Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pressuring Canada’s provinces to remove barriers to building more housing, including requiring them to freeze municipal development charges and allow up to four units on every lot.
Trudeau announced his government will provide CA$5 billion ($3.7 billion) in new infrastructure funding for provinces, but only if they sign an agreement by Jan. 1, 2025, to make certain reforms to allow for increased housing supply.
But as Trudeau’s government sinks in the polls, the prime minister is attempting to relieve Canada’s sky-high housing prices by boosting construction — and to put the spotlight back on provincial and municipal governments, which control most of the direct policy levers on housing.
Infrastructure money will be earmarked for “critical housing infrastructure” such as water, wastewater, storm water, and solid waste infrastructure, the news release said.
To qualify , provinces will have to agree to “key actions” that include requiring cities to approve four units as-of-right, implementing a three-year freeze on increasing development charges in larger cities, and adopting changes to the national building code to support more housing options.
