Sunday November 10, 2024 | VICTORIA, BC [Posted at 12:15 pm]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Vancouver on November 8 for a short reminder about the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund for municipalities and Indigenous communities.
The fund is for essential housing-related infrastructure like drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and solid-waste.
Municipalities may apply up to March 31, 2025 while Indigenous communities have until May 19, 2025 to submit their applications.
Trudeau was preceded at the podium by Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry, who said that the Housing Accelerator Fund is working with money to municipalities for programs to allow for housing to be built, including the work of zoning regulations.
About 175 municipalities across Canada have “struck deals'” with the federal government, said Fry. “Small, large and everything in between,” she said, which Trudeau tagged with commenting that $4 billion is being invested across the country through the Housing Accelerator Fund “to make sure we’re increasing densification and building homes faster and reducing red tape”.
Trudeau said over 750,000 homes will be enabled through the fund “over the coming years”.
Overcoming the housing crisis involves investing in building the supply of homes and unlocking the possibilities in communities — largely small (communities) — right across the country, the prime minister outlined.
Local project:
Fry announced the development of a new 39-storey building at 1317 Richard Street and 508 Drake Street (rezoned in 2021 and still under construction).
The high-rise is entirely comprised of social housing, replacing a two-storey building across the street. When complete it will have 193 social housing units comprised of: 89 studios, 84 1-bedroom units, 10 2-bedroom units, and three 3-bedroom units.
“Canadians need support in so many different ways around affordability which is why we’re stepping up”.
Specifically around housing and in particular in cities like Vancouver “we need solutions”, the prime minister said, who added that “we are leaving no stone unturned to solve for housing challenges whether they are renters or first-time homebuyers, young people or seniors… we need to be investing in housing across the country and that’s exactly what our government is doing”.
He itemized the First Time homebuyers savings account, the Canadian Housing Infrastructure Fund for water treatment plants and other “infrastructure that unlocks housing”. “More homes, density and solutions for more people affordably” was the wrap-up comment on that.
Trudeau acknowledged the hard work of architects, construction workers and engineers who are “building this extraordinary project”, referring to the Richard/Drake project.
Housing in the political context:
Trudeau says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre “likes to go around saying the country is broken and then demonstrates that he’s the one proposing to break it”, referencing the Conservative leader’s pledge to cut the Housing Accelerator Fund, and having voted against the First Time Homebuyers Savings Account and the Housing Infrastructure Fund.
Trudeau emphasized that the Liberal programs are investments in housing compared to the Conservatives who would make cuts “which doesn’t make any sense”, he said.
Trudeau that if cuts were to happen that 130,000 permits across BC would not happen (40,000 of those being in Vancouver).
It’s fair to say that the investment vs cut tension that is going on federally might be enough to stall housing projects, as developers and municipalities need certainty before proceeding with big housing projects.
“It’s such a pity that the leader of the Conservative party is going to cancel this fund,” said Fry, which was a strange tense for that sentence, as who’s to say which party will win the next federal election.
“Housing will not be built if this fund is cancelled,” she asserted. “And he’s going to throw the municipalities under the bus and not allow them to be part of what is necessary to build housing in this country,” said Fry in her short remarks at the podium.
Liberal MPs in the lower mainland:
Trudeau said on Friday that Fry (first elected in 1993) is an “amazing advocate for social housing for Vancouver Centre and for families right across the country”.
At the housing announcement event the prime minister also acknowledged Taleeb Noormohamed (MP for Vancouver-Granville since 2021) and Wilson Miao (MP for Richmond Centre since 2021) as “two great members of our BC team”.
Today the prime minister’s office announced that a by-election will be held on December 16, 2024 in the electoral district of Cloverdale-Langley City. That riding encompasses a portion of BC previously included in the electoral districts of Langley, South Surrey—White Rock—Cloverdale and Fleetwood—Port Kells. The vacancy in Cloverdale-Langley City had been announced by Elections Canada on June 3, 2024.
There are currently 14 Liberal MPs in BC. Some have already announced they are not seeking re-election including Carla Qualtrough (Delta) and Joyce Murray (Vancouver Quadra). High-profile BC MPs include Jonathan Wilkinson (North Vancouver) and Terry Beech (Burnaby North-Seymour).
Working with the USA:
Trudeau also said on Friday that he “looks forward to a more competitive North America and working with Donald Trump as we did years ago,” in response to a media question about the US government to soon be led by newly-elected USA President Trump.
Met with BC Premier Eby:
On Friday Trudeau met privately with recently re-elected BC Premier David Eby. No details have been released about that meeting.
===== RELATED:
Trudeau looks forward to a more competitive North America & working with Trump (November 8, 2024)