City of Winnipeg closes in on housing target

The City of Winnipeg has approved thousands of housing units since December as it makes progress toward targets to boost the supply.

At a Feb. 9 state of the city address, Mayor Scott Gillingham announced a goal to approve 8,000 new housing units for development by Nov. 30, including single homes, apartments and condos. Gillingham noted that could include previously proposed projects that had yet to be approved.

A city staff report released Wednesday states 6,633 housing units were approved, including those that have now received permits, between Dec. 5, 2023 and June 25, 2024.

“We’re well on our way. I’m pleased with where we’re at today and I do want to give credit to our departments… To meet our target… we need all to be working together for one goal and that’s to get housing built,” said Gillingham.

The total includes at least 123 affordable units, though projects at the permit phase aren’t yet tracked for affordability, the report notes.

While the timeline used for the housing count begins about two months before the mayor publicly announced his housing target, it matches the date of an agreement to use Winnipeg’s $122-million share of the federal housing accelerator fund.

The mayor said he expects the number of affordable homes to grow considerably. The city is now accepting applications for housing grants that aim to attract more affordable homes, as part of the federal program.

“There’s a lot of weight given to an application based on the number of affordable units that are being applied for. So, I’m expecting that number… to go up,” said Gillingham.

Those grants are set to provide up to $35,000 per unit for general affordable housing and up to $60,000 per unit for affordable downtown housing. Developers of construction outside downtown, who qualify for the general affordable housing grant, could also qualify for a $15,000-per-unit top-up, if they ensure their projects are “deeply affordable.”

The head of the Manitoba Non-Profit Housing Association said she also expects the number of affordable housing units to rise once the grant process is completed.

However, she stressed more government investments are needed to help low-income residents find homes.

“We need the province to step in with additional funding, especially for operating, and that has not yet been committed… (The housing accelerator fund alone) would still not meet the housing needs in Winnipeg, if we really wanted to address homelessness and core housing need,” said Christina Maes Nino, the association’s executive director.

Maes Nino said provincial funding could ensure some new housing units have monthly rents that are “geared to income,” likely in the $750 to $900 range, to provide much-needed deeply affordable homes.

Through its housing accelerator fund agreement, the City of Winnipeg aims to create 14,101 net new housing units by Dec. 5, 2026. A total of 2,081 net new units are being linked to that program, since it counts only those that have received their first building permit.

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

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