Governments of Canada and Northwest Territories Sign 10-Year Housing Agreement

YELLOWKNIFE, Nov. 15, 2018 /CNW/ - Families, Indigenous communities and vulnerable Canadians in need of an affordable place to call home can count on long-term funding for community housing in the Northwest Territories thanks to an agreement signed today by the federal and territorial governments.

Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, and the Honourable Alfred Moses, Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation (NWTHC), along with Michael McLeod, Member of Parliament for the Northwest Territories, today announced they have reached a bilateral agreement under the National Housing Strategy (NHS). This agreement, which will be cost-shared ?by the governments of Canada and the Northwest Territories, demonstrates a joint commitment to prioritize affordable housing.

The 10-year agreement will invest nearly $140 million to protect, renew and expand social and community housing, and support the Northwest Territories' priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability. The governments of Canada and Northwest Territories will also work together on the design and implementation of a new Canada Housing Benefit for the territory, to provide affordability support directly to families and individuals in housing need. The new agreement marks the beginning of a partnership that will be supported by long-term and predictable funding starting April 1, 2019.

This is a ?progressive housing agreement that commits the governments of Canada and Northwest Territories to new and higher standards of transparency, public engagement, and housing quality, including improved energy efficiency and accessibility. The agreement also acknowledges the importance of prioritizing people most in need, incorporating a human rights-based approach to housing, and applying a gender lens to all investments.

Quotes:

"The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Long-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade. Today, with the Northwest Territories Government, we have taken a significant step toward our goal of building strong communities where Canadian families can prosper and thrive, now and for the future. Our Government will continue working in partnership with the Northwest Territories and other provinces and territories towards a 15% expansion in new affordable housing units and renewing 20% of existing community housing units across the country." ? Adam Vaughan, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

"Our government has made a priority of addressing the cost of living by working in partnership with other orders of government to address the sustainability of affordable housing. I appreciate and am encouraged by Canada's willingness to make adjustments in consideration of the NWT's unique housing and governance environment. This flexibility to recognize the unique needs of the NWT are illustrated in Co-Investment through the $60 million carve-off for the NWT and the up to 75% contribution for northern projects. Together, through this partnership we will better serve the housing needs of northerners." ? Honourable Alfred Moses, Minister Responsible for the Northwest Territories Housing Corporation

Quick facts:

• The $139.4 million? investment includes $87.7 million from the Government of Canada and $51.7 million from the Government of Northwest Territories.
• These investments are in addition to almost $150.4 million previously planned federal housing investments in the Northwest Territories through the Social Housing Agreement (SHA) over the next 10 years. In addition to new construction, combined investments under the NHS bilateral agreement and the SHA will target the preservation of at least 1,231 existing community housing units in the Northwest Territories.
• The NWTHC operates a housing portfolio of approximately 2,400 Public Housing units and 500 affordable housing units.
• As part of the $13.2 billion National Housing Co-Investment Fund, a minimum of $60 million will be committed to build and repair community and affordable housing in the Northwest Territories.
• The NHS is an ambitious 10-year, $40-billion+ plan that will reduce or eliminate 530,000 families from housing need across Canada, create 100,000 new housing units, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent.
• The NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private housing sectors. This includes consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, and people with lived experience of housing need.
• All NHS investments delivered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments will respect the key principles of the NHS that support partnerships, people and communities.
• The Government of Northwest Territories will develop and publish three-year action plans, beginning in 2019-2020, setting targets and outlining how it will use federal and cost-matched funding to achieve the desired outcomes.
• Since Budget 2016, the federal government has invested almost $73.8 million in housing in Northwest Territories.

Associated links:

• As Canada's authority on housing, CMHC contributes to the stability of the housing market and financial system, provides support for Canadians in housing need, and offers unbiased housing research and advice to all levels of Canadian government, consumers and the housing industry. For more information, please visit cmhc.ca or follow us on Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
• To find out more about Canada's National Housing Strategy, visit www.placetocallhome.ca.

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation