Federal government to combat housing crisis, announces new Canada Public Land Bank housing tool to give Canadians more options

The Canada Public Land Bank

The government states that wherever possible, it will build on land with a novel long-term lease — not a one-time sale — to ensure every site has affordable housing and public land stays does not become privatized.

It is also launching a call for housing solutions through a secure online platform with the aim of engaging the broader interest of Indigenous Peoples and organizations, community organizations, builders and other partners, as well as housing providers.

Additionally, Canada Lands Company, in partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, has launched a call for proposals from housing providers to access some of the Canada Public Land Bank properties available in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa and Montréal on a long-term leasing basis at a discounted value. The detailed proposal information can be accessed through links directly in the property listings in the land bank.

New measures aimed at increasing the speed of construction for affordable homes will continue to be announced under the Public Lands for Homes Plan in the coming months.

The 56 properties listed in the Canada Public Land Bank represent a total of 305 hectares of land with a size of approximately 2,000 hockey rinks or almost 400 Canadian Football League football fields.

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Canada’s housing crisis

The government’s Public Lands for Homes Plan is just one facet of its goal of unlocking 250,000 new homes by 2031.

This year’s federal budget also provided $500 million, on a cash basis, to launch the new Public Lands Acquisition Fund, which will buy land from other orders of government to be used for housing and help build middle-class dwellings.

The government has promised more details on this in the coming weeks.

"We need to build more homes in Canada, and one of the largest costs in building is land,” Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, said.

“By building on public lands, we can make it easier to build, and by leasing those same properties, we can make sure the homes built stay affordable for the long term."