Families, individuals, and vulnerable Canadians in need of an affordable home can count on long-term funding for community housing in Yukon thanks to an agreement signed today by the federal and territorial governments.
The Honourable Larry Bagnell, Member of Parliament for Yukon, on behalf of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Canada’s Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, and the Honourable Pauline Frost, Minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation, announced today they have reached a bilateral agreement under the National Housing Strategy. This cost-shared agreement demonstrates a joint commitment to prioritize affordable housing.
The 10-year agreement will invest nearly $60 million to protect, renew and expand social and community housing and support Yukon’s priorities related to housing repair, construction, and affordability. The governments of Canada and Yukon will also work together to design and implement a new Canada Housing Benefit for the territory to provide affordability support to families and individuals in need of housing.
This progressive housing agreement commits the governments of Canada and Yukon to high standards of transparency, public engagement, and housing quality, including improved energy efficiency and accessibility. The agreement also acknowledges the importance of prioritizing people most in need, incorporating a human rights-based approach to housing, and applying a gender lens to all investments.
The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that every Canadian has a safe and affordable place to call home. Long-term, predictable funding for housing has been needed for more than a decade. Today, with the Yukon government, we have taken a significant step toward our goal of building strong communities where Canadian families can prosper and thrive, now and for the future. Our Government will continue working in partnership with Yukon and other provinces and territories towards a 15 per cent expansion in new affordable housing units and renewing 20 per cent of existing community housing units across the country.
Member of Parliament for Yukon Larry Bagnell
This is a significant funding agreement that will ensure we can provide Yukoners with safe, affordable and accessible homes that meet their needs. We are committed to working with our partners to tackle housing issues and provide Yukoners with adequate housing while respecting unique circumstances in each community in the territory.
Minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation Pauline Frost
The $59.92 million investment includes $41.96 million from the Government of Canada and $17.96 million from the Government of Yukon.
These investments are in addition to $28.5 million of previous federal housing investments in Yukon through the Social Housing Agreement over the next 10 years. The combined investments under the National Housing Strategy bilateral agreement will include new construction and the preservation of at least 543 existing community housing units in Yukon.
In addition to the $59.92 million investment a minimum of $40 million will be committed to build and repair community and affordable housing in Yukon through the $13.2 billion National Housing Co-Investment Fund,
The National Housing Strategy (NHS) is an ambitious 10-year, $40-billion plan that will reduce or eliminate 530,000 families from housing need across Canada, create 100,000 new housing units, as well as repair and renew more than 300,000 housing units and reduce chronic homelessness by 50 per cent.
The 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.
All NHS investments delivered by the federal, provincial and territorial governments will respect the key principles of the NHS that support partnerships, people and communities.
Yukon will develop and publish three-year action plans, beginning in 2019-2020, setting targets and outlining how it will use federal and cost-matched funding to achieve the desired outcomes.
Since Budget 2016 the federal government has invested more than $24 million in housing in Yukon.
Janine Workman
Cabinet Communications
867-393-7449
janine.workman@gov.yk.ca
Valérie Glazer
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Duclos
819-654-5546
valerie.glazer@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Sarah Murray
Communications, Yukon Housing Corporation
867-334-8712
sarah.murray@gov.yk.ca
Gabriel Teo
CMHC
(604) 376-4622
gteo@cmhc.ca