BY SURJIT SINGH FLORA
The federal government announced plans Monday to make a dent in the affordable housing backlog in Brampton with funding for a new project in Mount Pleasant Village.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Families, Children and Social Development Minister Ahmed Hussen and local MPPs were on-hand to roll out the project, which will see a 26 storey, multi-residential energy-efficient building erected in the village to help alleviate housing concerns for low-to-middle income families. “We know that finding an affordable place to live is a challenge for many Canadians in communities across the country,” said Trudeau regarding the project, which is expected to house approximately 300 families and will receive roughly $120 million in funding through the Rental Construction Financing Initiative, part of a national program to boost affordable housing in key areas throughout the country.
Speaking of the project, which will be built by Daniels Corporation in the Lagerfeld Drive neighbourhood, Trudeau praised the project as helping “struggling families” who want affordable housing options. “We will keep working to ensure that everyone can find a place to live, raise their families, and build their future,” said Trudeau.
The announcement is the latest in a series of federal funding projects announced to help alleviate the pressure from Peel Region’s affordable housing backlog — which currently sees wait times of up to 10 years or more for families on the waitlist for housing in the region, with more than 22,000 applications on the waiting list.
The project is part of the federal government’s National Housing Strategy, which will see $72 billion flow into local neighbourhoods in a bid to increase rental units and support rental housing construction projects, via providing low-cost, insured loans to developers and municipalities in places where there is a need for them.
