Greater Sudbury must commit to housing construction goal to access provincial funds

Greater Sudbury has until Oct. 15 to commit to provincial housing construction targets to access a share of a $1.2 billion fund meant to spur construction. (File)

Greater Sudbury has until Oct. 15 to commit to provincial housing construction targets to access a share of a $1.2 billion fund meant to spur construction.

The province wants to see 1.5 million new homes built by 2031 and has assigned construction targets to dozens of communities in the province. In Sudbury, the target is 3,800 new homes, or 380 every year, by 2031.

A staff report headed to city council Oct. 10 said that, between 2012 and 2022, the city issued an average of 400 new home permits a year, already above the province’s target.

“Since 2020, the city has seen an increase in new home creation with an average of 450 permits for new residential units issued per year over last three years,” the report said.

“From 2022 to the end of Q2 2023, the city issued permits for 671 new residential units, or 18 per cent of the 2031 target.”

Should the city commit to the housing target by Oct. 15, Greater Sudbury will be included in the strong mayor powers initiative the province has launched to help cities reach the housing target.

The powers give mayors powers to appoint CAOs and other department heads, create committees and veto certain bylaws.

Read the full report here.