By Canadian Press

Federal housing council calls for budget funding for urban, rural Indigenous

Mar 31, 2022 | 8:04 AM

OTTAWA — A federal housing council says the government should invest at least $6.3 billion over this year and next to deal with the immediate housing needs of Indigenous Peoples living in urban, rural and northern communities.

The National Housing Council’s report says the two-year spend would help boost the stock of housing serving Indigenous Peoples living in cities and towns, renovate and repair what is already available, and set aside funding for a body to manage the program.

The report says the spending could also buy the government two years to craft a longer-term strategy to house urban Indigenous Peoples and close a wide affordability gap for that part of the population.

It is less clear how much a long-term strategy could cost.

The council’s report cites data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. that suggests $4.3 billion per year for 10 years, and a consultant’s report for the council that pegged the annual cost at $5.6 billion per year.

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Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will release the 2022 budget next week amid hopes from advocates that the government will finally outline a plan the Liberals first promised in 2019, and more recently cited as the missing piece of the national housing strategy. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 31, 2022.

The Canadian Press