VANCOUVER 鈥� sa国际传媒's finance minister says it鈥檚 not the federal government鈥檚 job to build all the houses Canadians need, but it will try to remove roadblocks with a $4-billion fund earmarked to help boost housing construction announced in the budget.聽
Chrystia Freeland told the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade on Wednesday that some of the funding will be used to work with provinces, territories and local governments to determine what鈥檚 stopping more homes from being built and create the right incentives.聽
Freeland says there are many technical challenges across the country, including an example she found 鈥渆nraging鈥� when she first learned of it.聽
She says many municipalities have systems that don鈥檛 allow them to issue permits as quickly as they鈥檇 like because they are using paper rather than digital approvals.聽
Freeland says that type of example isn鈥檛 a billion-dollar problem, it鈥檚 just ensuring that the right people have the right resources and incentives.聽
The so-called accelerator fund in the budget is part of $14 billion in new spending on housing that includes a first-time homebuyers tax credit and money for affordable housing.聽
Freeland says a national effort needs to be made from local governments on up.聽
鈥淭his is not going to be fixed by one budget in one year. This is a long-term challenge. And we're going to have to keep on investing in it year after year after year.鈥�
More homes will need to be built as the economy gains strength and more immigrants move here, she says.聽
鈥淪o, I don't want people to sort of come away from this thinking, OK, they're going to fix housing this year. It's done,鈥� she says. 鈥淲e're going to have to think about it every year and that's OK.鈥澛�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 13, 2022.聽
The Canadian Press
