Trudeau announces housing agreement with Vaughan under national housing accelerator

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government has reached an agreement with Vaughan, Ont., to fast-track the building of more than 1,700 new housing units.

Trudeau says the government will also incentivize thousands more homes over the next three years.

The agreement with Vaughan has been made under the national housing accelerator fund, a $4-billion program first announced in the spring 2022 federal budget, but for which applications weren't accepted until July.

The federal government says the agreement will provide more than $59 million to Vaughan to eliminate barriers to building housing.

Trudeau says it will allow for high-density development near public transit, prioritize building apartments and affordable housing, and fix outdated permitting systems.

He says Vaughan will also be amending a zoning bylaw to to allow up to four residential units to be built on one lot.

Last month, the city of London, Ont., became the first in Canada to sign a deal under the national housing accelerator fund.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 5, 2023.