Canada’s federal government has announced a major investment of over CAD 369.5 million (about USD 258 million) to improve water and wastewater infrastructure across the country, aiming to accelerate the development of new housing and increase density in communities nationwide.
The funding, delivered through the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) direct delivery stream, was announced by the Honourable Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. The investment is expected to support the construction of more than 110,230 new housing units, providing critical infrastructure upgrades to help get homes built faster.
Projects funded through this initiative will enhance access to clean and reliable drinking water, create new water sources, expand wastewater capacity, support sustainable stormwater management, and find solid waste management solutions.
The funding will go to 25 projects, including:
- Whitehorse, Yukon – Water Treatment Plant for Whitehorse: CAD 44 million. A major upgrade to the Selkirk Water Treatment Plant to ensure high-quality drinking water, accommodating population growth through 2045.
- Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – Lift Station #1 and Sewage Forcemain Replacement: CAD 41 million. This project involves replacing a critical wastewater lift station and forcemain to remove development barriers in a rapidly growing area.
- Municipality of Lakeshore, Ontario – County Road 22 Sanitary Sewer Expansion: CAD 36.8 milion. Designed to address wastewater infrastructure challenges, this expansion will protect over 2,600 homes from flooding and unlock housing potential for up to 53,000 new residents.
- Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario – West End Wastewater Treatment Plant Upgrades – Phase 2: CAD 23 million. Upgrades to this wastewater treatment plant will improve capacity, efficiency, and maintenance, enabling the city to meet future housing needs.
In April 2024, the Government of Canada unveiled Budget 2024, allocating CAD 6 billion in federal funding over a ten-year period to create the Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF), to accelerate the construction and upgrading of housing-enabling drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid-waste infrastructure.
The CHIF includes two funding streams:
- The direct delivery stream will deliver up to CAD 1 billion over eight years to eligible recipients such as municipalities and Indigenous communities. It targets urgent infrastructure needs in municipalities and Indigenous communities, laying the groundwork for sustainable, long-term housing growth from coast to coast to coast.
- The provincial and territorial agreement stream will provide CAD 5 billion over 10 years to provinces and territories, through bilateral agreements with the federal government, including:
- Alberta: CAD 513.7 million
- British Columbia: CAD 590.7 million
- Manitoba: CAD 209.8 million
- New Brunswick: CAD 150.5 million
- Newfoundland and Labrador: CAD 123.1 million
- Northwest Territories: CAD 74.2 million
- Nova Scotia: CAD 170.9 million
- Nunavut: CAD 73.9 million
- Ontario: CAD 1,551.2 million
- Prince Edward Island: CAD 86.2 million
- Quebec: CAD 955.0 million
- Saskatchewan: CAD 187.9 million
- Yukon: CAD 74.2 million
