Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have announced a new partnership between the federal and provincial governments, aiming to build more affordable homes, infrastructure, and transit, and to generate careers in the skilled trades.
In a news release, Ford called the new collaboration “transformational for Ontario and Canada, delivering new homes, transit and infrastructure and supporting hundreds of thousands of good-paying jobs for Ontario workers.”
In collaboration with the federal government, Ontario recently announced an initiative to expand its harmonized sales tax (HST) rebate in an effort to make new homes more affordable.
Canada’s and Ontario’s agreement includes $8.8 billion in federal and provincial funding over 10 years for housing-enabling infrastructure investments for the province’s municipalities that lower and maintain low development charges.
“We’re tackling the housing crisis from every angle – so we can build up housing supply and bring down costs for Canadians,” Carney said in the news release.
“Our government’s key investments in infrastructure and housing will help remove barriers to homebuilding and home ownership,” added Gregor Robertson, federal minister of housing and infrastructure and minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada.
Transit initiatives
According to the leaders, the new partnership seeks to progress transit infrastructure projects to help people reduce travel time and access their jobs and housing.
Specifically, according to the prime minister’s and the Ontario premier’s news releases, the following are some of the projects subject to the federal and provincial governments’ new collaboration:
- Waterfront East transit line: Along with the City of Toronto, Canada and Ontario will split costs three ways for work on the transit line acting as Toronto’s eastern waterfront, including the East Bayfront and Port Lands. The governments expect the line to serve over 150,000 individuals, permit more than 50,000 trips daily, and enable 75,000 housing units.
- GO 2.0: Canada and Ontario have committed to helping boost passenger service along freight-owned corridors throughout the Greater Golden Horseshoe region.
- ALTO High-Speed Rail: Canada and Ontario will plan and progress this initiative, which could link millions of residents along the Toronto–Quebec City corridor.
- Five priority transit projects in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area: Federal contribution agreements will help advance work on the Ontario Line, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Yonge North Subway Extension, and the Hamilton Light Rail Transit.
While advancing these projects, the Canadian and Ontario governments plan to prioritize domestic suppliers, content, and materials via the country’s new Buy Canadian policy. This way, the federal and provincial governments expect to increase domestic demand, safeguard the nation’s workers and industries, stabilize supply chains, and strengthen the economy.