Canadian Funding Corp Reviews CMHC Affordable Housing Reports

Moishe Alexander, August, 2009 – Trucks could be rolling into four Nova Scotia communities as early as this fall to break ground on affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

The Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister for the Atlantic Gateway and Nova Scotia Community Services Minister Denise Peterson-Rafuse announced today that almost 50 units of affordable rental housing will be built over the next year in Sydney, Port Hawkesbury, Middleton and Amherst.

The funding was made available as a result of a $128 million joint investment under the amended Canada – Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Program Agreement which includes equal funding through Canada’s Economic Action Plan and by the Government of Nova Scotia and through an extension to the Canada – Nova Scotia Housing Renovation Program Agreement.

“Our Conservative Government is committed to making affordable housing available in Nova Scotia and today’s announcement is good news for our province,” said Minister MacKay. “This investment creates much needed jobs, strengthens the economy, and improves the quality of life for Nova Scotians.”

“Making life better for Nova Scotians by increasing access to safe, affordable housing is one of our government’s top priorities,” said Ms. Peterson-Rafuse. “This new housing will allow more seniors and people with disabilities to remain independent.”

Province-wide requests for proposals will be issued starting this week, inviting contractors to submit proposals for the construction of the new units for seniors and persons with disabilities. Tenders will continue to be issued over the next several months.

About 26 independent living seniors’ units will be built in Sydney; Port Hawkesbury will get a barrier-free duplex; 15 seniors’ units, three of which will be barrier free, will be built in Middleton; and Amherst will get a seniors fourplex.

The new units are part of the amended agreement announced in April 2009, which will deliver $128 million for the construction and renovation of affordable housing throughout the province over the next two years. These four communities are the first round of new housing to be built in year one. Year two will see the construction of more units around the province.

“Nova Scotians in all regions of the province will see new and improved affordable housing,” said Ms. Petersen-Rafuse. “The projects will also create construction jobs.”

Roughly $20 million will be spent on the creation, renovation and upgrade of more than 2,600 social housing units in Cape Breton. Northern Nova Scotia will see about $10 million used for the same purposes on about 1,300 social housing units. Central Nova Scotia will get approximately $50 million for the creation, renovation and upgrade of approximately 3,700 units and around $16 million will be invested in more than 1,800 social housing units in the Western region.

In total approximately 180 housing units for seniors and people with disabilities in Nova Scotia will be created and renovations and energy upgrades will be done to over 9,200 individual social housing units.

The remaining $32 million of the $128 million will go towards continued funding for existing provincial repair programs and affordable housing made possible through partnerships with private developers and non-profits.

More than 1,200 affordable housing units in Nova Scotia have already been created or preserved under the Canada – Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Program.

Last fall, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over the next five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless. Canada’s Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing and lending of up to another $2 billion to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure.

Nova Scotia Affordable Housing Study
Video provided by Moishe Alexander for Canadian Funding Corp

I’m pleased to join with you today as we announce the launch of the Tipi Mitawa Aboriginal Homeownership Pilot Program.

This unique partnership will allow First Nations people living in urban centres in Manitoba to have a greater opportunity to own their homes and improve their lives.

Tipi Mitawa First Nations have demonstrated their commitment towards their people through this program. Everyone here today can appreciate the benefits of market-based housing, and how it will improve the lives of families across Canada.

Through its financial support, our government is working with the province of Manitoba to address immediate housing pressures faced by Aboriginal people living off-reserve. This is only one of the many ways in which we are taking action to address the challenges confronted by Aboriginal Canadians so that they can enjoy a better quality of life.

In Budget 2006, our government made an investment of $1.4 billion in housing trusts for affordable housing, northern housing and housing for Aboriginal people living off-reserve. Of this amount, over $61.5 million was allocated to Manitoba and Tipi Mitawa will benefit from this funding today.

The Government of Canada is committed to making affordable housing more available for Aboriginal families in Manitoba and across Canada. This initiative will make more homes available for First Nations people living in Manitoba’s cities and serve as a model for First Nations communities across the country who are looking for new ways to help their members enjoy greater access to homeownership.

We are doing so much more in communities across this province. Through the Canada – Manitoba Affordable Housing Program, more than $36 million has been allocated to create more affordable housing.

We also provide approximately $2 billion a year in housing assistance to support some 630,000 households across the country. For the people of Manitoba, this means more than $122 million annually, in support of some 41,350 households.

This funding will be an investment for the people of Manitoba for years to come.

In a few moments, we will hear from a special guest — Alisha Bigelow. Alisha is the first applicant and she will share with us what today’s announcement will mean for her and her two children. And that’s why the Tipi Mitawa Pilot Program is so important.

Posted by Moishe Alexander CEO of the Canadian Funding Corp.

Read more HERE

Part of my conversation with Garry Wise the other day included a discussion about: what to do with the Ontario Reports which every lawyer in Ontario receives on a weekly basis from the Law Society of Upper Canada?  As a new lawyer, I’ve been keeping them with the belief that they may have something useful one day.  Older and wiser lawyers have even told me that I should read up on the cases in my practice area as they will sharpen my skills and I may have to refer to them in the future.  But, truth be told, why is the Law Society of Upper Canada killing so many trees by not simply making the O.R.s digitally accessible?  Perhaps, as Garry Wise suggested in our conversation, an e-mail should be sent out to lawyers on a weekly or monthly basis with all the information we need succinctly organized in a few sentences and with links to the main article somewhere on the Law Society’s website?  I came across a recent blog by Ted Tjaden on Slaw that discusses that very same subject matter.   His post was also featured in the Law Times.  Perhaps the revenue that comes from advertising in print form won’t be as much in electronic format?  Perhaps the print form guarantees that all lawyers receive it, whereas the electronic version may not be accessible to all?   My take on this is: if and when I’m looking for it, I’ll find it online.  As such, I’m going to recycle the shelves of O.R.s I’ve been collecting under the mistaken assumption that I should be keeping them.  Goodbye clutter; hello digital age.  I encourage you to do the same.

Just for fun, I came up with this spoof on the Ontario Reports.  Enjoy…

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http://dynamiclawyers.com/DL_blog/ontario-reports-parody/17/

reviewed by Moishe Alexander, CEO of canadian funding corp