National Housing Strategy Posted onDecember 12, 2017June 17, 2020/ Devry Smith Frank LLP On Wednesday, November 23, Justin Trudeau announced the federal government’s 10 year national housing strategy. The federal housing strategy is aimed at ensuring that Canadians have access to affordable homes. The aim is to reduce poverty and homelessness. Trudeau deemed access to adequate housing as a “human right”. The federal government is hoping to make a systematic change that will have lasting effects. The federal government has made a $11.2 billion commitment to social and affordable housing over 10 years, and plans to do some of the following: Build 100,000 new affordable housing units; Repair 300,000 housing units; and Extending housing subsidies that are set to expire. Combined with investments from provincial governments, the total spending could reach as high as $40 billion. The plan relies on the provinces and territories matching funds. Some of the key measures include: A certain number of units will be reserved for Canadians in vulnerable populations, such as people with developmental disabilities, seniors and survivors of family violence; Support for Indigenous people who do not live on reserves and a separate Indigenous housing strategy, which is to be released at a later date; Funding provided directly to low-income families and individuals; Funding to expand and extend the homelessness partnering strategy; Creating new legislation that will require future federal governments to maintain a federal housing strategy; and Creating an advocate for federal housing to help seek solutions to these systemic issues, such as advising the government and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation of possible solutions. The strategy includes a co-investment fund which will provide financial contributions and low interest loans to developers that meet certain criteria. The government will also be transferring federal land to housing providers on a number of conditions. “This article is intended to inform. Its content does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon by readers as such. If you require legal assistance, please see a lawyer. Each case is unique and a lawyer with good training and sound judgment can provide you with advice tailored to your specific situation and needs.” Related Posts Posted onOctober 28, 2020April 26, 2024/ Devry Smith Frank LLP Rejected work, study or visitor visa – what next? If you have carefully filled in the forms, gathered the numerous supporting documents and tried to provide as thorough an explanation for your application for temporary residence to Canada, it can be deflating to receive a denial letter. While often an application may be rejected simply because the case was not strong enough, there may [...] Read more Posted onApril 8, 2020September 30, 2020/ Devry Smith Frank LLP MOVING CANNABIS: The Canadian Perspective This blog is co-written by our former articling student, Janet Son. On October 17, 2018 Cannabis became legal in Canada. The federal Cannabis Act[1] sets out the terms and conditions, which are uniform across Canada. It deals with the production, sale, distribution and possession of cannabis. Provinces have power to deal with how it is distributed, sold [...] Read more Posted onApril 3, 2020September 30, 2020/ Devry Smith Frank LLP Canadian Immigration Status during COVID-19 pandemic This blog is co-written by our former articling student, Janet Son. Information regarding the status of flights, border closures and visas is changing by the hour during this pandemic. When it comes to immigration status, there are a few key things to be done to ensure that you are able to remain in Canada. IF YOU [...] Read more Posted onJanuary 31, 2020September 30, 2020/ Devry Smith Frank LLP Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as Canadian citizens? It’s harder than it sounds This blog is co-written by our former articling student, Linda Noorafkan. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided that they will live in Canada on a part-time basis with their son, Archie. Social media is buzzing with Canadians delighted that the Prince and the Suits star could be moving to their neighbourhood. Others are critical about the [...] Read more Posted onAugust 15, 2019April 30, 2021/ Elisabeth Colson How Canada’s Privacy Legislation Affects the Use of Third Party Information and Payment Processors Businesses often use third party entities to process customer information or transactions and to then relay portions of that information back to the business. Businesses using third parties in this manner should be aware of the provisions of Canada’s privacy legislation in this regard. Overview of Canada’s Privacy Legislation Canada’s two predominant privacy [...] Read more