Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an announcement in Edmonton, Alta. (European Union)

By Canadian Press, Eli J. Ridder

Over Three Years

Feds invest $175M to fast-track new Edmonton housing units

Feb 21, 2024 | 3:40 PM

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday announced $175 million in funding to fast-track more than 5,200 new housing units in Edmonton over the next three years.

Trudeau donned a white hard hat and yellow reflective vest to tour an affordable housing project in Edmonton before holding a news conference with the city’s mayor Amarjeet Sohi and Edmonton MP and cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault.

The money will flow through the federal Housing Accelerator program and be used to eliminate barriers to getting the homes built.

Trudeau said the funds will create more housing options in the city, including more rentals, affordable apartments, and housing near university and college campuses.

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Trudeau said over the past decade federal governments under both Liberal and Conservative banners stepped back from helping with housing and must re-engage.

“Federal governments of different stripes stepped back from the business of ensuring that housing was properly built right across the country in affordable ways, meeting the supply needs, meeting the growth of the country,” Trudeau said.

He says building affordable housing has become an intolerable challenge and it’s time to work with municipalities to break down barriers and get the work done.

Janis Irwin, Alberta NDP Critic for Housing, issued the following statement in response to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund announcement for Edmonton:

“Today’s announcement from the City of Edmonton and the federal government to spur the construction of over 22,000 homes and fast track 5,200 units is an important step in addressing the housing crisis in Alberta.

“It takes all orders of government to come together to address these challenges, but unfortunately, the UCP have been severely absent in their commitment to Albertans. The UCP are far behind on housing targets to meet the demands of population growth and on affordable housing. Deloitte Canada estimates that Alberta will need almost 44,000 social housing units by 2030 to keep up with demand, and the UCP are only planning for 13,000. This is a failure to Albertans.

“Additionally, Edmonton currently has the steepest rent increases in the country, and the UCP have made life less affordable for every day Albertans. If Danielle Smith and Minister Nixon truly cared about fixing the housing crisis, they would start by supporting Bill 205: The Housing Security Act, and by immediately capping rents so Albertans can afford to stay in the homes they have, and making the immediate investments needed in safe, affordable, and accessible housing.”

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