Posted by Moishe Alexander
The Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of North Bay today celebrated an official opening and ground breaking of two new affordable rental projects. The projects are supported by $380,000 in funding through the Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program.
Cheryl Gallant, Member of Parliament for Renfrew – Nipissing – Pembroke, 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), the Honourable Monique Smith, Ontario’s Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Member of Provincial Parliament for Nipissing, on behalf of Jim Bradley, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; Victor Fedeli, Mayor of the City of North Bay; and George Jupp, Chair of the District of Nipissing Social Services Administrative Board (DNSSAB) made the announcement.
“Our government is committed to giving a hand up to Canadians who need some help,” said MP Cheryl Gallant. “In these tough economic times, Canada’s Economic Action Plan is providing Canadians with the opportunities, skills, jobs and help they need so they can contribute and strengthen our communities.”
“Ontario is committed to helping people who live on lower or fixed incomes stay in their home communities,” said Nipissing MPP Monique Smith. “These 16 new affordable rental units are going to make a positive difference to the families living here, and an excellent addition to the community.”
Today’s announcement celebrates the official opening of The Pines at 2469 Trout Lake Road, and the groundbreaking of Cam’s Place at 240 Kingsway Avenue East. The Pines is a 12-unit project sponsored by the Girard-Johnson group, and is occupied by families living on low to moderate incomes. Cam’s Place is a four-unit project for persons with disabilities, and is sponsored by Lorraine Venasse, Sonia Vigna, and Lynda Ceppetelli.
“We know that we need 1,000 affordable homes in the area, and the opening of the new facility on Trout Lake Road is part of 117 units we committed to last year. This is the only example in Ontario where the feds, the province, and the municipalities came together to make it happen”, said North Bay Mayor Victor Fedeli. He added, “The Girard units are a wonderful addition to the city – they are the new face of Affordable housing.” (TBC)
“This is our second successful affordable housing project developed through a private-public partnership with Mr. Girard. The DNSSAB is delighted to be at the table and contributing to increasing the supply of affordable housing in North Bay,” said Chair George Jupp. “The need for supportive housing in our community has never been greater. Cam’s Place is a unique homeownership model that will ensure that these boys will always have a place to call home that is safe and affordable.” (TBC)
“I would like to thank the Federal and Provincial governments and the City of North Bay for their incentive on this project. Without financial help this would not have been possible. I hope that the Canada Ontario Affordable Housing program will continue as North Bay is still in need of many more units like these,” said Ron Girard, proponent for The Pines.
“This home will provide our family with the peace of mind that Bryan will have a place to live in a neighbourhood within the community and with his friends in a family setting,” said Cam Ceppetelli, one of the sponsors of the project.
The Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement comprises a commitment of $301 million from each of the two senior levels of government. In total, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will invest at least $734 million in the program, which will provide affordable housing for up to 20,000 households in Ontario.
In 2008, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over the next five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless. Canada’s Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing and lending of up to another $2 billion to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure. Combined for Ontario, this means a further $1.2 billion joint investment under the amended Canada – Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement. The federal and provincial governments are contributing equally to this overall investment.