Governments of Canada and Quebec Invest in Affordable Housing in Victoriaville

QUÉBEC CITY, QUÉBEC--(Marketwire - Jan. 24, 2011) - The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources, 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 Claude Bachand, Member of the National Assembly for Arthabaska, on behalf of Laurent Lessard, Minister of Municipal Affairs, Regions and Land Occupancy and Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, are pleased to announce that the governments of Canada and Quebec jointly contributed more than $2.5 million for the construction of a residence that will provide 38 housing units for seniors in Victoriaville. The development of this regional initiative will result in a total investment of almost $6.2 million.

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 Société d'habitation du Québec (SHQ), community partners contributed almost $820,000, including more than $560,000 from the City of Victoriaville and $125,000 from the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de la Mauricie et du Centre-du-Québec.

Moreover, some $160,000 in financial assistance was provided in equal shares by the Government of Quebec and the City of Victoriaville, under the Renovation Québec program.

"Our government is committed to giving a hand-up to the people of Quebec who need some help, particularly during these difficult economic times," said Minister Paradis. "Through projects like this one, Canada's Economic Action Plan continues to create jobs and stimulate the economy in Quebec's regions."

"The development of this residence is excellent news and demonstrates the attention that our government is giving to the seniors of Quebec. Thanks to the combined efforts of the different partners that contributed to this mobilizing project, 38 households will soon benefit from safe, quality housing that meets their needs, at an affordable cost," said MNA Claude Bachand.

It should be noted that 19 tenants of the residence will be able to 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, more than $298,000 in additional financial assistance, including over $268,000 from the SHQ and close to $30,000 from the City of Victoriaville.

As well, the Agence de l'efficacité énergétique du Québec has committed to supporting the project with a grant of more than $63,000 to ensure that the building meets the Novoclimat standard. The SHQ is giving particular attention to energy efficiency. In fact, since June 1, 2010, all projects developed under the AccèsLogis Québec program must be designed so as to obtain the Novoclimat certification.

Canada's Economic Action Plan provides $400 million, over two years, to build new rental housing for low-income seniors. Overall, Canada's Economic Action Plan includes $2 billion for new and existing social housing. These investments build upon the $1.9 billion five-year commitment for housing and homelessness programs made by the Government of Canada in 2008, which extended the Affordable Housing Initiative and the renovation assistance programs for low-income households for two more years. For Quebec, these combined contributions mean a joint investment of more than $820 million, which includes $538 million for Canada's Economic Action Plan.

In addition, Canada's Economic Action Plan provides for up to $2 billion in funds to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure.

More information on this and other measures in Canada's Economic Action Plan, the federal government's plan to stimulate the economy and protect those hit hardest by the global recession, can be found at www.actionplan.gc.ca. To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca/housingactionplan.

In the 2010/2011 budget, the Government of Quebec announced that it intends to build an additional 3,000 community housing units, bringing to 30,000 units its objective of producing new affordable social housing in Quebec. This represents an additional contribution of $210 million under the AccèsLogis Québec program, and brings to $1.3 billion the total assistance provided since 2003.

Since 2003, over 150 community housing units have been, or are being, developed in the Centre-du-Québec, including 49 in the riding of Arthabaska, representing total investments of over $20.9 million by the governments and their partners.

The SHQ's mission is to facilitate citizens' access to appropriate housing conditions. For more information on this agency's programs and services, visit www.habitation.gouv.qc.ca/en/index.html.