Government of Canada announces new tool for builders and lists federal lands for housing
On August 25, 2024 the federal government announced a plan to release federal properties for lease whose purpose is to turn the existing facilities into housing.
The Government of Canada also announced a new tool for builders called the Canada Public Land Bank, which is the first step under the new Public Lands for Homes Plan.
The Canada Public Land Bank features 56 federal properties that have been identified as being able to support housing. This includes five new properties which are now intended for leasing and ready for builders to submit their plans.
Canada Lands Company is essential in the development of federal lands. As per Budget 2024, the government will evolve and adapt the mandate of Canada Lands Company. This will allow the organization to deliver housing solutions faster under the new Public Lands for Homes Plan.
Canada Lands Company, in partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, has launched a call for proposals from housing providers to access some of the Canada Public Land Bank properties available in the cities of Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Montréal on a long-term leasing basis at a discounted value. In the coming months, this new list will grow regularly.
On August 25, on behalf of Jean-Yves Duclos, minister of public services and procurement, Jenna Sudds, minister of families, children and social development and Mona Fortier, member of parliament for Ottawa—Vanier, put a spotlight on the 22 federal properties able to support housing that have been identified in Ottawa.
This includes the redevelopment of two parcels on federal property which are now ready to be converted into housing at Canada Lands Company’s Wateridge Village in Ottawa. Located at 370 Codd’s Road and 800 Winisik Street, the parcels have an area of 1.6-hectares and are planned for approximately 495 units of housing with a minimum of 30 per cent dedicated to affordable housing.
“Available, accessible and affordable housing options are scarce, and too many people do not have a safe place to call home. We need to do things differently and work in partnership to build more homes, faster. We are leading a Team Canada effort to unlock public lands for housing at a pace and scale not seen in generations, thus leveraging these properties to build strong communities and more affordable housing for the benefit of all Canadians,” said Duclos.
The Government of Canada is also accelerating its real property disposal process to match both the speed of builders as well as the necessity of getting affordable homes built for Canada.
“We need to build more homes in Canada, and one of the largest costs in building is land. By building on public lands, we can make it easier to build, and by leasing those same properties, we can make sure the homes built stay affordable for the long term,” said Fraser.
Public Services and Procurement Canada will adopt service standards to deliver these properties to interested partners for the purposes of housing with new measures continuing to be announced under the Public Lands for Homes Plan in the upcoming months.