New Affordable Housing Coming to Whitby

Whitby, ON – To provide Canadians with increased access to affordable and sustainable housing, the Governments of Canada and Ontario announced nearly $2.9 million in combined funding through the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) and the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) to build 30 new affordable units in Whitby.

Located at 409 Centre Street South, the project is designed to repurpose an aging two-storey property that has reached the end of its useful life into a new three-storey building for seniors. Once complete in spring 2027, it will offer 14 affordable units and 16 rent-geared-to-income (RGI) units for seniors, of which 28 will be barrier-free. Conveniently located near downtown Whitby, residents will have easy access to shops, community services, healthcare services, and public transit.

The announcement was made by Ryan Turnbull, Member of Parliament for Whitby, on behalf of the Honourable Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada, and Lorne Coe, Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Flack, Ontario’s Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, alongside John Henry, Regional Chair and CEO of the Regional Municipality of Durham, Elizabeth Roy, Mayor of Whitby, and Regional Councillor Bob Chapman, Chair of Housing Durham.

Solving Canada’s housing crisis requires immediate action to bring down costs. Central to this work, the Government of Canada has launched Build Canada Homes, which is helping increase the pace of affordable homebuilding. Build Canada Homes is also helping to fight homelessness by building transitional and supportive housing — working with provinces, territories, municipalities, and Indigenous communities. It is building deeply affordable and community housing for low-income households and partnering with private market developers to build affordable homes for the Canadian middle class. As part of the Government of Canada’s broader efforts to respond to the housing crisis, investments are being made across the housing continuum to meet the needs of communities across Canada.

• The National Housing Strategy (NHS) is a 10 year, $115+ billion plan to give more Canadians a place to call home. Progress on programs and initiatives are updated quarterly on the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) website. The Housing and Infrastructure Project Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed.
  • As of March 2026, the federal government has committed $82.28 billion to support the creation of over 199,000 units and the repair of over 344,200 units. These measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence.
  • NHS is built on strong partnerships between the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and continuous engagement with others, including municipalities, Indigenous governments and organizations, and the social and private housing sectors. This includes consultations with Canadians from all walks of life, and people with lived experience of housing need.
• The Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative (OPHI) is a funding initiative delivered as part of the Canada-Ontario Bilateral Agreement under the National Housing Strategy. The Governments of Canada and Ontario have each committed approximately $378 million in OPHI funding over ten years, for a total of $756 million, to protect, renew, and expand affordable housing, while advancing Ontario’s priorities related to repair, new construction, and affordability.
• The Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) is a funding initiative under the Canada-Ontario Bilateral Agreement. The funding helps repair, regenerate and expand community housing, as well as provide rental assistance to those living in social and affordable housing. It can also be used to support community housing providers whose original program arrangements are expiring.
• In March 2026, the Governments of Canada and Ontario signed the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build in support of the shared goals of boosting housing supply, advancing key transit projects, and strengthening economic growth. Under this new partnership, the Governments of Canada and Ontario will cost-match a total of $8.8 billion over 10 years to support housing-enabling infrastructure projects in Ontario, and the funding will be prioritized for municipalities that reduce and maintain reductions on development charges. This marks the federal government’s first partnership through the Build Communities Strong Fund.
• Funding provided for 409 Centre Street South is as follows:
  • $2,200,000 from the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative to help build 16 units.
  • $694,745 from the Ontario Priorities Housing Initiative to help build 14 units.
  • $7,341,255 from the Regional Municipality of Durham.