October 14, 2009
Prince George Social Housing Benefits from B.C.-Canada Partnership

PRINCE GEORGE – The Governments of Canada and British Columbia announced today the Housing Renovation Partnership (HRP), a joint agreement to provide cost-shared funding to renovate and retrofit social housing in the greatest need of repair including $2,789,533 for Prince George.

“The renovation and repair work that will come from this funding partnership will make for more efficient, environmentally-friendly buildings and the employment generation is welcome news to our local construction crews in search of work,” says Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell.

"Ensuring that social housing is upgraded and renovated is very important. We want to make sure that we continually improve the quality of these facilities," says Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond. "The Housing Renovation Partnership will see over $2.7 million creating jobs and enhancing energy efficiency and environmental sustainability."

"With an additional $1-billion injection of funding, the Government of Canada is working with the provinces and territories to ensure that important upgrades to social housing units get underway quickly," says Prince George-Peace River MP Jay Hill. "We are improving the quality of affordable housing while delivering jobs that will stimulate the economy now."

The projects include Alward Place which will receive $567,698 for windows, mechanical, and sustainability renovations; Strathwood Apartments gets $1,386,035 for building envelope, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability improvements; and the Vanier building receives $835,800 for environmental sustainability work. The work will provide lighting retrofits in the tenant and common areas, boiler and furnace upgrades, low flow fixtures in tenant and common areas, as well as air sealing and glazing replacements for a tighter building envelope.

Of the total $176.76 million announced, the majority of the funding, $163.7 million will be directed toward repairs at 81 social housing developments. The remainder of the funding, $13.06 million is being allocated to renovations that are underway at provincially-owned Single Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels.

The funding was made available as a result of a $365-million joint investment under an amendment to the Canada-British Columbia Affordable Housing Agreement which includes funding through Canada’s Economic Action Plan and by the Government of British Columbia.

This new initiative is part of an overall $14-billion capital infrastructure program launched by the Province that will create up to 88,000 jobs over three years and help build vital public infrastructure in every region of the province.

Through Housing Matters BC, the Province is addressing a range of housing needs, from homelessness to affordable rental housing and homeownership.  In 2009, the provincial housing budget is approximately $450 million, more than three times as much as in 2001.  To find out more about affordable housing in B.C., visit www.bchousing.org.

To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca/housingactionplan.  For more information on Canada’s Economic Action Plan, call 1-800-O Canada or visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.

-30-