New Affordable Housing Coming to Wallaceburg

Government of Canada Logo (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC))

Government of Ontario Logo (CNW Group/Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC))

WALLACEBURG, ON, July 7, 2026 /CNW/ - To provide Canadians with increased access to affordable and sustainable housing, the Governments of Canada and Ontario announced over $6.7 million in combined funding through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) and the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) to build 50 new affordable units in Wallaceburg.

Located at 199 Westcourt Boulevard, the project will transform a vacant, municipally-owned site into a 72-unit mixed-income housing development, comprised of 50 affordable units funded through OPHI and COCHI and 22 market-rate units.

Designed as an intergenerational community, the project will support residents of all ages by offering a range of unit sizes, enabling families and seniors to age in place while encouraging social connections across generations. The development includes fully accessible common areas, with 20% of the units being accessible. It exceeds energy-efficiency standards with significant reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions and is conveniently located near parkland, public transit, and essential amenities such as grocery stores.

The announcement was made by Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to the Honourable Rob Flack, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, alongside Steve Pinsonneault, Member of Provincial Parliament for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, and Darrin Canniff, Mayor of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

Solving Canada's housing crisis requires immediate action to bring down costs. Central to this work, the Government of Canada has launched Build Canada Homes, which is helping increase the pace of affordable homebuilding. Build Canada Homes is also helping fight homelessness by building transitional and supportive housing -- working with provinces, territories, municipalities, and Indigenous communities. It is building deeply affordable and community housing for low-income households and partnering with private market developers to build affordable homes for the Canadian middle class. As part of the Government of Canada's broader efforts to respond to the housing crisis, investments are being made across the housing continuum to meet the needs of communities across Canada.

Quotes:

"Our Government is committed to helping communities develop local solutions to housing need. This project will provide more safe, affordable homes for the residents of Wallaceburg. It's also another step forward in building an economy that serves everyone." – Marilyn Gladu, Member of Parliament for Sarnia--Lambton--Bkejwanong

"Our government will continue protecting Ontario by working with partners at all levels to advance practical solutions, tailored to local needs. The 50 units supported through COCHI and OPHI will make a substantial difference in the lives of residents once complete, and we look forward to creating the conditions for more success stories like this to take place." – The Honourable Rob Flack, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

"Together with our federal and municipal partners, we are delivering Wallaceburg's first new community housing project in decades. This investment will help create new homes, support local priorities, and ensure more families have access to safe, affordable housing. Our government will continue to protect Ontario by strengthening communities and creating more affordable housing opportunities where they are needed most." – Matthew Rae, Parliamentary Assistant to Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing

"Our government is increasing the supply of housing and ensuring more Ontarians have access to a safe, affordable place to call home. This investment is an important step forward for Wallaceburg, helping strengthen the community, support local growth, and create new opportunities for residents and families for years to come. I'm proud to see this project moving forward and look forward to the positive impact it will have on the community." – Steve Pinsonneault, Member of Provincial Parliament for Lambton-Kent-Middlesex

"This investment is about more than building homes, it's about building a stronger future for Wallaceburg and Chatham-Kent. By transforming this vacant municipal property into a vibrant mixed-income neighbourhood, we're creating more affordable housing opportunities for families, seniors, and individuals while supporting a healthy, connected community. Thank you to the Governments of Canada and Ontario for partnering with us to help address one of our community's greatest priorities. Together, we're creating more housing options and ensuring more residents have a place they can proudly call home."  – Darrin Canniff, Mayor, Municipality of Chatham-Kent

Quick Facts:

• The National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10+ year, $115+ billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home. Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) website. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed. 
  • As of March 2026 the federal government has committed $82.28 billion to support the creation of over 199,000 units and the repair of over 344,200 units. These measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence.
  • NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private housing sectors. This includes consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, and people with lived experience of housing need.
• The Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) is a funding initiative delivered as part of the Canada-Ontario Bilateral Agreement under the National Housing Strategy. The Governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed approximately $378 million in OPHI funding over ten years, for a total of $756 million, to protect, renew, and expand affordable housing, while advancing Ontario's priorities related to repair, new construction, and affordability.
• The Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) is a funding initiative under the Canada-Ontario Bilateral Agreement. The funding helps repair, regenerate and expand community housing, as well as provide rental assistance to those living in social and affordable housing. It can also be used to support community housing providers whose original program arrangements are expiring.
• In March 2026, the Governments of Canada and Ontario signed the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build in support of the shared goals of boosting housing supply, advancing key transit projects, and strengthening economic growth. Under this new partnership, the Governments of Canada and Ontario will cost-match a total of $8.8 billion over 10 years to support housing-enabling infrastructure projects in Ontario, and the funding will be prioritized for municipalities that reduce and maintain reductions on development charges. This marks the federal government's first partnership through the Build Communities Strong Fund.
• The Building Faster Fund (BFF) is a three-year, up to $1.2 billion program funded by the Province of Ontario that helps municipalities build more homes faster. The fund rewards municipalities that make significant progress toward their housing targets by providing funding for the infrastructure needed to support new housing and growing communities, including affordable housing. To date, the Municipality of Chatham-Kent has been awarded $1,320,000 through the Building Faster Fund.
• Funding provided for 199 Westcourt Boulevard is as follows:
  • $6,357,360 from the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative.
  • $441,845 from the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative.
  • $440,000 from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, using funding awarded through Ontario's Building Faster Fund.

Additional Information:

• Visit canada.ca/housing for the most-requested Government of Canada housing information. 
• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) is a federal Crown corporation and the foundation of Canada's housing system. For over 80 years, CMHC has supported the functioning of housing markets across the country through housing finance solutions -- including mortgage loan insurance and securitization -- while providing trusted, unbiased data, research and market intelligence to inform policy and decision making. Through its national presence, deep expertise in housing economics and finance, and a system-wide perspective, CMHC helps foster a more stable, well-functioning housing market that supports households, communities and the broader economy.
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• Ontario recently passed the Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026  to help speed up the construction of new homes and infrastructure by streamlining development processes, modernizing planning rules and reducing costs, in partnership with municipalities.  
• For more information on affordable housing in Ontario, visit ontario.ca/affordablehousing or follow us on X. 

SOURCE Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Contacts: Arianna Durgerian, Office of the Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, [email protected]; Media Relations, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, [email protected]; Michael Minzak, Office of Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, [email protected]