Surplus federal properties in Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland are set to be repurposed into affordable housing as part of the Federal Lands Initiative. Housing developers may now submit proposals for five properties located across these three provinces, with the goal to create affordable, sustainable, accessible and socially-inclusive housing.
Surplus properties are evaluated based on location, suitability, availability, proximity to amenities and through a cost/benefit analysis. Once approved, the properties selected for affordable housing development are listed for sale on Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)’s National Housing Strategy website. Social and affordable housing providers are then able to submit applications to acquire these properties following a competitive process.
The properties are Wateridge Village – Block 21 in Ottawa; 12 390 Avenue Saint-Jacques in Montreal; 1455-1465 Place du Dauphin and 1148-1162 rue Jogues in Sherbrooke; and Pleasantville – Lots 5-8, 13-17 in St. John’s; and Pleasantville – Block 14 in St. John’s. As a result of the sale of these properties, the Federal Lands Initiative will create or preserve at least 257 housing units.
“Increasing the availability of affordable housing is the cornerstone of ensuring all Canadians have a place to call home,” said The Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, in a news release. “Being able to leverage surplus federal properties and lands is an effective way to create new housing and also breathe new life into properties that have been untouched for years or decades.”
As part of the Federal Lands Initiative, the Government of Canada is allocating $200 million over the next 10 years through the National Housing Strategy to support the transfer of surplus, underused properties to eligible proponents at either no cost or heavily discounted rates, in an effort to encourage the development of affordable housing.
The Federal Lands Initiative is led by CMHC, in partnership with Employment and Social Development Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Canada Lands Company CLC Limited, as well as other federal partners with surplus lands.
