HAMILTON, ON – As part of my commitment to increase the availability of affordable housing in our city, I invited Paul Calandra – Minister of Municipal to join me, and City of Hamilton staff from our Healthy and Safe Communities division, Planning and Economic Development division and the Housing Secretariat, to tour shovel-ready sites as identified through the Housing Secretariat’s Affordable Housing Application Stream.
The Housing Secretariat plays a key role in the comprehensive strategy, taking a ‘Whole of Hamilton’ approach that is focusing on creating safe, affordable, rental and ownership housing; which aligns directly with the City’s Housing Sustainability & Investment Roadmap (HSIR).
I want to thank Minister Calandra and his team for coming to Hamilton. I appreciate the time they spent with us today.
Adequate and affordable housing is one of the most pressing and urgent issues our city is facing. I hear this from Hamiltonians every single day, and in every part of the city. Further, as I’ve said repeatedly, and I will keep saying: housing is a human right. The creation of affordable and supportive housing is a priority. It is my priority, it is the City’s priority, and it is the province’s priority.
It was important for me to have Minister Calandra visit our city and tour sites that are shovel-ready and are awaiting capital dollars. We had the opportunity to provide a summary of the projects, including information about the type and number of units, along with the targeted population, which are awaiting capital dollars. In doing this, they will be well equipped as they return to their offices to make decisions to respond to our request for increased affordable housing funding from the province.
Ensuring we are building affordable housing reflects our commitment to the well-being of all Hamiltonians. I, along with City of Hamilton staff look forward to learning the next steps from the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.