Federal housing consultations begin, national housing policy framework in development.
January 18, 2005 - Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada are holding a series of consultations in January and February to assist in the development of a Canadian Housing Framework. The commitment to 
develop a new national housing strategy was included in the federal government's 2004 Speech from the Throne.
"The purpose of these consultations is to gain a better understanding of housing and homelessness issues, and at the same time offer Canadians an opportunity to provide input towards the development of a new Canadian Housing Framework," said the Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing. "The Government of Canada is committed to strengthening and enhancing existing programs with new initiatives in partnership with other levels of government, community groups and the private sector."
The consultations will include community forums where local and regional stakeholders will be invited to present their views. There will also be expert roundtables on topics central to housing and homelessness. Community consultations have already been held in Calgary and Toronto. The schedule of upcoming consultations is as follows:
January 17-18 - Vancouver, British Columbia (Community consultations & Expert roundtable)
January 19 - Winnipeg, Manitoba (Community consultations)
January 20-21 - Regina, Saskatchewan (Community consultations)
January 22 - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (Community consultations)
January 24 - St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador (Community consultations)
January 24 - Toronto, Ontario (Expert roundtable)
January 25 - Saint John, New Brunswick (Community consultations)
January 26-27 - Halifax, Nova Scotia (Expert roundtable & Community consultations)
January 28 - London, Ontario (Community consultations)
February 1 - Montréal, Quebec (Expert roundtable)
February 3 - Ottawa, Ontario (Expert roundtable)
Additional information about the consultations is also available at www.homelessness.gc.ca. The general public has also been invited to submit their ideas through this web site.
© Copyright Canadian Real Estate Association 2005