The much anticipated 2024 Federal Budget has been released by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland today. The budget proposes $52.9 billion in new spending over five years, including $8.5 billion in new spending for housing. Before releasing the budget, the government laid out what it’s calling Canada’s Housing Plan — a pledge to “unlock” nearly 3.9 million homes […]

The Mayor’s Executive Policy Committee has approved a $170,000 pilot project for cleaning up garbage at encampments. The program will involve a sole source agreement with the Main Street Project, Siloam Mission, and the Downtown Community Safety Partnership, running through the end of October. The decision follows a city report indicating that weekly cleanups could

An insurance and wealth management company with strong ties to London, Ontario is putting half a million dollars into a city fund that aims to address homelessness. Canada Life announced on Monday it is donating $500,000 to the Health and Homelessness Fund for Change. The insurance giant is kicking in the cash in honour of

The editor of a new book says it’s time to rethink the way society combats homelessness because the current approach is not working. James Hughes and the contributing authors to the book make the case to stop the problem before it starts. Ending Homelessness in Canada: The Case for Homelessness Prevention looks at the root

Infrastructure Canada has released a new housing plan that lays out how it will work with partners to focus on addressing the needs of Canadians who cannot afford homes and work to end chronic homelessness. Reducing construction costs, advocating for more housing developments in cities, implementing innovative construction methods, and expanding the workforce to meet

Homeless Indigenous women in the North do not feel well-protected by the RCMP and instead face violence and discrimination by police, a new report from the Yellowknife Women’s Society has found. The organization held two sessions with women last October, and every single participant said she either experienced abuse by an RCMP officer or knew

Halifax Regional Council voted to start a planning process that could bring almost 6,000 housing units to lands at Exhibition Park. BANC Group bought the land, plus the Exhibition Park, now named Halifax Exhibition Centre (HEC), from the province in 2015. Fathom Studio submitted a proposal to the municipality on behalf of BANC Group that

A new report from the Assembly of First Nations (AFN) says $349.2 billion is needed to fix housing and other infrastructure after decades of “underfunding, failed fiduciary duties, and unfair distribution of Canada’s wealth as a country.” The report, prepared with the federal government department of Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), was released Tuesday and signals

A group of local do-gooders are continuing their work to find permanent housing for a senior who had been living in his truck with his two dogs for two-and-a-half years. “Everything’s a challenge when you live in a truck, even a big car like the Escalade,” the 64-year-old told CTV News. “Everything’s a challenge. Cooking,

A group of people who have experienced poverty and homelessness in the Yukon have put pen to paper to introduce themselves to the public. The group, Voices Influencing Change, has released a booklet which details their backgrounds, their work and their vision for the future. That future should have more people with “lived experience” at