Ontario Construction News staff writer
The City of Kitchener will receive $8 million through the third round of Ontario’s Building Faster Fund, which provides funding to municipalities that achieve at least 80 per cent of their provincially designated housing targets.
In 2025, Kitchener broke ground on 3,005 new homes, reaching 85 per cent of its annual target.
“Congratulations to the City of Kitchener for your efforts to get shovels in the ground,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “In addition to the Building Faster Fund, our government continues to support municipalities in increasing their housing supply through measures like the expansion of the HST rebate and the recently announced Development Charge Reduction Program.”
Announced in August 2023, the three-year, up to $1.2 billion program rewards municipalities that make significant progress toward their housing targets by providing funding for the infrastructure needed to support new housing and growing communities.
“Kitchener is proud to be recognized by the Government of Ontario for the third year in a row, for our leadership in addressing the housing crisis and getting more homes built,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “This investment reflects the strong commitment of Council, staff and our community to taking action, accelerating progress and delivering more housing for the residents of Kitchener.”
As part of the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build, Ontario has also introduced the Development Charge Reduction Program, which will deliver up to $8.8 billion over 10 years for housing-enabling infrastructure projects.
Funding will be prioritized for municipalities that reduce and maintain reductions on development charges. The agreement also supports the removal of the HST on new homes from April 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, which will save homebuyers up to $130,000 off the cost of a new home. Collectively, these measures help to enhance affordability, support builders as they get shovels in the ground on new homes and keep workers on the job.
