Federal government commits to build 260 new homes in Toronto

Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen speaks to reports on July 8. (CTV News Toronto)

The federal government committed to building an estimated 260 new homes in Toronto Friday morning.

Eighty-six will be set at “affordable rates,” the government said.

The announcement, made by federal Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion Ahmed Hussen, alongside Davenport MP Julie Dzerowicz, Etobicoke-Lakeshore MP James Maloney, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Deputy Mayor Ana Bailão, is part of an estimated $105.5 million commitment made by the government in conjunction with the federal Rapid Housing Initiative (RHI).

“These new homes will provide stability and safety to their residents and are another way our National Housing Strategy is ensuring no one is left behind,” Hussen said at Friday’s press conference.

The homes are set to be built at seven different project locations, including:

• 136 Kingston Road, ($9.5 million)
• 525 Markham Road, ($26.6 million)
• 25 Augusta Avenue, ($12.5 million)
• 60 Bowden Street, ($19.8 million)
• 150 Eighth Street, ($31 million)
• 1120 Ossington Avenue, ($4.5 million)
• 1080 Queen Street East, ($1.6 million)

The government said the units are expected to be constructed within 12 months of funding being provided, “with some exceptions.”

In April 2021, the federal government announced it was earmarking $72 million to build 220 new homes at the city’s Birchmount Green project.

The RHI is a $2.5 billion program under the federal government's National Housing Strategy (NHS) procured in an effort to "help address urgent housing needs of vulnerable Canadians through the rapid construction of over 10,000 units of affordable housing."