Ontario Construction News staff writer
A new digital tool has been created to help Northern Ontario municipalities plan construction of new affordable housing.
The federal government provided $119,875 to the Rural Ontario Institute to launch the Rural Housing Information System.
The system will provide data related to demographics, economics, the housing market, housing supply, municipal development incentives, zoning and municipal comparison tools which can be used to plan affordable housing projects.
“Affordable housing is vital to our social and economic well-being and this project delivers on all fronts. The RHIS is a proven success and I’m thrilled that close to 150 Northern Ontario communities are signing up to accelerate the planning, construction and sale of affordable housing in the region,” said Sudbury MP Viviane Lapointe. “In the past 12 months alone, our government has delivered for Sudbury in the form of more than $105 million for five housing projects that have created 494 new, additional housing units.”
Funded through FedNor’s Northern Ontario Development Program, the project is expected to include 145 northern municipalities, allowing them to better understand their housing supply and market conditions for planning and development purposes.
The RHIS is currently used by 223 rural municipalities in eastern and western Ontario, which has led to the development of new affordable housing and economic development opportunities in these regions.
It is expected that the new program coordinator will meet with municipal, Indigenous and economic development stakeholders to introduce the RHIS and start collecting housing data. The initiative will also include system demonstrations for partners to collect feedback, improve system data and prepare for promotional sessions to encourage builders and developers to become actively involved.
“We are pleased FedNor’s recognizes the importance the Rural Housing Information System and is stepping up to help us roll it out in municipalities and First Nations communities across Northern Ontario Canada,” said Zviko Gwekwerere, Northern Coordinator, Rural Ontario Institute. “Canada has a shortage of affordable housing units, and this project is helping to break down barriers, collect vital information and form strategic alliances that will lead to the construction of new affordable housing.”
The Rural Housing Information System (RHIS) is targeted for use by community stakeholders, municipalities, builders, developers, housing corporations, and Realtors.