Nov. 18, 2025
Federal Housing and Infrastucture Minister Gregor Robertson met Indwell last week. The local non-profit is building Acorn Flats, 23 units of deeply affordable and supportive housing for families at the corner of Robert Street and East Avenue.
Rendering courtesy of Indwell
Federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson says Hamilton is well positioned to land funding through his government’s new strategy to build affordable stock across Canada.
Robertson spoke with The Spectator about the government’s budding $13-billion Build Canada Homes initiative during a stop in Hamilton for a Liberal convention this past week.
He also met with Indwell, a faith-based charity that builds affordable and supportive residences, and a member of Hamilton is Home, a coalition of non-profit housing operators planning to build thousands of units.
Here’s The Spectator’s conversation with Robertson, edited for length and clarity:
Q — As part of Build Canada Homes, the government has announced major projects on federal sites in Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Longueuil, Que., and Dartmouth, N.S. What does Hamilton have to do to land support for a big project?
A — The initial set of projects was just an example of projects on federal land that are underway now, but we are opening the Build Canada Homes portal in the weeks ahead and inviting proposals from local housing providers … I know Hamilton is Home partners will be gearing up a significant proposal that benefits Hamilton. Again, of that $13 billion, a billion is dedicated to transitional, supportive housing and helping people get out of homelessness, whether it’s the street or shelters, and into secure homes. The Hamilton is Home coalition’s doing a great job of that, so they come as trusted providers, working with the private sector to build efficiently and deliver homes. They’re exactly the kind of partners we’re hoping to see ambitious proposals from that can be built as soon as possible and combine affordable housing with great community services, too.
Q — Is the federal government working on a funding agreement with Ontario to provide the needed health services to operate that future supportive housing?
Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson says Hamilton is Home, a coalition of non-profits, is “exactly the kind of partners we’re hoping to see ambitious proposals from that can be built as soon as possible and combine affordable housing with great community services, too.”
A — We’re talking with provinces and territories about their responsibility to fund the health supports. That’s a key role for our provinces to play in this. I’ve been meeting with provincial and territorial ministers a number of times over the past six months, promoting a Team Canada approach with affordable housing, starting with this supportive housing that’s so critically needed in communities and requires that health and wraparound support from the provincial governments … It’s obviously a key element of a much bigger $13-billion investment in affordability and this is the one that benefits most from provincial investment.
Q — Hamilton is losing homes in the private rental market at a faster rate than it can build to replace. That includes when buildings are purchased, tenants are displaced and rents are jacked. How does the government plan to preserve this existing affordable stock?
A — Build Canada Homes includes a $1.5-billion rental protection fund that is also underway (for community housing providers) to secure existing rental housing that’s affordable and vulnerable to being lost as supply … Nonmarket housing is what we lack in Canada. (Less) than four per cent of our housing stock is nonmarket and comparable European countries have three or four times that … The market will not solve affordability. That’s not the purpose of market housing … The Build Canada Homes initiative is all about focusing on affordable nonmarket housing, whether that’s co-ops or social housing, supportive housing for those in dire need.
Q — Part of the federal plan is the elimination or reduction of GST for first-time buyers of new homes of certain values. Industry groups and some experts say more relief is needed amid a severe market slump. Are they correct?
A — At this point, we’ve focused that effort to benefit first-time homebuyers and help tens of thousands of them access the market with up to $50,000 savings on GST. We’re watching the market closely across Canada. Vancouver and Toronto have the biggest challenge with oversupply of condos that aren’t selling, which creates real challenges for the industry and that’s a market correction that many people saw coming, so we’re watching it closely. We want to be sure we create opportunity for home builders across Canada through Build Canada Homes. It’s a great opportunity to focus them on affordable homes and partnering with non-profits to deliver that. We know the private sector is the most efficient at building so we have an opportunity there, and we’ll keep an eye on the market and whether there are further steps to take on tax relief or other incentives to help them through the bumpy time.
Q — In Hamilton, city officials and advocates have expressed hope both the provincial and federal governments would contribute to affordable housing along the future LRT route. In 2021, former infrastructure minister Catherine McKenna called Ottawa’s $1.7-billion capital commitment “conditional” on the project being used to improve affordable housing. What can Hamilton expect on that front?
A — We’re certainly looking at a combination of affordable housing and community infrastructure investment now that we have a $51-billion Build Community Strong Fund that is targeted toward community infrastructure, public transit included. That also enables more housing to be built … Eventually the new Build Community Strong Fund will be supporting the downtown family YMCA, which is close to where the LRT will be. (Ottawa has committed “up to $25 million” toward a new downtown YMCA as part of a mixed-use redevelopment with 600-plus planned co-operative housing units at Main and Jackson streets.) And we’d love to see the timeline accelerate for the Hamilton LRT. That funding’s on the table, and if we can help make it work faster and there’s affordable housing as part of the set of solutions, I think that’s great for Canada and Hamilton.