Deputy Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Transition Binder (2024)
Book 5: Reference Material on Signature Initiatives

• Programs offered by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada
• Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan
• Programs placemat

Programs offered by Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada

• Funding programs offered by HICC (HTML version)
• Funding programs offered by HICC (PDF version) (178.88 KB)

Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan

• Canada's Housing Plan (HTML version)
• Canada's Housing Plan (PDF version) (3.67 MB)

Programs placemat

1. Building more homes

Apartment Construction Loan Program (HICC/CMHC)

Low-cost funding to support eligible borrowers during the most-risky phases of product development. ACLP supports both purpose-built residential rental, including student and seniors' housing, and mixed use between residential rental and non-residential rental.

What's next?

• Ongoing – CMHC accepting applications for updated and revamped program (Nov 2024)

Public Lands for Homes Plan (PSPC/HICC/CMHC)

Suite of measures aimed at unlocking 250,000 new homes by 2031. The federal government will use all tools available to convert public lands to housing, including leasing and retaining ownership wherever possible, and acquiring lands from other orders of government for housing.

The Federal Lands Initiative supports the transfer of surplus federal lands and buildings to eligible proponents. This land is available at discounted to no cost to be developed or renovated for use as affordable sustainable, accessible and socially inclusive housing.

What's next?

• Underway – review of the portfolio of federal lands and ongoing regular updates to the Canada Public Land Bank
• Ongoing – targeted engagements with other orders of government, Indigenous groups and housing providers
• Ongoing – marketing new properties through the Federal Lands Initiative around the country

Housing Accelerator Fund (CMHC)

Funding for local governments to implement reforms that will increase the supply of housing (for example, changes to permitting and exclusionary zoning). In return for these changes to unlock housing, funding is provided to support the development of this new housing supply.

What's next?

• Summer 2024 – Application window for second round of funding is now closed
• Fall/Winter 2024 – new agreements to be finalized

Industrial Strategy for Homebuilding (HICC/ISED)

Strategy exploring opportunities for greater innovation in the homebuilding sector. Working together with industry to explore all essential inputs into homebuilding, including raw materials, supply chains, building techniques and financing, to determine barriers to adopting greater innovation to build homes faster, and at prices Canadians can afford.

Linkages will be made with ongoing federal work on bolstering the workforce needed to help address the housing crisis through skills and employment programming (e.g., Apprenticeship Service, Skilled Trades Awareness and Readiness Program to encourage Canadians to pursue careers in the skilled trades).

What's next?

• Upcoming – publication of What We Heard Report summarizing consultation
• Engagement with OGDs on policy propopsals
• Development of Industrial Strategy for Homebuilding

Canada Secondary Suite Loan Program (CMHC)

Support for homeowners, who will be able to access low-interest loans up to $80,000 to add legal secondary suites to their homes. The new secondary suites can be for family use (e.g., aging parents, adult children), or as rental properties, to help increase density in communities.

What's next? 

• The CSSLP is expected to begin accepting applications in early 2025-26.

Housing Design Catalogue (HICC/CMHC)

A housing design catalogue of up to 50 housing designs, which would be made publicly available online, to simplify and accelerate housing approvals and build more homes faster. 

What's next?

• Ongoing – Engagement with PTs on technical aspects of catalogue and implementation
• Fall 2024 – announced successful RFP proponents
• Dec 2024 – release of initial Housing Design Catalogue conceptual designs
• Winter 2025 – Release of permit ready designs

Canada Builds (HICC/CMHC)

Bilateral partnerships with provinces and territories who, like BC, launch their own ambitious housing plans, with partnerships to differ by jurisdiction based on local needs and priorities. Leveraging low-cost loans under ACLP will be the first partnering opportunity.

What's next?

• Ongoing – discussions with interested PTs on potential Canada Builds agreements.
• Dec 31, 2024 – Deadline for PTs to finalize an agreement or submit a plan towards an agreement.

Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (HICC)

A new fund to accelerate and improve the capacity of housing-enabling water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure.

What's next?

• Nov 2024 – launch of direct delivery stream for pressing infrastructure needs. Launch of webinars for direct delivery stream. Bilateral meetings with PTs to negotiate the agreements.
• Jan 1, 2025 – deadline for provincial agreements
• Apr 1, 2025 – deadline for territorial agreements

2. Making it easier to own or rent a home

Blueprints for a Renters' Bill of Rights and a Home Buyers' Bill of Rights (HICC)

On September 16, 2024, the federal government released the Blueprints for a Renters' Bill of Rights and a Home Buyers' Bill of Rights to improve housing access and affordability.

What's next?

• Through the negotiation of the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, work with provinces and territories to endorse the principles of the Blueprints and advance measures that support fair and equitable renting and home buying systems

Short-Term Rentals Enforcement Fund (HICC)

Funding for municipalities to help enforce regulations to limit short-term rentals.

