Ottawa Withholds $357 Million in Housing Funding From Ontario, Sends Money to Service Managers Instead

The Liberal government plans to withhold $547 million in funding for affordable housing from Ontario, choosing instead to send the money to city service managers dealing with the issue. “I owe it to Canadians to ensure that their money, which Parliament has authorized for investments in new affordable housing, is actually spent on building more affordable housing,” Housing Minister Sean Fraser wrote to his Ontario counterpart, according to The Globe and Mail. Mr. Fraser said Ottawa would instead send the funds to Ontario’s 47 service managers, which include both regional governments and administrative boards that operate social housing and homelessness plans. Ottawa has already been signing agreements directly with municipalities through its Housing Accelerator Fund, a $4 billion plan to grow Canada’s housing supply at a time of rising rental costs....