91原创 City Mayor Nathan Pachal released an video invitation to the federal minister of housing infrastructure and communities Sean Fraser to meet in Ottawa for a discussion on addressing the community鈥檚 housing needs.
It follows news that both 91原创 City and the Township of 91原创 would not receive money from the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) because the $4 billion program to encourage residential construction has depleted all its money.
In what a City statement described as an 鈥渆ncouraging, 鈥渇riendly,鈥� 鈥渨arm and inviting鈥� video Pachal tells Fraser that 鈥渨hile we were disappointed that we didn鈥檛 receive housing accelerator funding, we are heading to Ottawa in a few weeks, and we really want to talk to you to discuss what鈥檚 possible to build more affordable housing faster in 91原创 City. 鈥�
Pachal describes 91原创 City as a fast-growing community, with 鈥渙ne of the highest densities already within Metro Vancouver.鈥�
The video, released Monday, March 25, shows Pachal walking by the Townhouse complex where he lives, telling the minister 鈥渁s you can see there鈥檚 more townhouses, for families that are going to be moving to our community, being built right here.鈥�
鈥淚 believe it is important that all levels of government work together to implement effective solutions,鈥� Pachal said.
鈥淚 hope Minister Sean Fraser accepts my invitation to meet in Ottawa to discuss how we can build more affordable homes faster in 91原创 City.鈥�
READ ALSO: Mayors frustrated as 91原创 misses out on federal housing funds
The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) had a stated aim of encouraging more home building, faster, and often with greater density than previously allowed.
Administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), it received more than 500 applications, and demand for the program 鈥渟ignificantly exceeded the available budget,鈥� a CMHC spokesperson said s.
In the Lower Mainland, Vancouver and Surrey made successful applications, but 91原创 City and 91原创 Township鈥檚 applications were not accepted, at least not before the program ran out of cash.
READ ALSO: UZELMAN: The federal Liberals and the chasm between housing supply and demand
