WINDSOR, Ont. — The federal government has rejected an application from the southwestern Ontario city of Windsor for funds to fast-track housing development.
Housing Minister Sean Fraser writes in a letter to the city that he is not approving Windsor's application to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund as it was not ambitious enough.
He says it is clear that Windsor needs to build more homes, and actions such as ending exclusionary zoning are important.
The $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund is a federal initiative to encourage municipalities to make changes to bylaws and regulations that would spur more housing construction, in exchange for money.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says his city made reasonable proposals that included densification on land that, once built-out, would have allowed it to exceed its housing targets.
Dilkens says he refuses to compromise neighbourhoods and do away with fair public consultation in exchange for funding that he says "will be tied to sacrificing the makeup" of communities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 1, 2024.
The Canadian Press