What's next?

• STREF program launched on Dec. 3, 2024. Deadline to submit an application is Jan. 24, 2025.
• Information sessions are organized for potential applicants on Dec. 10 (2 sessions) and Dec. 12 (2 sessions).

3. Helping Canadians who can't afford a home

Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy (HICC)

Community-based program providing funding to prevent and reduce homelessness, including funding to accelerate community-level homelessness reduction.

What's next?

• Fall/Winter 2024 – engagement with delivery partners to establish new funding agreements and share details of reduction innovation fund

Unsheltered Homelessness & Encampments (HICC)

New initiative to address the urgent issue of encampments and unsheltered homelessness, which envisions working with provinces and territories to cost-match federal investments.

What's next?

• Underway – contribution agreement negotiations

Veteran Homelessness Program (HICC)

Rent supplements and wrap-around supports for Veterans experiencing or at imminent risk of homelessness, as well as research and capacity-building projects.

What's next?

• Funding agreements are in place and projects are underway.

Affordable Housing Fund (HICC/CMHC)

Loans and contribution funding to better meet the needs of a wide range of housing types from shelters to affordable housing for new construction and renewals/repair.

What's next?

• CMHC accepting applications for updated program, as announced Nov 2024

Co-operative Housing Development Program (CMHC)

Forgivable loans along with low-interest repayable loans to build rental co-op housing.

What's next?

• Winter/Spring 2025 – Announcements for first round
• 2025 – Next call for proposals

Canada Rental Protection Fund (HICC/CMHC)

$1.5 billion to help non-profits, co-ops and other community housing providers acquire buildings that are privately owned and keep them affordable over the long-term.

What's next?

• Fall 2024 – PT and stakeholder engagement to inform fund development.
• Winter 2025 – Call for applicants for selection of organization to receive CRPF program funding.

Infrastructure initiatives

Canada Public Transit Fund (HICC)

$3 billion annually starting in 2026-27 for public transit and active transportation infrastructure.

• Ongoing Baseline Funding for all established transit systems, for state of good repair and routine system expansions;
• Long-term Metro-Region Agreements providing additional funding in major urban areas;
• Targeted intakes for evolving needs and priorities (e.g., active transportation)

Access to funding tied to actions to increase housing supply and affordability, where it makes sense.

What's next?

• Expression of Interest (EOI) intake for Baseline Funding has closed
• Underway – EOI intake for Metro-Region Agreements (MRA) (rolling/no closing date)
• Fall 2024/Winter 2025 – anticipated intakes for Targeted Funding

Canada Community-Building Fund (HICC)

A stable, predictable, and indexed source of funding provided to provinces and territories to flow to their communities. Annual funding of $2.4 billion allows local communities to make strategic investments in essential infrastructure (e.g., housing needs assessments, roads, public transit, water/wastewater).

What's next?

• March 2025 – deadline for housing needs assessments for communities 30,000+

Green and Inclusive Community Buildings (HICC)

Funding for green and accessible retrofits, repairs or upgrades of existing public community buildings and the construction of new community buildings.

What's next?

• Ongoing – assessment of applications

National Infrastructure Assessment (HICC)

The National Infrastructure Assessment will fill a critical gap in planning for growth through an evidence-based assessment of future infrastructure needs, based on population growth and environmental considerations. A clearer understanding of infrastructure needs facilitates proactive planning and can make it easier to optimize and attract investment.

What's next?

• Fall 2024 – anticipated Ministerial launch of the advisory body to develop the NIA; advisory body will begin data collection, research, and engagement with partners and stakeholders.

Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure (HICC)

New suite of open-access tools, resources and services to support communities in making climate-smart infrastructure decisions, through:

• Help Desk to help users understand HICC climate requirements, promote best practices, and direct users to relevant tools, data sources, and resources.
• Open-access, web-based Platform to provide easy access to climate-related resources, including new tools for geospatial visualization of climate, socio-economic and infrastructure datasets, hazard assessment and options identification.
• Roster of Climate and Infrastructure Experts to help communities identify climate options that can strengthen their infrastructure projects.

What's next?

• The Toolkit is available online at Climate Toolkit for Housing and Infrastructure

Child Care Expansion Loan Program (HICC/CMHC/ESDC)

Low-cost loans and contributions to public and not-for-profit childcare providers to renovate/build more childcare.

What's next?

• Spring 2025 – planned program launch

Canada Infrastructure Bank

Crown corporation investing  in revenue-generating infrastructure projects in five priority sectors: Clean Power, Green Infrastructure, Public Transit, Trade and Transportation and Broadband.

What's next?

• The CIB welcomes project discussions at any time and provides different types of support to projects: advisory services, project acceleration funding and low-cost project financing.