Ottawa, the first in Canada, to sign new housing agreement with feds
Posted Dec 8, 2025 12:19:50 PM.
Last Updated Dec 8, 2025 12:19:55 PM.
At the last Mayor’s Breakfast of the year, Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mayor Mark Sutcliffe signed a multi-million dollar agreement on housing.
Before a crowd of the municipality’s business leaders and innovators, the two signed a $400 million agreement with Build Canada Homes, a new federal agency that will support the construction of 3,000 affordable homes, according to the press release. Ottawa is the first city in Canada to secure an agreement with the new federal agency.
“Ottawa is leading the way on building more homes, and building them faster,” Sutcliffe said. “This agreement demonstrates our strong working relationship with the federal government, and our shared commitment to building more affordable homes.”
The agreement is subject to city council approval.
The partnership will see Ottawa streamline approvals and waive fees to make projects more viable, and the agency is helping build homes on federal lands. The projects will be aimed at constructing mixed-income and family-sized housing.
The agency is aiming to be a different solution to the country’s housing crisis.
“Build Canada Homes will work differently. By combining flexible financial tools, land access, and development expertise under one roof, we will make it simpler and faster to get big projects off the ground,” the website reads.
It’s going to focus on non-market housing with the ultimate goal of reducing homelessness in communities. The agency will bring a “Buy Canadian” approach to support local industries and use factory-built homes to close the gap.
