Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Kitchener is set to receive $8 million through the third round of Ontario’s Building Faster Fund, which offers funding to municipalities that meet at least 80 per cent of their housing targets set by the province.
In 2025, Kitchener kicked off construction on 3,005 new homes, achieving 85 per cent of its yearly goal.
“Congratulations to the City of Kitchener for your efforts to get shovels in the ground,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Along with the Building Faster Fund, our government continues to back municipalities in boosting their housing supply through initiatives like expanding the HST rebate and the recently launched Development Charge Reduction Program.”
Launched in August 2023, this three-year program worth up to $1.2 billion rewards municipalities that make notable strides toward their housing goals by providing funds for essential infrastructure needed for new homes and growing communities.
“Kitchener is proud to be recognized by the Government of Ontario for the third consecutive year for our leadership in tackling the housing crisis and increasing home construction,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “This investment reflects our Council’s strong commitment along with staff and community support towards taking action, speeding up progress, and delivering more housing options for Kitchener residents.”
As part of the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build, Ontario has also introduced the Development Charge Reduction Program which will allocate up to $8.8 billion over a decade for projects related to housing-enabling infrastructure.
Funding will focus on municipalities that cut development charges and keep those reductions in place. The agreement also facilitates removing HST on new homes from April 1, 2026, until March 31, 2027, potentially saving homebuyers up to $130,000 when buying a new home. Collectively, these actions help improve affordability while assisting builders as they start construction on new homes and maintain jobs for workers.
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