Sudbury exceeds 2023 provincial housing targets

Sudbury exceeds provincial housing targets in 2023 Greater Sudbury has received $1.5 million in funding through the province's Building Faster Fund after hitting their 2023 housing targets.

The City of Greater Sudbury received $1.5 million on Friday morning to invest in housing and infrastructure.

The funding is coming from the province’s Building Faster Fund.

In a cheque presentation at city hall, Rob Flack, Ontario’s Associate Minister of Housing, explained why the government is investing in housing and infrastructure.

“We have got more people than ever in this province,” said Flack.

“Close to 15.5 million people now reside in Ontario. In 2022 alone 800,000 new Ontarians came to our province so we have to be able to everyone deserves a roof over their head.”

Sudbury received the provincial funding after exceeding its 2023 housing target established by the province breaking ground on 436 new housing units last year.

“As we know the vacancy rate in Sudbury is very low 1.6 per cent,” said Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre.

“We know the housing needs are crying right from the whole spectrum the whole continuum of housing needs from transitional to your regular bungalow.”

The provincial government said it is making investments in infrastructure to give municipalities the tools they need to increase the housing supply.

“It’s to be used for infrastructure,” said Flack.

“To get housing enabling infrastructure in the ground. Water waste water roads whatever it may be that is what is what this fund will go towards.”

Lefebvre admitted there is a lot of ground to cover and the city is dealing with aging infrastructure.

“The fact that all of our pipes and our roads is more than any other city in the province of Ontario right and the fact that it is an aging infrastructure as well,” he said.

“I am just talking about your basic traditional infrastructure and then there is the whole part about amenities our pools our arenas our fields and all of that gamut.”

This funding is available for the next two years and Lefebvre told CTV News that he is very optimistic the provincial housing target will be exceeded again in 2024.