At the March 25 City Council meeting, details were shared regarding the City’s application to the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). 

The HAF consists of $4 billion from the federal government, aimed at removing barriers to develop hundreds of thousands of homes across the country.  

Moose Jaw’s application to the fund for $19 million included plans that would have seen 779 units developed over three years.  

Michelle Sanson, Director of Planning and Development Services with the City of Moose Jaw said that the application was not approved by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). 

Sanson added that CMHC did not let the City know why the application wasn’t picked. 

Moose Jaw would have been in the Large/Urban funding category for communities with populations over 10,000. Other cities in the province have received funding through the HAF, including over $41.3 million to Saskatoon, and over $35 million to Regina. 

We reached out to CMHC for clarification on why Moose Jaw’s application was not approved, asking for transparency on what criteria led other cities to receive funding over Moose Jaw.  

CMHC was not able to provide specific details on Moose Jaw’s application, issuing the following response: 

Unfortunately, not all applications could be funded due to the high demand for the Housing Accelerator Fund. Discussions with unsuccessful applicants are ongoing. Although, to respect the confidentiality of the applicants, we are unable to speak to specific applications, CMHC is committed to working with all applicants, including the City of Moose Jaw, to seek positive housing solutions for their communities through collaboration with the CMHC Municipal Relations team and through other National Housing Strategy programs.  

Demand for the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) significantly exceeded the available budget. The evaluation process was highly competitive, with many strong applications received. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) received 544 applications for HAF funding, of which 179 resulted in signed agreements. To secure federal funding, cities across Canada revised their applications to include more ambitious measures that will help build more homes to improve their chance at receiving federal support. Over the next decade, the Housing Accelerator Fund will be responsible for more than 750,000 newly permitted homes.  

In assessing applications, the Government balanced prioritizing the most ambitious proposals with ensuring that we were able to reach agreements with communities - including country’s largest cities, mid-sized cities, suburban communities, rural and remote communities, and Indigenous communities - in every region of the country.