Affordable housing projects moving forward to Saskatoon city council
Three locations in Saskatoon — a downtown gravel parking lot, a portion of land next to the Lakewood Civic Centre and an empty lot at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Ruth Street — are on track to become affordable housing hubs.
On Wednesday, Saskatoon's standing policy committee on planning, development and community services recommended city council approve three affordable housing projects, totalling 256 units, and the associated incentives to build them.
In June 2024, council authorized city administration to start accepting proposals to build housing on city-owned land, with priority given to applications from non-profits, housing co-operatives and Indigenous organizations.
With $15 million from the federal government's housing accelerator fund — which is meant to increase housing across the country — the city offered incentives of $50,000 per unit and five years of incremental tax abatements.
As a part of the deal, the projects had to meet certain criteria, including meeting housing accelerator fund timelines, making sure units remain affordable for at least 20 years and renting all affordable units to low-income households.
3 projects recommended
The largest application comes from Camponi Housing Corporation, a Métis housing organization looking to build 120 units on a portion of 1635 McKercher Drive, adjacent to the Lakewood Civic Centre.
Camponi's proposal includes wraparound supports, a community garden, training space, common room, daycare, confectionary and more.
Angela Bishop, chair of trustees for Camponi, said their waiting list for affordable housing grows daily.
"Currently for our entire portfolio, we have over 800 individuals and families that are on our waiting list for any affordable housing that we have," Bishop said at Wednesday's committee meeting.
While the organization is getting $5.6 million in capital grants and almost $1 million through the incentive, Bishop said the deal doesn't come without a cost for Camponi, which still has to cough up around $3.5 million for the land alone.
Another project, slightly smaller at 112 affordable units, is being proposed by the Saskatoon Open Door Society (SODA), which has its own unique vision for what is currently a parking lot at the corner of 23rd Street East and Third Avenue North.
"SODA is embarking on a transformative initiative to create Welcome Place Affordable Housing Community, a purpose-built, centralized facility that integrates affordable housing with comprehensive community services," said Ahmad Majid, the fund development and communications manager at SODA.
Majid said the downtown hub would also offer wrap-around supports like settlement and integration services, social and emotional support, children and youth services, food security programs, classrooms, an ethnic grocery store and a daycare.
"Between October 2022 and October 2023, Saskatoon's population grew by 14,400 individuals, the largest year-over-year increase in the post-war era, with 85 per cent of that growth attributed to newcomers," said Majid, while highlighting the critical need for affordable housing options.
The report from city administration lists $5.6 million in grants and about $850,000 in tax abatements for SODA.
The smallest affordable housing project in the report is a for-profit build by a private business. It would be located at the corner of Broadway Avenue and Ruth Street, with 24 affordable units.
It's getting $1.2 million in grants and around $100,000 in tax abatements.
City administration noted in the committee meeting that even if the building is sold, the next owner would have to maintain the agreement with the city, including keeping the rent affordable for at least 20 years.
Housing better than parking lots: expert
Ehab Diab, an assistant professor in the department of geography and planning at the University of Saskatchewan, supports the projects.
"I think this is very promising to add this affordable housing in a different area of the city and I'm very excited particularly with the one that is going to be in the downtown.… I think downtown needs more residents," said Diab.
Diab said building more housing in the downtown will help improve public transit ridership, while also providing low-income people with more accessibility to transit.
"When we get more people living in downtown, we'll get more activity going on like economic activities … maybe a grocery store hopefully, so we need this," he added.
