A 62-unit affordable seniors housing facility in Innisfail, Alta. will be demolished to make way for a new and improved building, slated for completion in 2018. The $17.6-million development, known as Autumn Glen Lodge, will contain 60 affordable units, 30 of which will be reserved for seniors.

A new condominium development, designed to offer affordable home ownership opportunities for Toronto residents, has officially opened at 35 Saranac Blvd. in Toronto, Ont. The 341-unit project, known as Cranbrooke Village, was financed through the City of Toronto’s Home Ownership Assistance Program (HOAP) in collaboration with Options for Homes and sister organization Home Ownership Alternatives.

Under British Columbia’s Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Renewal Initiative, Vancouver’s historic Gastown Hotel has been renovated and officially re-opened for business. The $143.3-million public-private initiative was established to help restore and maintain 13 provincially owned SRO hotels in the city’s Downtown Eastside for homeless individuals or those at risk of homelessness.

Sequel 138, a 97-unit affordable housing development located at 138 Hastings St. in Vancouver, B.C., has entered construction. The project offers low to moderate-income families and individuals access to affordable condominiums and rental apartments.

Construction of the 35-acre CIBC Pan Am/Parapan Am Athletes' Village, known as the Canary District, is now complete and ready to house a total of 10,300 Pan American and Parapan American Games athletes and officials. When the Games begin in July 2015, the Village will feature a YMCA, banks, a coffee shop, a general store, a dining tent, a prosthetic and wheelchair repair centre, and an 18-acre park.

A 74-unit affordable rental housing development has officially opened in Ottawa, Ont. The complex, located at 140 Den Haag Dr., offers housing for low-income individuals and families as well as persons with disabilities.

Residents of the Northwest Territories continue to have access to a range of affordable housing options as a result of a combined investment of $18-million from the federal and provincial governments. Over the course of five years, the government funding will be delivered through an extension to the region’s Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) agreement.

On Feb. 2, members of the Toronto Real Estate Board (TREB) met with the City of Toronto’s Budget Committee to discuss affordable housing in the Greater Toronto Area and make recommendations on the region’s Land Transfer Tax (LTT), implemented in 2008. In order to better meet the needs of prospective homebuyers requiring affordable housing options, TREB suggested that the City’s Budget Committee increase the maximum rebate for first-time homebuyers and adjust the LTT to reflect ongoing inflation.

A $657,000, four-unit affordable housing development in Prince Albert’s West Flat neighbourhood has officially opened. The project, which was financed by the Government of Saskatchewan and the P. A. Community Housing Society Inc. (PACHSI), an Aboriginal housing provider, will provide rental housing for small families.

Over the next three years, the Government of Nova Scotia will invest $8-million in the Social Housing Assistance Repair Program (SHARP) to help housing co-operatives make necessary structural, electrical, plumbing, heating or accessibility repairs to their units.

As of March 1, Saskatchewan’s Affordable Housing Rental Program will be phased out in larger communities to make way for a new Social Housing Rental Program. The goals of the transition are to improve affordability for individuals and families in the greatest housing need, ensure low-income individuals are paying appropriate rents based on their incomes, and to establish that only households requiring assistance are eligible for the government assistance.

The Silver Sage Elder’s Lodge, a 26-unit affordable housing development, has entered construction in Regina, Sask. The Governments of Canada and Saskatchewan are contributing $2-million toward the development of 16 one-bedroom units and Silver Sage Holdings Ltd. will provide an additional $5.05-million for the remaining 10 two-bedroom units.

A new affordable housing development in Kelowna will provide 50 apartment units for seniors and 20 townhomes for low to moderate income families in the area. Thanks to financial investments from the Governments of Canada and B.C. as well as the City of Kelowna, the project will redevelop an existing Pleasantvale Homes building, located on Kelowna’s Richter St.

A new rental housing complex in Prince Albert, Sask. will help individuals with complex needs access safe and affordable housing. Funding for the project, which required a total investment of approximately $725,000, was provided by the Canadian government, the Province of Saskatchewan and the River Bank Development Corporation (River Bank). River Bank is a non-profit organization promoting social and economic development for low-income individuals in Prince Albert.

The Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ and the the Association des groupes de ressources techniques du Québec (AGRTQ) have established a new $15-million community housing fund, known as the Fonds d'acquisition Québécois. The fund will ensure safe and affordable housing for low and modest-income Quebec families, marginalized individuals, troubled youths, seniors and persons with disabilities.

A $68-million Investment in Affordable Housing (IAH) agreement has been reached with the federal government and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador. The funding, delivered through an extension to the existing IAH agreement, will be distributed through the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation (NLHC) over the course of five years.