Fort Saskatchewan– Everyone in Canada deserves a safe, affordable, and sustainable place to call home. That is why the Government of Canada and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) are investing in communities to provide sustainable and affordable housing for residents.
The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources and Joanne Vanderheyden, President of FCM today announced a $2.9 million investment to support a net-zero energy affordable housing project in the City of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.
With this funding from FCM’s Sustainable Affordable Housing (SAH) initiative, the municipal corporation Heartland Housing Foundation (HHF) will build 83 affordable housing units in Fort Saskatchewan’s Sherridon neighbourhood. The project will be the first Net-Zero Energy (NZE) building in its portfolio.
The innovative design features modular shipping container construction on the building’s ground floor with standard wood construction on the upper floors achieve this level of efficiency using technologies that include solar PV arrays on the roof and parkade, a high-performance building envelope, high-performance windows, efficient lighting, a heat pump, and heat recovery systems. The innovative design features modular shipping container construction on the building’s ground floor with standard wood construction on the upper floors achieve this level of efficiency using technologies that include solar PV arrays on the roof and parkade, a high-performance building envelope, high-performance windows, efficient lighting, a heat pump, and heat recovery systems. The Net-Zero building design will reduce electrical costs and incorporates cost-saving measures to maximize affordability, such as basic finishes and no common amenity rooms. The Net-Zero building design will reduce electrical costs and incorporates cost-saving measures to maximize affordability, such as basic finishes and no common amenity rooms.
The project’s other funders include Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the Government of Alberta and the City of Fort Saskatchewan, for a total project cost of $17,386,190.
The Government of Canada endowed the $300-million Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative as part of a $950-million expansion of FCM’s Green Municipal Fund (GMF) in Budget 2019. The SAH initiative helps housing providers retrofit existing units for higher energy performance or build new affordable housing to net-zero standards, lowering greenhouse gas emissions and supporting municipalities in achieving their broader climate change plan objectives. In its first year of funding, in 2020-2021, the SAH initiative approved funding for 33 projects, representing more than 3,000 units.
Quotes
“Municipalities are on the front lines of climate change and climate action, and communities of all sizes are showing climate leadership at a time when we need it most. The investments we are seeing today through the Green Municipal Fund empower municipalities to get results on the ground. We deliver results with our partners – helping cities and communities tackle affordable housing challenges, create jobs and build a greener, more sustainable country. Together, we are on the path to net-zero.”
– Joanne Vanderheyden, President, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
“The fight against climate change will not be won if we do not tackle the issue of energy efficiency in buildings all across the country. Our government is pleased to support Canadian municipalities in line with our commitment to make homes more energy efficient and more affordable for Canadian families. When Canadians spend less on energy, it means more money in their pocket. ”
– The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources
“Canadians expect all levels of government to work together to tackle climate change and the housing crisis. This investment, funded in part through the Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative, will support the construction of 83 units in Fort Saskatchewan’s Sherridon neighbourhood. Projects like these are important and help us build cleaner communities and put more money back in the pockets of Canadians.”
– The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
“By building high-quality and energy-efficient affordable housing, we are building healthy and sustainable communities. Canada’s ongoing transition to a low-carbon economy requires innovative and affordable housing solutions that create jobs and climate resilience while making life more affordable through saved energy costs.”
– The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
“The City of Fort Saskatchewan is pleased to partner with the Government of Canada, the Government of Alberta, Heartland Housing Foundation, and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to help provide this new affordable housing in our community. This is a much-needed project, and we are grateful to all the organizations who made it a reality.”
– Mayor Gale Katchur, City of Fort Saskatchewan
“Heartland Housing Foundation is proud of this partnership to bring 83 units of much needed below market rentals to the City of Fort Saskatchewan. Demand for these units is already quite high, and we are pleased to see how the community has embraced this development. Our hope is that Muriel Ross Abdurahman Court will be a place that generations of leaders – like Muriel herself – will grow up and thrive in an inclusive and vibrant community.”
– Mike Derbyshire, Board Chair, Heartland Housing Foundation
Associated links
Green Municipal Fund
Sustainable Affordable Housing initiative
Contacts
FCM Media Relations
613-907-6395
media@fcm.ca
Joanna Sivasankaran
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Natural Resources
819-790-1907
Joanna.Sivasankaran@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Media Relations
Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa
343-292-6100
NRCan.media.RNCan@canada.ca
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