Government of Canada unlocks 6 more federal properties for housing and provides land bank update

LÉVIS, QC, Jan. 30, 2025 /CNW/ - Everyone deserves a place to call home. However, for many across the country, home ownership and renting are out of reach due to the housing crisis Canada is facing. We need to build more homes, faster, to get Canadians into homes that meet their needs, at prices they can afford. That's why in Budget 2024 and Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan, the federal government announced the most ambitious housing plan in Canadian history: a plan to build 4 million more homes.

As part of this plan, the Government of Canada is identifying properties within its portfolio that have the potential for housing and is actively adding them to the Canada Public Land Bank. Wherever possible, the government will turn these properties into housing through a long-term lease, to support affordable housing and ensure public land stays public.

Today, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, announced that 6 new properties have been added to the Canada Public Land Bank. These additional properties have the potential to create approximately 1,770 units of housing for middle-class Canadians.

The 6 new properties included in the Canada Public Land Bank are:

1. Dartmouth, Nova Scotia – Shannon Park –15 Iroquois Drive, Site 2
2. New Glasgow, Nova Scotia – New Glasgow Armoury
3. Lévis, Quebec – 3595 Guillaume-Couture Boulevard, Jean-Charles Chapais Farm
4. Ottawa, Ontario – 1745 Alta Vista Drive, Central Heating Plant
5. Kingston, Ontario – 560 King Street West, Kingston Penitentiary
6. Yellowknife, Northwest Territories – 5005 44 Street

A total of 90 federal properties across 9 provinces and 2 territories have been identified as being suitable to support housing.

To solve Canada's housing crisis, the federal government adopted a whole-of-government approach to provide a one-stop shop for information on developing public lands for homes. We are providing access in a transparent way to all stakeholders: large developers, small companies, Indigenous communities and organizations, non-profit organizations, academic institutions, provinces, territories and municipalities, and Canadian citizens. Streamlining the process to submit feedback and identify interest or readiness to develop a property is allowing us to accelerate the federal government's established disposal process.

To date, we have received over 250 inquiries related to properties currently listed in the land bank, providing important market sounding in support of the rollout of the program. These inquiries span properties located across most provinces and territories.

Over the past few months, the government-wide engagement process has included:

• having discussions with representatives from all provinces and territories to seek feedback on implementation
• engaging with municipalities across the country on housing policy initiatives
• conducting industry roundtables with stakeholders from a variety of sectors
• holding regular consultations with non-profit and cooperative housing groups to discuss issues and solutions to increase affordable housing
• prioritizing ongoing Indigenous engagement and consultation

To obtain input on the Canada Public Land Bank and its properties, the Government of Canada launched a call for housing solutions for communities, which can be accessed via a secure online platform. Feedback has been received from over 340 respondents, including provinces, territories and municipalities, developers, housing advocates and Indigenous groups. The information is being processed and will be used to develop and bring more properties to market. 

Quotes

"Safe, accessible and affordable housing options are out of reach for far too many Canadians. Since the launch of the Canada Public Land Bank in August 2024, I'm pleased to say that the number of properties available across the country continues to grow. We have now identified 90 federal properties for potential housing development, paving the way to build affordable housing across the country at a pace and scale not seen in generations."

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Quebec Lieutenant

"I would like to thank Minister Duclos for announcing today this excellent news that will finally offer the City the possibility of harmonious development of the site, including social and affordable housing, as well as the identification of large public spaces allowing us, among other things, to develop, in concert with the community, one of the largest community gardens in Quebec. It is a unifying and forward-looking project for our community."

Gilles Lehouillier 
Mayor of Lévis

Quick facts

• In Budget 2024 and Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan, the federal government announced an ambitious whole-of-government approach to addressing the housing crisis by building more homes, making it easier to rent or own a home, and helping Canadians who cannot afford a home.
• A key component of Canada's Housing Plan is the new Public Lands for Homes Plan. This plan aims to partner with all levels of government, homebuilders and housing providers to build homes, faster, on surplus and underused public lands across the country.
• The Public Lands for Homes Plan supports the government's goal of unlocking 250,000 new homes by 2031.
• Budget 2024 also provided $500 million, on a cash basis, to launch the new Public Lands Acquisition Fund. This fund will be used to buy land from other orders of government to allow the federal government to acquire more land for housing to help build middle-class homes. Work on the fund is already underway, and more details will be released in the coming weeks.
• The Canada Public Land Bank was launched in August 2024 with an initial 56 properties under the Public Lands for Homes Plan.
• As of January 30, 2025, there are 90 properties listed in the Canada Public Land Bank, representing a total of 473 hectares of land, which is the size of approximately 3,000 hockey rinks or 600 Canadian Football League football fields.
• So far, Canada Lands Company has posted 20 properties to the Canada Public Land Bank.
  • In partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation's Federal Lands Initiative, 5 sites were launched in Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal.
    • Proposals were accepted and evaluation continues in Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa, with proponents to be selected in 2025.
    • In Toronto and Montréal, requests for expressions of interest and evaluations are underway. All proponents that submitted expressions of interest and meet the minimum requirements will be invited to the next stage of the process to submit proposals. In Toronto, that process will begin soon, and in Montréal, in mid-2025.
  • In November, Canada Lands Company issued requests for expressions of interest for 3 sites in Calgary, Ottawa and Halifax, and offered 1 site for sale in Calgary. 
  • Canada Lands Company will continue to make opportunities available.
• Calls for proposals were launched for 2 National Capital Commission properties located in the National Capital Region.
  • Applications for 1200 Ledbury Avenue in Ottawa, Ontario, will be accepted until February 28, 2025.
  • Proposals for 210 Laurier Street in Gatineau, Quebec, are being evaluated.

Associated links

Budget 2024
Solving the Housing Crisis: Canada's Housing Plan
Public lands for homes 
Portfolio optimization: Disposal list 

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SOURCE Public Services and Procurement Canada

Contacts: Guillaume Bertrand, Director of Communications, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, 418-564-9571, [email protected]; Media Relations: Public Services and Procurement Canada, 819-420-5501, [email protected]