The $6B Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund was announced in Federal Budget 2024 to accelerate the construction and upgrading of critical housing infrastructure, including water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure to support the construction of more homes. This fund will include:
Funding available
- $1B available to municipalities to support urgent infrastructure needs to enable more housing; and
- $5B for agreements with provinces and territories to support long-term priorities. Provinces and territories can access this funding if they commit to key actions that increase housing supply, including:
- Legalizing more housing options by adopting zoning that allows four units as-of-right and that permits more “missing middle” homes, including duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and small multi-unit apartments;
- Implementing a 3-year freeze on increasing development charges from April 2, 2024 levels for municipalities with a population greater than 300,000;
- Adopting forthcoming changes to the National Building Code to support more accessible, affordable, and climate-friendly housing options;
- Providing pre-approval for construction of designs included in the government’s upcoming Housing Design Catalogue; and
- Implementing measures from the forthcoming Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights and Renters’ Bill of Rights.
Timelines
Provinces will have until January 1, 2025 to secure an agreement, and territories will have until April 1, 2025. If a province or territory does not secure an agreement by their respective deadline, their funding allocation will be transferred to the municipal stream.
To ensure this funding reaches communities of all sizes and needs, provinces must dedicate at least 20% of their agreement-based funding for northern, rural and Indigenous communities.
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