Federal budget to set aside billions for affordable housing
OTTAWA — Cities desperate for affordable housing money from the federal government are expected to find out in Wednesday’s budget that they will receive approximately half of the $22 billion in the Liberals’ social infrastructure fund, The Canadian Press has learned.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously telegraphed to the mayors of the country’s biggest cities that they would receive close to the $12.6 billion they felt was needed to address an affordable housing shortage countrywide.
Since then, municipal leaders and housing providers have privately revised their budgetary expectations down to around $11 billion.
Multiple sources speaking on condition of anonymity, so as to discuss private conversations about a budget that is not yet public, say the Liberals will unveil spending next week that falls around that mark, making affordable housing a key story line coming out of the Trudeau government’s second budget.