization to discuss new ideas and rethink current policies and bylaws to develop more sustainably, and create more affordable housing.

Secondary Suites as an Affordable Housing Option: City of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
A $5,000 grant to amend the zoning bylaw to allow secondary suites in all neighbourhoods of Prince Albert. The grant will be used to hold public consultation meetings on rezoning to permit secondary suites. It will also be used to do a city-wide education campaign to promote the value of secondary suites and inform residents of the building and fire requirements.

Water on the Ground: Water Efficiency Planning Workshop: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance, University of Victoria, B.C.
A $4,860 grant to develop and deliver a workshop for municipal staff to discuss water conservation planning and the regulatory barriers the building industry faces in implementing water efficiency technologies, including development charges and permit processes. Removing these barriers will potentially defer or avoid increased water infrastructure capital costs and reduce housing costs.

Legalizing Secondary Suites: City of Dawson Creek, B.C.
A $4,900 grant to hold a workshop with developers and community organizations to explore different regulatory options for enhancing affordability through legalization of basement suites and/or laneway housing. The project also aims to develop a secondary-suite bylaw that would be tailored to Dawson Creek.

Development Information Manual: City of Temiskaming Shores, Ontario
A $5,000 grant to prepare a Development Manual consolidating development application requirements and user-friendly guides for development within the City of Temiskaming Shores. This project will streamline the development application process within the City.

Kaslo and Area Affordable Housing Strategy: North Kootenay Lake Community Services Society, Kaslo, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to hold a workshop and a forum to explore options for creating policies to increase the affordable housing stock in Kaslo where the demand for vacation homes inflates housing prices and reduces housing availability for year-long residents. The project will look at how village-owned property can be utilized to improve housing affordability and availability.

Downtown Revitalization: Georgian Triangle Housing Resource Centre, Collingwood, Ontario
A $5,000 grant to hold a series of three workshops to encourage the creation of affordable rental housing in the unused space above commercial units within the downtown core of Collingwood. The project will examine the implications of the restrictive zoning bylaw regarding residential use above commercial space and solutions to regulatory barriers.

Sustainable Community Design for Subdivisions: Association of Municipal Administrators of New Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B.
A $5,000 grant to make on-line training modules available on conservation subdivision design. This project will expand audience outreach and help promote the implementation of conservation design where development is clustered in 50 per cent of the buildable area, protecting open space and reducing infrastructure and housing costs.

Capturing Condo Units for Affordable Housing: Kehilla Residential Program, Toronto, Ontario
A $5,000 grant to document, hold a workshop and present a recommendation for regulatory reform using the success of a project in Toronto. In this project, a developer received permission for extra density by transferring four condo units to a non-profit corporation, which will retain ownership of the units and keep the rents affordable in perpetuity.

Cortes Housing Initiative: Friends of Cortes Island, Cortes Island, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to hold a community workshop to look at changing the zoning to allow multi-family dwellings, cluster housing and land trusts. The changes aim to help over 30 families and 15 individuals who have housing during the winter months of September through May, but are camping from June to August when summer cottage owners return to the island.

Housing in Accessible Communities: SPARC BC Society, Burnaby, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to host a workshop for municipal staff and elected officials to provide a set of tools to build more accessible and inclusive communities. The workshop will present model bylaws, policy position and standards of adaptability and of universal design that municipalities can adopt to provide a regulatory framework to support accessible communities.

Farm Worker Housing Policy Review: Community Council, Victoria, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to undertake a review of farm worker housing policies and draft recommendations for the establishment of clear criteria to evaluate proposals for farm worker housing. The project aims to expand affordable housing choice for farm workers in the District of Central Saanich.

Development Services Workshop for Industry: Greater Vancouver Home Builders’ Association, Vancouver, B.C.
A $4,450 grant to host a forum on municipal planning processes and procedures to improve the working relationship between the residential construction industry and municipal staff. The goal is to have faster project approvals and subsequent project cost-savings for the consumer.

Renovation and Redevelopment: Get Ready Homeowners: City of Vancouver, B.C.
A $5,000 grant to hold two day-long information workshops aimed at homeowners who are planning a renovation or redevelopment. The workshops will focus on new land-use options emerging as part of the City’s EcoDensity strategy, such as laneway rental housing and use of basements for housing.

Backgrounder

Affordability and Choice Today (ACT)

Regulatory reform is a major concern to home builders and non-profit organizations looking for new ways to make housing more affordable. Municipalities also want to modify their regulations and update their procedures to make service delivery more efficient, while enhancing their community’s quality of life.

The Affordability and Choice Today (ACT) Initiative was created in 1990 to address these issues by funding and promoting practical solutions at the local level that overcome planning and building regulatory barriers to the development of affordable housing. ACT has documented these ideas in case studies and information sheets that can be downloaded from ACT’s website. This information is promoted at workshops, conferences and other events.

ACT provides grants of up to $5,000 to local teams made up of municipalities, private and non-profit home builders and other housing stakeholders. These teams use the grants to promote or initiate regulatory reform in their communities, aimed at increasing housing affordability and offering housing options that meet the community’s needs. Eligible projects must include a specific activity or product, such as a stakeholder consultation, survey, background research, workshop, open house or promotional material.

The initiative is funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and administered and delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with the participation of the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association (CHRA).

Grant applications are selected by ACT’s National Management Committee, which represents the four partners. Applications can be submitted at any time.

With 158 projects complete, ACT has a rich database of solutions that local partners can benefit from in their future housing projects. Solution sheets and case studies from previously completed ACT grants are available on the website www.actprogram.com. Recently completed projects include:

• New Plan Reflects Northern City’s Unique Character: City of Iqaluit, Nunavut Territory
• A Plan to Regulate Residential Construction and Renovation: Atlantic Home Building and Renovation Sector Council, Nova Scotia
• Developing Laneway Housing: Terence Van Elslander and Jeffery Stinson, Architects, Toronto, ON
• Flex-Plex Housing: Industry-Municipal Partnership for Innovation: CHBA, Victoria, BC
• Task Force Charts New Path to Affordable Housing: City of Kelowna, BC
• Financing Conversion of an Institutional Building to Affordable, Accessible Apartments: Regional Municipality of York, Ontario
• Sustainable Aboriginal Demonstration Project Challenges Traditional Practices: Julia Bourke Architecture Inc., Montreal, Quebec
• Neighbourhood Infill Housing for Whistler’s Resident Workforce: Resort Municipality of Whistler, BC
• Building Code Options Reduce Renovation Costs for Inner-City Housing: New Life Ministries, Winnipeg, Manitoba

http://www.cmhc.ca/en/corp/nero/nere/2009/2009-06-23-0815.cfm

reviewed by Moishe Alexander, CFC CEO