Posted by Moishe Alexander
The Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario today announced that three social housing projects in the City of Toronto will receive support for repairs and renovations over the next two years.
Repairs will include the replacement of windows and balconies, installation of energy efficient lights and carbon monoxide sensors and the replacement of appliances in the following buildings:
* Les Centres d’Accueil Heritage at 33 Hahn Place, $1.1 million.
* Toronto Community Housing Corporation at 30 and 40 Teesdale Place, $2 million.
* Mimico Co-op at 1 Summerhill Road, $403,300.
The $3.5 million investment is part of a notional allocation of more than $220 million for the City of Toronto to repair and retrofit existing local social housing units over the next two years.
The funding was made available as a result of a $1.2 billion joint investment under the amended Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement, which includes funding through Canada’s Economic Action Plan and by the Government of Ontario. The federal and provincial governments are contributing equally to this overall investment.
Lois Brown, Member of Parliament for Newmarket – Aurora, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and George Smitherman, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure and Member of Provincial Parliament for Toronto Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Watson, Ontario Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, made the announcement today.
“This funding will improve the quality of life for residents by upgrading their homes and keeping them affordable,” said MP Brown. “These investments also benefit our communities by creating jobs and supporting the local economy.”
“These repairs are another step towards improving social housing in Toronto,” said MPP Smitherman. “This new funding will help ensure that people living in social housing have a safe and reliable place to live. Ontarians deserve nothing less.”
“This is very good news for the City of Toronto and is in keeping with our efforts to create a city that is liveable and prosperous for all residents,” said Toronto Mayor David Miller. “Through Council’s Housing Opportunities Toronto Action Plan, we will continue to work with Provincial and Federal partners in order to continue to upgrade and improve housing in the city.”
Ontario is moving quickly to invest a total of $704 million to repair eligible social housing across the province. In an effort to get shovels in the ground quickly, projects must be committed by the end of the fiscal years 2010 and 2011.