More housing coming with Winnipeg’s cash injection, but will it be affordable?

With $122 million from the federal government, the City of Winnipeg said it will invest in programs expected to fast-track 3,000 new housing units, including 900 affordable units.

The city of Winnipeg’s housing market is getting a $122-million boost, but experts say the need for more affordable housing is still not being met.

Winnipeg said the funds come from the federal government’s housing accelerator fund, and will go into incentives and programs expected to fast-track more than 3,000 new housing units, including 900 affordable units.

In order to get the money, the city had to make changes to its zoning rules. Jino Distasio, an urban geography professor at the University of Winnipeg, said those changes are good news for new development.

“First phase of those 900, we’ll see how the market responds to changes in zoning, (and) how we can create and intensify areas of the city where we might not have seen that much activity.”

The changes include allowing denser housing near transit routes and faster approvals for development.

“We all have to remember (that) yes, we can build housing, ” Distasio said. “But we have to make sure that families and households can afford that housing.”

Christina Maes Nino, executive director for the Manitoba Non-Profit Housing Association, said that while “Manitoba is pretty stable and is actually working well for the majority of Winnipeggers,” there are still gaps that need filling and that 900 units “will not be enough.”

She said she’s optimistic, though, because “it will be more than what’s been done in a long time.”