The Government of Canada supports rapid housing construction in the Chaleur region

BELLE-BAIE, NB, Feb. 10, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Government of Canada and the Town of Belle-Baie announced an agreement to accelerate the delivery of 102 housing units over the next three years. This project will help spur the construction of 482 homes over the next decade. Under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), local governments must submit action plans to access funds to ensure the rapid rollout of housing initiatives.

The agreement draws on the second round of the HAF and provides more than $4.3 million to eliminate barriers to building the housing we need, faster.

The Government of Canada has also announced an investment of $5.7 million until 2027-28, to support the Bathurst community in preventing and reducing homelessness, through Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy.

In addition, total investments of more than $4.7 million are allocated to two housing projects, Advantage Apartments and the Assomption project, located in Bathurst. The New Brunswick government is also contributing $2.4 million to the projects.

The Advantage Apartments project, located at 275 King Avenue, will convert office space into 18 one-bedroom units for single individuals. The site is in the centre of Bathurst.

The Assomption project, located at 2144 Vallée Lourde Drive, will convert a former convent to create 44 units, half of which will be for people aged 55 and over. The project will include a common space and a cafeteria for tenants.

The Government of Canada is making life more affordable for Canadians—and housing is where that happens. We're continuing to work with provincial, territorial and municipal governments, housing providers and our Indigenous partners. Our goal is to keep on building more homes, faster, for the people of Canada.

"Our government is committed to removing barriers and red tape to enable housing development, and partnerships with New Brunswick communities will do just that." – The Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

"The announcement of these projects marks a decisive step forward for the Chaleur region. By combining our efforts to create affordable housing and strengthen support for individuals experiencing homelessness, we affirm our commitment to building more inclusive and resilient communities. We warmly thank the City of Belle-Baie and the Town of Bathurst, as well as all our partners – provincial, municipal, community, and private – whose collaboration has made these initiatives possible. Together, we are building a future where every family and every individual can find a safe and welcoming place to call home."– Serge Cormier, Member of Parliament for Acadie–Bathurst

"We know the need for housing is urgent in our province, especially in the Chaleur region. Having a safe and stable place to call home is essential to leading a productive life, and I am so pleased to partner with our federal colleagues, and our community partners, to bring these projects to fruition." ‒ The Honourable David Hickey, Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Housing Corporation

"This agreement marks an important turning point for Belle-Baie, solidifying our commitment to meeting housing needs in our community, including affordable units. Belle-Baie has already made significant progress over the past year, and this collaboration will further propel our efforts to find creative and appropriate solutions for our town. We're proud to be working with the federal government and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, as well as our developers, to make our vision a reality." ‒Daniel Guitard, Mayor of Belle-Baie

"The Housing Acceleration Fund has been a catalyst for the City of Bathurst, becoming an essential working tool to encourage the construction of new housing units within our municipality. We're even ahead of our three-year schedule, having reached 75% of our target of 160 new homes built in just one year. The announcement of investments in the two Bathurst projects reaffirms the federal government's ongoing commitment to us and to our citizenship. We are very grateful." ‒Kim Chamberlain, Mayor of Bathurst

Quick facts:

• The Town of Belle-Baie's action plan includes nine local initiatives:
  • Increase housing density by potentially adding up to four units per lot, including "missing middle" housing.
  • Encourage secondary accommodations through zoning changes to add units on existing properties.
  • Promote infill projects to densify existing neighbourhoods using financial incentives.
  • Overhaul the costs of converting non-residential buildings into residential housing through density bonuses and fee reductions.
  • Partner with non-profits to create affordable housing with financial support.
  • Promote modular and prefabricated construction through incentives that encourage innovative methods.
  • Create a process for transferring municipal land to create affordable housing without zoning changes.
  • Modernize and accelerate permit management processes through electronic issuance and site modelling.
  • Update infrastructure planning to align with community plans, with the help of a consulting firm.
    
    
• Funding provided for Advantages Apartments is as follows:
  • $1.5 million from the federal government through the Affordable Housing Fund
  • $618,000 from the provincial government through Housing NB
  • $69,000 from Advantage Apartments
    
    
• Funding provided for this housing project is as follows:
  • $3.3 million from the federal government through the Affordable Housing Fund and Seed Funding
  • $1.8 million from the provincial government through the Department of Social Development
  • $175,000 from Habitat Soleil

• The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a $4.4 billion Government of Canada initiative launched in March 2023 that will run until 2027–2028. The first round of funding totalled $4 billion, and the 2024 budget added $400 million to the program's budget.
• The HAF is part of Canada's National Housing Strategy (NHS) and Canada's Housing Plan, the most ambitious federal government housing plan in more than 40 years. Progress on programs and initiatives is updated quarterly at Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects developed so far.
  • As of September 2024, the federal government had committed nearly $57.57 billion to support the construction of more than 156,000 housing units and the repair of an additional 297,000. The measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous people, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence.
• The HAF will reduce red tape and accelerate construction of at least 112,000 housing units by 2028. According to municipal and regional governments, it will lead to the creation of more than 750,000 housing units for people living in Canadian villages, towns, cities and Indigenous communities over the next decade.
• The Affordable Housing Fund (AHF) offers funding to partnering organizations in the form of low-interest loans, forgivable loans or contributions. These funds are used to build affordable housing and renovate and repair existing affordable and community housing. The AHF is a $14.6billion National Housing Strategy program that prioritizes housing projects for those who need it most: women and children fleeing family violence, seniors, Indigenous people, people with disabilities, those with mental health or addiction issues, veterans and young adults.
  • As of September 2024, the federal government had committed $10.34 billion to support the construction of more than 40,000 housing units and the repair of an additional 166,000 through the AHF.
  • Improvements to the AHF announced in Budget 2024 include extending the program from 2025–2026 to 2028–2029. The existing Construction stream is now subdivided into two sub-streams: a rapid housing sub-stream to create shelters, transitional housing and supportive housing for those in greatest need, and a community housing sub-stream to support affordable and mixed-market housing projects (with both affordable and market-rent units).  For the Repair and Renewal stream, minimum accessibility and energy efficiency requirements have been replaced by an approach that instead prioritizes projects that deliver results in these areas.

Related links:

• Housing Accelerator Fund
• Housing Accelerator Fund: Building more homes, faster
• Affordable Housing Fund
• Building more homes, faster
• Making housing more affordable for Canadians
• National Housing Strategy

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)