Ottawa unveils five federal properties for affordable housing development
“We believe, across the 56, that we could get into the tens of thousands,” he said. “I hesitate to put a benchmark out there just to avoid the possibility that it creates anything other than the highest possible expectation for those lands.”
The federal government has announced that five properties, including military bases and a former National Film Board headquarters in Montreal, will soon be open for proposals from developers interested in converting them into affordable housing.
These sites are part of a new public land bank launched on Sunday, which includes 56 federal properties across Canada. The government aims to lease these lands long-term to developers as part of its strategy to boost the national housing supply.
Developers have until the end of the year to submit proposals and expressions of interest for the five sites.
Ahead of a three-day Liberal cabinet retreat in Halifax, Housing Minister Sean Fraser stated on Sunday that the initial five properties could potentially support thousands of housing units, depending on the plans proposed by interested builders. However, he did not specify an exact number.
"We believe, across the 56, that we could get into the tens of thousands," Fraser said. "I hesitate to put a benchmark out there just to avoid creating anything other than the highest possible expectation for those lands."
Collectively, the 56 properties cover 305 hectares, an area equivalent to about 2,000 hockey rinks, according to a release from the housing department.
In June, The Globe and Mail published an analysis revealing 613 underutilized federal land parcels in Canadian cities and towns, large enough to potentially create 288,000 housing units for nearly 750,000 people. The analysis also identified 154 taller buildings near housing that could be considered for residential conversions or development in their large parking lots.
For decades, Ottawa has either left this land underutilized or sold it to the highest bidder to reduce debt and balance budgets. However, the government's spring budget proposed developing housing on "every possible" piece of federal real estate.
Fraser indicated that additional properties will be added to the land bank in the coming months. "This is not something we intend to sit on," he said. "You should expect to see, over the course of the fall, additional properties listed on the public land bank."
The disposal of federal land is also a key part of the housing strategy proposed by Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre. Poilievre has suggested selling off 15 per cent of federally owned buildings to make room for affordable housing.
In a statement on Sunday, Conservative housing critic Scott Aitchison criticized the government for taking nine years since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s initial promise to build homes on federal land to identify a few parcels. He added that it would take years more to actually build anything on these sites.
Fraser criticized the Conservative plan, arguing that simply selling the land to the highest bidder would not guarantee affordable housing.
"My message to people who are interested is to actually look at what the government is proposing to do, look at what different politicians are proposing to do, and make your own honest assessment," Fraser said.
