Governments of Canada and Quebec Invest in Affordable Housing in Saint-Alphonse

SAINT-ALPHONSE, QUEBEC--(Marketwire - July 17, 2012) - The Honourable Steven Blaney, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Member of Parliament for Lévis-Bellechasse, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), and Damien Arsenault, Member of the National Assembly (MNA) for Bonaventure, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and Minister responsible for the Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ), are pleased to mark the official opening of the Pavillon Saint-Alphonse. The construction of this 8-unit affordable housing project for semi-independent seniors required a total investment of more than $1.5 million, of which nearly $981,000 was provided by the governments of Canada and Quebec.

In addition to the Government of Canada, through Canada's Economic Action Plan, and the Government of Quebec, under the AccèsLogis Québec program of the SHQ, community partners contributed nearly $521,000 to the project, including close to $450,000 from the Municipality of Saint-Alphonse. It should also be noted that the SHQ has secured the mortgage loan taken out by the organization to complete the financing of the project.

"Our Government is pleased to announce more than $520,000 to Pavillon Saint-Alphonse and to help provide safe and affordable housing that meets the needs of seniors," said Minister Blaney. "Through projects like this one, Canada's Economic Action Plan will continue to create jobs and stimulate the economy in the region and across Quebec."

"With the community of Saint-Alphonse all coming together, seniors now have access to quality affordable housing that will enable them to stay in the environment to which they are attached. Thanks to all the partners who joined the SHQ in building this retirement home, which demonstrates the importance our government gives to improving the housing conditions for citizens in the Gaspésie region and across Quebec," mentioned MNA Damien Arsenault, in the presence of Gérard Porlier, Mayor of Saint-Alphonse, Jeanne Miousse, Chair of the Office municipal d'habitation de Saint-Alphonse, and local partners.

It should be specified that all the tenants of the residence can benefit from the Rent Supplement program, which provides financial assistance to low-income individuals who would otherwise have to spend more than 25 per cent of their income on housing. The rent supplements provided will represent, over a five-year period, nearly $135,000 in additional financial assistance, assumed by the SHQ (90 per cent) and the Municipality of Saint-Alphonse (10 per cent).

It should be noted that this project, like all projects developed under the AccèsLogis Québec program, was designed so as to obtain the Novoclimat certification. To help it meet this requirement, which well demonstrates the importance attached to improving energy efficiency by the Government of Quebec, the project received a grant of close to $16,000 from the Bureau de l'efficacité et de l'innovation énergétiques of the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune.

The Government of Canada, through CMHC, will invest more than $2 billion in housing this year. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of almost 605,000 households living in social housing. In Quebec, this represents some 129,550 households. These investments are improving the quality of life for low-income Canadians and households living in social housing, including individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, seniors, persons with disabilities, recent immigrants and Aboriginal people.

To find out more about how CMHC is working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca.

In the 2012/2013 budget, the Government of Quebec announced that it intends to build an additional 3,000 housing units, bringing to 35,000 units its objective of producing new affordable housing in Quebec. This represents an additional contribution of $180 million under the AccèsLogis Québec program and the private component of the Affordable Housing Québec program, and brings to nearly $1.5 billion the total assistance provided since 2003.

Since 2003, 411 community and affordable housing units have been, or are being, developed in the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, including 253 units in the riding of Bonaventure, representing total investments of over $48.6 million by the governments and their partners.

The SHQ's mission is to facilitate citizens' access to appropriate housing conditions. Each year, through its various programs, the SHQ supports more than 240,000 households across Quebec. For more information on this agency's programs and services, visit www.habitation.gouv.qc.ca/english.html.