Housing and infrastructure minister Gregor Robertson promoted the federal government’s new affordable housing initiatives to local government officials in Victoria on Friday.
Robertson addressed delegates from across the province on the final day of the Union of B.C. Municipalities conference.
Build Canada Homes (BCH) has an initial capital investment of $13 billion to build more affordable and supportive housing across Canada.
That includes $1 billion for modular supportive housing for people who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Robertson acknowledged in his speech that high development cost charges (DCCs) have created barriers to building more homes.
Municipalities often collect one-time fees from new developments to help fund infrastructure needed to support growth, such as roads, water, sewer, waste collection and parks.
Robertson said the federal government will announce a new program this fall that aims to bring down the cost of development charges.
“We’re looking at an approach to roll out later this year that will strike a balance there of reducing development charges, but also making sure that local governments continue to invest in the housing infrastructure we need to build homes,” said Robertson.
Part of BHC’s plan is to build more affordable homes on select federally-owned lands.
So far, none of the six sites selected for potential development are in B.C.
The province has two federal sites in the Vancouver area and one in Vernon that are available for housing development.
Robertson sidestepped questions from reporters Friday about why the federal sites in B.C. were passed over in the initial plan to build about 4,000 affordable homes.
The former Vancouver mayor said he wasn’t familiar with the specific sites, but said his goal is to make sure the most “strategic” federal sites are identified for housing projects.
He said Ottawa expects to announce later this fall another tranche of land for possible development.
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