ACEC-Canada praises new infrastructure fund

The Association of Consulting Engineering Companies – Canada (ACEC-Canada) says it is encouraged by yesterday’s announcement of $6 billion in federal funding for the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund, which will support municipalities in the construction and upgrading of essential infrastructure, including wastewater, stormwater and solid waste systems.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the creation of the fund while in Dartmouth, N.S., on Apr. 2. Beyond the first $1 billion for urgent infrastructure needs, the municipalities’ respective provincial and territorial governments will need to accept specific conditions to access support:

• Require municipalities to broadly adopt four units as-of-right and allow more ‘missing middle’ homes, including duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, and other multi-unit residential buildings (MURBs).
• Implement a three-year freeze on increasing development charges from current levels for municipalities with a population greater than 300,000.
• Adopt forthcoming changes to the National Building Code (NBC) to support more accessible, affordable and sustainable housing options.
• Require as-of-right construction for the government’s upcoming Housing Design Catalogue.
• Implement measures from the Home Buyers’ Bill of Rights and Renters’ Bill of Rights.

Provinces will have until Jan. 1, 2025, and territories until Apr. 1, 2025, to secure an agreement. If they do not, their infrastructure funding allocation will be transferred to the municipal stream.

“We need more affordable homes and we need the infrastructure to help build these homes,” Trudeau said. “This is about fairness, making sure communities have the safe, quality housing they need to get ahead.”

“Supportive infrastructure—including water and wastewater systems, electrical grids, roadways and transit systems—is what turns houses into homes,” says John Gamble, president and CEO of ACEC. “This will help municipalities take full advantage of the federal government’s housing-focused funding—such as the Housing Accelerator Fund—to build strong communities.”

ACEC-Canada says it anticipates additional insights into the operational mechanics of the funding process and a clearer understanding of eligibility criteria when the federal government presents its 2024 budget on Apr. 16. In the meantime, it continues to urge the government to address long-term requirements through additional measures, such as the first National Infrastructure Assessment, ‘Building the Canada We Want in 2050.’