Bruce Power launches affordable housing seed-funding program

Access to safe and affordable housing is something that should be available to everyone, and Bruce Power has announced an affordable housing seed-funding program to assist surrounding municipalities with new projects.

The program offers grants to assist municipalities in the Clean Energy Frontier Region of Bruce, Grey and Huron counties, with the planning and pre-development costs associated with building new affordable housing projects. The program will provide $250,000 over five years to help stimulate the development of new, affordable housing.

“It’s clear that the nuclear industry is a key driver of the local economy, but we also recognize that access to affordable housing is an issue across Ontario and in our region,” said James Scongack, Bruce Power’s chief development officer and executive vice-president.

“While we’re proud to bring opportunities and positive economic impacts to our communities, we need to also help support municipalities in building the infrastructure to support this growth.”

Bruce Power’s Life Extension Program and Major Component Replacement (MCR) projects have brought thousands of skilled workers and more than 60 supplier companies to the region since 2016.

In 2022, Statistics Canada released 2021 census results and the findings show significant growth across the region. Since the last census in 2016, the region expanded by 6.5 per cent, a population growth rate 12 per cent faster than Ontario’s (5.8) and 25 per cent faster than Canada’s as a whole (5.2).

“The growth in our region has shown that there’s a real need for more affordable housing options and we’re hoping that this seed funding can help the municipalities get new projects off the ground,” said John Peevers, Bruce Power’s director of community, media relations and economic development.

The affordable housing seed-funding program will offer grants to assist in eligible activities associated with building new, affordable housing, including, but not limited to:
 

• Grant applications
• Rent supplement programs
• Consulting work
• Planning fees
• Project viability study
• Energy modelling study
• Accessibility modelling study

Minimum requirements include, but are not limited to, affordability, economic sustainability, and housing for those in greatest need.
 

• Proposed rents must be affordable (at or below 80 per cent of the average market rents)
• Must have a minimum of five affordable housing units
• Primary use must be residential
• Project must be located in the Clean Energy Frontier – Bruce, Grey and Huron counties - and applicants must be a municipal or county entity