If you wanted to solve Canada’s housing problem, the city of London, Ont. — where Liberal MPs are meeting this week ahead of Parliament’s fall sitting — would be a good place to start.

“The challenges facing London are indicative of some of the challenges that we experience in cities across this country,” Housing Minister Sean Fraser said on Wednesday, standing in front of a construction site to announce the first investment from the federal government’s housing accelerator fund.

In his own remarks, London Mayor Josh Morgan said was good for the Liberal caucus to see “an example of both the opportunities and the challenges that a city like London showcases [and] is replicated in many cities across this country.”

The federal funding touted on Wednesday amounts to $74 million in exchange for the city’s agreement to pursue a series of measures, including a change to local zoning rules that should make it easier to build more rental units. According to federal and municipal officials, the joint action will create 2,000 housing units over the next three years and help build “thousands” more in the years after.

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CBC News
September 14, 2023