Compared to someone using a parking lot, Diab said, it's a benefit to everyone to have more people permanently living in downtown.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Cision Canada
9 hours ago
- Cision Canada
Investing in the transit system for the Town of Tillsonburg Français
TOWN OF TILLSONBURG, ON, Aug. 19, 2025 /CNW/ - Residents of the Town of Tillsonburg will benefit from improved transit services following a combined investment of $214,953 from the federal government and the Town of Tillsonburg. This project involves the installation of 12 bus shelters, signage, and benches across the community. These enhancements will improve rider comfort by providing shelter from the weather, while strengthening connections to the inter-community transit system and regional networks, including T:Go Transit. This investment will help make public transit in Tillsonburg more connected and reliable for residents. Quotes "Our government is committed to improving public transit in communities across the country. This investment will make transit in Tillsonburg more accessible, reliable, and connected for residents." Peter Fragiskatos, Member of Parliament for London Centre and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship "The addition of bus shelters in our community greatly improves the rider experience. The shelters also provide a helpful visual reminder to citizens that public transit is available throughout the community, including convenient service to popular destinations like our downtown core and other employment zones." Deb Gilvesy, Mayor of Tillsonburg "We appreciate the federal government's support as we continue to invest in our public transit infrastructure and work to provide viable transportation alternatives." Carlos Reyes, Director of operations for the Town of Tillsonburg Quick Facts The federal government is investing $153,436 in these projects through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF), and the town of Tillsonburg is contributing $61,517 The RTSF, under the Canada Pubic Transit Fund (CPTF) supports the improvement and expansion of locally driven transit solutions by helping residents of rural, remote, Indigenous and Northern Communities conduct their day-to-day activities, like access services, go to work, school, medical appointments, and visit loved ones. The RTSF consists of two funding streams: the Planning and Design Projects stream, which supports the planning and design activities of a transit system and the Capital Projects stream, which supports the purchase of public transit assets such as vehicles and supporting infrastructure. The application period for both of these streams are closed. Updates on future intakes can be found on the RTSF website. A minimum of 10% of RTSF's funding is allocated to projects that benefit Indigenous populations and communities. One in five Canadians live in rural communities. Rural communities in Canada account for nearly 30% of the nation's gross domestic product. The RTSF complements Canada's strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. Through the plan the federal government has committed to providing federal funding for public transit in support of making clean and affordable transportation available in every community. The CPTF will provide an average of $3 billion a year of permanent funding to respond to local transit needs by enhancing integrated planning, improving access to public transit and active transportation, and supporting the development of more affordable, sustainable, and inclusive communities. The CPTF meets the needs of communities of all sizes, from large metropolitan areas, to mid-size and smaller communities, including rural, remote, northern and Indigenous communities. Rural Transit Solutions Fund Strengthened Climate Plan Housing and Infrastructure Project Map SOURCE Department of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Billy Bishop Airport showcases new electric aircrafts
Starting tomorrow, Billy Bishop Airport will be able to support aircrafts powered by electricity. The airport says this is just one step in making operations cleaner, greener and quieter.
Calgary Herald
a day ago
- Calgary Herald
Calgary Foundation hits $1 billion grant milestone, celebrates 70th year
Article content 'I love that I get to learn something new every single day about what a charity is doing in this community to solve one of our most urgent problems,' she said. 'There is no end of good that we can do, and there's no end of great effort put on by so many in our community.' Article content Article content Of the thousands of grants the Calgary Foundation gives out, one that Friesen has been most proud to support recently is the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth (USAY). Article content 'They do the most amazing work with Indigenous youth in the city,' she said. 'We've been funding them in smaller grants for some time, and a while back, we gave them a grant for a feasibility study to build a youth centre. That feasibility study led to a whole lot of funding from levels of government, and they have just opened their youth centre for Indigenous youth in this city.' Article content Much has changed in Calgary over the past 70 years, and Friesen said this year, the focus has been on what the next 70 years will look like, and how the foundation can respond. Article content Article content 'There's a lot of polarization, there's a lot of stress in society. There's a lot of discontent and disagreements,' she said. 'It's often said that a community foundation can be the bridge between differences in a community. Article content 'That's a beautiful statement, and I'd like to use the next several years to figure out what that means and how that happens.' Article content Mayor Jyoti Gondek said she's grateful for the impact the foundation and its many philanthropic contributors have had on the city. Article content 'Reaching the milestone of $1 billion in community grants is a testament to decades of generosity, vision and commitment by Calgarians who believe in lifting each other up,' she said. Article content 'The foundation's impact is felt in every corner of Calgary.' Article content Friesen said if she could solve just one problem in Calgary, it would be the mental health and addictions crisis. Article content 'It is so intertwined with so many factors, and it just seems a hard nut to crack,' she said. 'It's so very evident on the streets in Calgary, and I wish we could solve that.'
