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OTTAWA – The Government of Canada’s new approach to build and finance affordable housing at scale is now over 100 days in.

So how is Canada’s housing situation shaping up?

According to the federal government, since Build Canada Homes Chief Executive Officer Ana Bailão started her role here have been “landmark” agreements with provinces and municipalities, six federal land projects are advancing toward construction and thousands of affordable homes have been committed with shovels in the ground this year.

Specifically, the government notes up to 4,000 direct build units will rise on federal lands.

Requests for Qualifications have been issued for six sites to fast-track construction, prioritizing modular and factory-built methods in:

• – This housing development project will deliver 540 new homes on a portion of the site at Arbo Downsview in Toronto. At least 40 per cent of the units will be affordable, with a mix of housing to support middle class families. The government also provided an investment of up to $283 million dollars to expand local infrastructure, which will enable the construction of up to 63,000 new homes in the Downsview area, the release notes.
• – Naawi-Oodena is a redevelopment in partnership between Treaty One First Nations and Canada Lands Company to create a community that respects Indigenous culture while addressing Canada’s housing needs. Build Canada Homes will deliver 320 homes on an earmarked parcel of the site.
• – Two parcels at the northeast corner of the Village at Griesbach will be earmarked to deliver 355 new homes.
• – Located on the St. Lawrence River waterfront in the Longue-Rive sector of the City of Longueuil, the project will result in 1,055 homes on the site, of which 40 per cent are non-market housing units.
• – The 18-acre federal site, located 20 minutes from downtown Ottawa, is expected to accommodate approximately 1,100 homes.
• – In the first phase, a dedicated parcel has been earmarked to support up to 630 mixed-market homes. The plan is to deliver a minimum of 40 per cent of homes below-market value.

The release also notes there will be up to 3,000 new homes in Ottawa as the government agreed to a partnership with the city for up to $400 million to accelerate mixed income and affordable housing through land activation, streamlined approvals and Build Canada Homes financing.

Up to 1,430 homes are slated for Nova Scotia, which is the result of a partnership of $300 million to unlock community and non-profit housing across the province, including early construction at Shannon Park in Dartmouth.

This latest progress report comes after the parliamentary budget office made a projection late last year that the Liberals’ new housing agency would fill only a small gap in the housing market.

The budget office said Build Canada Homes was projected to add 26,000 units to the total housing supply across the country over the next five years, half of which would be affordable homes for low-income Canadians.

In its latest release, as Build Canada Homes looks to 2026, the government states it intends to move from planning to construction, “breaking ground on direct build sites, expanding partnerships with provinces, territories and municipalities, and accelerating the delivery of thousands of affordable homes. The agency will continue to approve innovative projects, cut red tape, leverage modern construction methods, and stretch every federal dollar.”

— With files from the Canadian Press