Federal government unlocking 6 surplus federal properties to build more than 2,800 new homes in Calgary, Edmonton, St. John's, and Ottawa

On track to build nearly 30,000 new homes on surplus federal lands by 2029

GATINEAU, QC, Nov. 7, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, and the Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board, announced that 6 surplus federal properties will be developed into more than 2,800 new homes in Calgary, Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Ottawa, Ontario.

By March 2024, Canada Lands Company—a Crown corporation that will have enabled the construction of more than 13,000 new homes since 2016—will help deliver the following surplus federal properties to build more homes for Canadians: 

• Calgary: 516 homes at Currie
• Edmonton: 711 homes, at the Village at Griesbach, including 93 affordable homes
• St. John's: 34 homes at Pleasantville
• Ottawa: 307 homes at Wateridge Village, 600 homes at Carling Avenue, and 710 homes on Booth Street, including 221 affordable homes

With today's announcement, Canada Lands Company is now on track to support the construction of more than 29,200 new homes over the next 6 years.

To realize more affordable housing, Canada Lands Company is announcing a new minimum affordable housing target of 20% across projects in its pipeline. The new affordability requirement would apply where a municipal minimum requirement for affordable housing is lower or does not already exist.

As work continues to identify further assets that can be repurposed for housing, the federal government intends to introduce further measures to speed up this process and to identify more opportunities to build more housing. The federal government will continue working with provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments to build more homes, faster, to make housing more affordable for Canadians and ensure everyone, including the most vulnerable, can find a safe and affordable place to call home.

Quotes

"Our government is redoubling our efforts in the face of Canada's housing crisis on several fronts. We are accelerating and streamlining the process of converting surplus federal properties into housing, and we are continuing to work with Canada Lands Company to enable the construction of additional housing units. Today's announcement demonstrates our commitment to helping all Canadians have a safe and affordable place to call home."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement 

"We are focused on building more homes, faster—and by transforming more federal land into homes for Canadians, today's announcement is helping to do exactly that. Our government will continue to do everything we can to make housing more affordable for Canadians from coast to coast to coast."

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance

""The Government of Canada can play an important role in supporting the development of more homes for Canadians and as President of the Treasury Board, I am committed to enabling these investments. Some of the properties under development by CLC are a direct result of the Federal Lands Initiative which was set up with the right Treasury Board flexibilities so that we could allow more properties to be made available for their development or renovation as affordable housing. I will continue to look for opportunities to support all my colleagues to help develop more homes for Canadians." 

The Honourable Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board

Quick facts

• Canada Lands Company is a self-financing, federal Crown corporation specializing in real estate development and attractions management. It acquires strategic surplus properties from federal departments and agencies at fair market value, then develops, manages, or sells them to developers to build housing for Canadians.
• Since 1995, Canada Lands Company has been effectively reintegrating and repurposing underused Government of Canada properties into local communities. Today it has a national portfolio of 23 real estate projects, with 430 hectares (1,063 acres) currently in development across the country.
• Between 2016 and 2023, Canada Lands Company has repurposed previously underused federal properties to enable over 10,300 new homes for Canadians. Of this, more than 1,100 affordable homes were created through land sales supported by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation programs.
• As part of the 29,200 new homes Canada Lands Company will support by 2029, significant progress has already been made on projects including in:
  • Vancouver, British Columbia, at Jericho Lands, which is being planned for 13,000 new homes; and at Heather Lands, which is being planned for 2,600 new homes. Both projects are in collaboration with the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Partnership.

Associated links

Canada Lands Company
Optimizing our real property portfolio 
Federal Lands Initiative

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

Olivier Pilon, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, 613-323-6621, [email protected]; Media Relations, Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, [email protected]