Budget 2021 will help people to buy, renovate homes

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 13/05/2021 (748 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The 2021 federal budget was announced last month. This huge document does more than just lay out the plans for government finances over the next year, it’s really a road map to Canada’s economic recovery as governments of all levels will need to work together and focus on the new normal and building back better.

The No. 1 priority remains supporting Canadians through the COVID-19 pandemic and to that end we continue with supports for businesses and workers such the wage subsidy program and CERB, which have been extended until the fall.

At the same time, the budget is building on what we have learned from over the past few months and the Government of Canada is making some historic investments to implement national standards for long-term care and to create a national child-care system.

Additionally, the budget delivered substantial additional support for seniors over 75 and children, among many other things. These are all critical parts of setting Canada up for a strong economic recovery.

At this point, I would like to highlight the issue of housing and how the budget will impact new housing and home renovations in Winnipeg’s North End.

One of my favourite success stories is Habitat for Humanity and I was so pleased to see the federal government has, for the first time committed millions of dollars to support the fantastic work Habitat does all over Canada.

That work is amplified here in Winnipeg North, where I believe Habitat has improved our communities and made it possible for real people to own brand-new homes. Habitat’s incredible programs match sponsors and volunteers up with deserving families, who contribute hundreds of hours of “sweat equity” to building their own homes.

Improving Canada’s housing stock has also been made a priority. For current homeowners, there is an opportunity to fix up their homes and be supported in doing so. It is a program that will give grants of up to $5,000 to help with smaller, energy-efficiency upgrades and renovations.

In addition the Government of Canada has also just announced interest-free loans of up to $40,000 to help homeowners with serious energy-efficiency retrofits, such as replacing windows or installing high-efficiency furnaces.

By supporting organizations and people with these small steps we will create savings for years to come, and make a real impact on preserving the environment. More people will be in position to not only own homes but also to do affordable renovations. The more people who invest in their homes or purchase an infill home the healthier our communities will be.

The national housing strategy goes far beyond the two examples I just detailed, as the Government of Canada has committed to spending historic amounts of money in the coming years to make sure as much as possible that people have places to call home.

With close to 50 million doses of vaccines due to be in Canada before the end of June, Canada will be ready to recover.