Alberta government balks at conditions for new federal housing and infrastructure funding
CBC
The Alberta and federal governments are at odds over conditions attached to some new federal housing programs.
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland travel the country to announce nuggets in the April 16 federal budget designed to increase affordable housing, Alberta cabinet ministers are balking at some of the strings attached to secure that funding.
"This is another example of the federal government's long history of ignoring the province's jurisdiction and playing politics with important issues like housing," Alberta Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon said in a statement Wednesday.
Nixon alleges Ottawa has been cherry-picking investments in locations where the federal Liberals could retain or gain seats, rather than distributing it equitably across Canada.
In a virtual news conference on Wednesday, Nixon reiterated the provincial government's intention to table legislation preventing the feds from signing any agreements with municipalities without the province at the table. A similar law exists in Quebec.
Among the money the federal government has dedicated to tackling an affordable housing crisis across the country is a $6-billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund.
Municipalities could use the money to build or upgrade water, wastewater, stormwater and waste collection infrastructure in new or redeveloped neighbourhoods.
For provinces to access $5 billion of that money for municipalities, they must meet five criteria, including adopting upcoming changes to the national building code to create "accessible, affordable and climate-friendly housing options," according to a federal government news release.
Provinces must also require municipalities to allow construction of multi-unit housing, such as fourplexes, on residentially zoned land, and freeze development charges for three years in larger cities.
The provinces and territories must reach funding agreements with Ottawa by Jan. 1, 2025, to access the funding.
The federal government is also encouraging provinces and territories to ink matching agreements akin to the B.C. Builds program, which sees both levels of government pitch in for rental housing construction projects.
Freeland promoted the Canada Builds program at a news conference Wednesday in an Edmonton affordable housing complex funded by a federal apartment construction loan program.
At that news conference, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he supports the federal government "challenging municipalities to remove the barriers to housing."
Nixon doesn't see it that way.
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