Andrew Heaton’s Post

🚀 Exciting News for Municipalities across Canada 🏗️ Today, the federal government of Canada announced a new $6-billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund aimed at tackling the housing crisis. What we love is the emphasis on the construction and upgrading of essential infrastructure, including water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste systems. This is a challenge we've heard ALOT of our clients and partners speak about, and it's nice to see some action. With $1 billion dedicated to municipalities for urgent infrastructure needs, the opportunity for impactful and sustainable development that goes beyond the immediate housing crisis is immense. BUT, there's a lot of areas where this could go wrong. If projects are rushed, communities could be left with infrastructure that's not resilient, fails to meet future needs, has unsustainable maintenance costs, or is just flat out poorly planned. Let's make sure these projects start on solid ground and work together to build a future where housing is accessible, and infrastructure meets the needs of our growing communities. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/dRzd6Ac2 #HousingCrisis #InfrastructureInvestment #MunicipalDevelopment #dependbuild

“Build it and they [the developers] will come”… There’s no doubt that infrastructure is a key barrier to unlocking more housing, especially in Nova Scotia.  Today, Dartmouth was the backdrop of some significant national funding announcements. Amongst the continued Housing Accelerator policy work sweeping across the country and $6B in funding announcements, the upcoming building code reforms, and pre-qualified development concepts (akin to the post-war housing boom) will continue to keep housing as a key topic of discussion around the table.  The federal government, with its new Canadian Housing Infrastructure Fund, will require the province and municipalities to quickly adapt and cooperate to tap into much-needed housing-related infrastructure dollars. https://lnkd.in/grmz_r4X

Can Ireland Build 250,000 Homes Without the Basic Infrastructure? 🏗️ Ian Lawlor, Managing Director, Roundtower Capital (A Lotus IG company) - Secure Irish Development Funding gives his opinion in an article published in The Irish Times today. With Budget day tomorrow, the question must be asked - Can Taoiseach Simon Harris's ambitious pledge to deliver 250,000 homes over the next five years become a reality without the necessary infrastructure in place? Building homes without power, water, and essential services isn't just unrealistic—it’s impossible. Delays in utility connections are causing serious disruptions across the country, with long waits for electricity and water stalling projects and pushing budgets to unsustainable levels. A recent report from the SCSI - Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland revealed that these connection delays are undermining the financial viability of many housing schemes and worsening Ireland’s housing supply drought. As the population surges, with the largest 12-month increase since 2008, the pressure is mounting. For housebuilders and buyers alike, the lack of forward planning is becoming more than just an inconvenience—it’s creating deep uncertainty in the market. Without power, water, schools, transport, and other essential services, how can we expect these homes to support thriving communities? #IrelandHousingCrisis #BudgetDay #RoundtowerCapital #DevelopersChallenges https://lnkd.in/e5KiZjKs

Aimed at supporting the cost of #building infrastructure for new residential density and population growth, the Government of Canada has announced the new $6 billion Canada #Housing Infrastructure Fund – via ReNew Canada

The federal government began accepting applications for the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund this week. To be eligible, applicants have to: 1. Adopt multiplex zoning. 2. Implement a three-year freeze on DCC rate increases. It will be interesting to see which municipalities (and regional governments) apply. Full details here: #realestate #housing #development #construction #infrastructure #canada

Federal government unveils billions in new infra, housing funding to push for faster, and more dense, housing construction. But there are strings attached for the provinces, territories and municipalities. #cre #crecanada #realestate #newhomes #housing #funding #canada

Housing density falls under local/municipal jurisdiction. Local politicians are always stuck with NIMBY constituents, community support and the prospects of reelection. Like most federal government schemes, this one will likely fail miserably. If the feds want to move the needle on new housing builds, they can easily eliminate the GST/HST on all new construction builds. Even if only temporarily for 3-5 years and observe the results. This governments obsession with optics over substance is why we're in this housing crisis. They didn't create it, but they certainly made it worst.

The Government of Canada has announced the new $6 billion Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund to help support the cost of building infrastructure that supports new residential density and population growth, reported Daily Hive. "This will go towards critical utilities infrastructure projects such as water supplies, sewerage pipes and treatment, stormwater catchment pipes, and solid waste infrastructure, announced Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a press conference today. But there is a big catch." "Although municipal and regional governments are largely the cost bearers of such critical infrastructure, the vast majority of the $6 billion will go to the provincial governments initially before being distributed to local and municipal governments. With the provincial governments holding onto $5 billion, the municipal governments will receive $1 billion to help support any urgent infrastructure needs towards supporting more housing." https://lnkd.in/dZSau7-d #canada #residential #development

“Yes, Canada needs more housing, but to realize this goal, we need the necessary infrastructure — the water lines, streets, sewers, storm drains, and all the other essential municipal services — that make new homes possible.” Mary W. Rowe Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) report, "A Jump Start: Providing Infrastructure for More Housing," finds that the estimated cost of housing-enabling infrastructure across Canada averages over $100,000 per new home. Considering Canada’s housing targets, the report suggests there are likely hundreds of billions of dollars required to fund the housing-enabling infrastructure needed across the country. “Municipalities often face challenges financing the critical infrastructure they need to help unlock new housing developments, whether they are relying on municipal debt, property taxes, utility rates, government grants or levies on developers.” Ehren Cory Canada Infrastructure Bank/ Banque de l'infrastructure du Canada #infrastructure #housing https://lnkd.in/gmp_iF7H.

Interesting article related to the impacts of the development fee increase being discussed. If the federal funding is an option that we can expect would materialize down the road, the city's Debenture Committee could propose a debenture to cover the cost of the infrastructure improvements until the funds are received from the federal government instead of leaning on development fees. This is a common strategy for municipalities wanting to keep capital projects moving forward while waiting for funding. Is this not the best of both worlds? #ottawa #development https://lnkd.in/gCbSmsbV