City gets $4M from federal Housing Accelerator Fund

Winnipeg is set to receive more than $4 million from the federal government for 150 housing units.

The funding, which was announced Wednesday, is part of Ottawa’s push to speed up residential development through its housing accelerator fund.

Winnipeg will receive $4.05 million, while the Rural Municipality of Ritchot will get $357,000 to support an affordable housing development.

“This is good news,” Mayor Scott Gillingham told the Free Press. “This shows the federal government’s confidence in Winnipeg. We have been meeting and exceeding our targets. Now, our targets have increased with this extra $4 million, and we’re confident we will meet that new target as well.”

As a condition of receiving the funding, the city is increasing its housing supply target by 150 units — to 14,251 new homes by December.

The city said Wednesday that council will consider recommendations for the additional cash in the coming months.

In total, 32 “high-performing” municipalities across the country will receive $42 million to support nearly 1,300 additional residential building permits.

“We are rewarding municipalities that are delivering real results and going even further to build more homes faster,” federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson said in a release. “By reinvesting in proven success, we are helping to ensure more Canadians have access to the housing they need.”

The new money is in addition to the $122.4 million Winnipeg has secured from the fund tied to its housing action plan, which focuses on expanding multi-family units and increasing overall supply.

The city has received three of the four $30.6-million installments from the federal government.

A report considered by the city’s executive policy committee in February said the municipal government had approved building permits tied to 10,975 dwelling units — which is just over 3,000 short of the 14,101 new housing-unit requirement it needs to hit by Dec. 5 under the initial agreement.

“Winnipeg is proving that when you prioritize housing, you can deliver,” said Coun. Evan Duncan, chair of the property and development committee. “We set ambitious targets with (Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.) and are on pace to exceed them. This additional funding shows we are leading the way in building the homes our growing city needs.”

Ottawa has dolled out $4.37 billion to fast-track new home builds since the fund was launched in 2023.

— with files from Joyanne Pursaga

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca