Former 海角社区官网deputy mayor Ana Bail茫o will lead Prime Minister Mark Carney鈥檚 new federal affordable housing agency, which aims to build 4,000 homes on six federally-owned sites across the country.
Bail茫o, who served as a city councillor in her Davenport ward for more than a decade and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2023, was appointed chief executive officer of the Build Canada Homes agency by Carney on Sunday.
She had been seen as a potential mayoral candidate in next year鈥檚 election, but her appointment may take her out of the running. With 13 months to go before voters go to the polls, opinion polling suggests Mayor Olivia Chow would be the leading candidate, but could face a challenge from former mayor John Tory, who is strongly considering a comeback attempt, sources previously told the Star.
Build Canada Homes expects to begin construction next year, a senior government official told The Canadian Press.
鈥淭he core challenge present in the housing market is it鈥檚 just too hard to build,鈥 Carney said at a press conference in Nepean.
While specific sites for the homes have not been announced, Carney said they will be built in Toronto, as well as in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Dartmouth, N.S., and Longueuil, Que.
The prime minister said he has asked his colleagues to identify land owned by government departments that can be used for housing, which will be added to the list of 88 properties on the Canada Land Bank that are available.
He said this will 鈥渉elp lower costs for builders and most importantly, lower the rents and new home prices for Canadian families.鈥
In her time at city hall, Bail茫o served as the chair of Toronto鈥檚 planning and housing committee and on the board of 海角社区官网Community Housing. Most recently, she was the head of affordable housing and public affairs for Dream Unlimited Corp, a Toronto-based developer.
Bail茫o was most recently the head of affordable housing and public affairs for Dream Unlimited Corp.
Justin Tang/The Canadian PressThe government鈥檚 rental protection fund, which helps community housing groups purchase private rental units in order to keep them affordable, will continue under Build Canada Homes.
The new agency will also include a $1 billion fund for transitional housing projects aimed to help people at risk of homelessness.
Build Canada Homes is meant to be the main agency overseeing affordable housing projects that involve the federal government.
鈥淏uild Canada Homes will prioritize the use of cost-efficient and modern methods of construction, including factory build, modular and mass timber factory build housing,鈥 Carney said.
He said the agency will also adopt the federal government鈥檚 recently announced 鈥淏uy Canadian鈥 policy, which is meant to prioritize the use of Canadian materials and inputs as a way to help bolster the economy in the face of U.S. tariffs.
With files from The Canadian Press
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