More homes, better infrastructure and stronger communities in the North

OTTAWA, ON, Jan. 19, 2026 /CNW/ - In 2025, Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada and its portfolio partners made generational investments to build the strong communities Canadians need. These investments are building the housing and community infrastructure families rely on.

These investments resulted in almost 59,000 housing units and billions of dollars of contributions and low-interest loans invested in communities from coast to coast to coast.

The federal government made significant investments in core public infrastructure projects that improve Canadians' quality of life and make our communities more resilient, accessible, and inclusive, while creating jobs and supporting economic growth.

Together, we are building an economy by Canadians, for Canadians. These investments are already supporting our communities. Canadians can see most announced projects in their community on the housing and infrastructure project map. Please note that not all federally funded projects can be mapped. More information is available at the project map page.

North Region 2025 Snapshot

• $133 million in housing investments to help build and renew 1186 units.
• $3 million will be invested over two years (2024-25 and 2025-26) through the Unsheltered Homelessness and Encampments Initiative (UHEI) to support the implementation of Community Encampment Response Plans (CERP) and provide additional support to people experiencing homelessness in Whitehorse, Yellowknife, and in Nunavut communities. This initiative is being implemented in collaboration with the territorial governments.
• $9.8 million to support transit projects that will help Canadians commute or move in their community thanks to more sustainable options, including the expansion of Whitehorse's transit fleet in the Yukon.
• More than $114 million to foster sustainability and energy sovereignty in the North, including $94 million to upgrade power plants in four Nunavut communities, ensuring they have access to safe and dependable power.
• $10 million for a major rehabilitation of Fort Liard's access road in Northwest Territories to connect our communities and help transport goods to market.
• More than $277 million invested to expand and upgrade housing enabling water, wastewater, and storm water infrastructure, including the construction of a new water treatment facility to replace the existing facilities in three communities in Nunavut and the rehabilitation of water, sewer, and road infrastructure for residents living in Faro, Yukon.
• $56.25 million in Canada Community-Building Fund allocations to help communities in the North fund the infrastructure they need.
• Announced a partnership, in the context of Build Canada Homes, with the Nunavut Housing Corporation, to deliver over 700 public, affordable and supportive housing units, with approximately 30% of the units built off-site using innovative construction methods such as factory-built housing.

Canada Infrastructure Bank

• In 2025, the Canada Infrastructure Bank committed $4.875 billion in loans for clean power, green infrastructure, public transit, trade and transportation, broadband and Indigenous infrastructure projects
• Since its inception, the CIB has invested $1.2 billion to support Indigenous infrastructure, which includes $100 million for natural gas well development in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region in Inuvik.

This year demonstrated our commitment to investing in communities, which is why Budget 2025 is guided by the conviction that Canada must remain a nation of builders – of infrastructure and innovation, of trust in public institutions, and of hope for generations to come. As we enter 2026, the Government of Canada will continue to work closely with our provincial, territorial, municipal, and Indigenous partners to build connected, liveable communities with the support of Build Canada Homes and investments through the Build Communities Strong Fund. 

Quotes

"The Government of Canada is making generational investments that will build our economy and make our communities stronger. We will empower Canadians by making life more affordable and ensuring every generation can get ahead."

The Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada

Quick Facts

• Launched on September 14, 2025, Build Canada Homes is Canada's new federal agency that will build and finance affordable housing at scale, while catalysing a more innovative housing industry and increasing its productivity
• With an initial investment of $13 billion over five years, Build Canada Homes will transform public-private collaboration and deploy modern methods of construction, as it catalyzes the creation of a more productive Canadian housing industry. It will leverage public lands, offer flexible financial incentives, attract private capital, facilitate large portfolio projects, and support modern manufacturers to build the homes that Canadians need.
• Announced in Budget 2025, the new Build Communities Strong Fund will invest $51 billion over 10 years, and $3 billion per year ongoing, to build and revitalize a wide range of local infrastructure across the country.
• Building on the Government's $32-billion investment in more than 2,500 public transit and active transportation projects across Canada, the permanent Canada Public Transit Fund is building core city infrastructure across the country, helping more people to benefit from living near public transit. This includes $5 billion over ten years in stable and predictable investments under the Baseline funding stream.

Associated Links

HICC funding programs
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/prog/index-eng.html 

CMHC funding programs
https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/professionals/project-funding-and-mortgage-financing/funding-programs 

Build Canada Homes
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/bch-mc/index-eng.html 

Canada's National Housing Strategy
https://housing-infrastructure.canada.ca/housing-logement/ptch-csd/index-eng.html 

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SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

Contacts: For more information (media only), please contact: Renée LeBlanc Proctor, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, [email protected]; Media Relations: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, 613-960-9251, Toll free: 1-877-250-7154, Email: [email protected]; Media Relations:Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]