East Hants Announces Support for Housing
On March 28, 2024, MP Kody Blois, MLA John MacDonald and Warden Eleanor Roulston of East Hants announced that East Hants was selected as one of the Municipalities in Nova Scotia to receive the federal Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), as well as funding under the Provincial Municipal Capital Grant Program (MCGP). East Hants received approximately $15 million in total during today’s announcements.
The HAF funding is a total of $5,885,000 that will be distributed in four separate annual advances of $1,470,250. As part of the agreement, the Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation has approved an action plan with nine initiatives to increase the number of housing units in East Hants.
The MCGP funding is a provincial commitment of $8,668,773 for wastewater collection system upgrades, including 2 key lift stations and 2 new sewer force mains. This infrastructure will alleviate bottlenecks in the system and increase capacity for new housing and business development. The province also announced this morning a commitment of $570,000 to help defray the costs associated with the flooding of the East Hants Aquatic Centre in July 2023.
The Municipality of East Hants is committing to reviewing planning documents to increase housing density and making more use of accessory dwelling units across the municipality. We will be reviewing our building permit process to streamline bringing more housing to market. This will include looking at an e-permitting system for building and development applications and a permit fee review. Council will be doing secondary planning strategies for both the Lantz North and Mount Uniacke Growth Management Reserves and will be investigating centralized parking for the village core in Shubenacadie.
Partnering with our Provincial and Federal governments is essential for us to continue to build out our community. Today’s announcement of over $15 million is welcome news for East Hants and will help us build the necessary infrastructure for years, and generations to come.
“We are excited and proud to announce this partnership with East Hants. With initiatives like allowing more units on residential lots, making municipal lands available for housing, waiving permit fees for accessory units, and streamlining approval processes, East Hants will ensure that they have more of the kind of homes needed to tackle the housing crisis. We will continue working with cities, towns, municipalities, mayors, Indigenous partners, and all levels of government to get more homes built for Canadians at prices they can afford.” – The Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
“East Hants is a great place to live and is home to several of the fastest growing communities in Nova Scotia. I am very pleased to share that the Government of Canada is investing $5.8M through the Housing Accelerator Fund to support the Municipality of East Hants plan to get more homes built faster. This agreement will result in the construction of 2,800 new homes in East Hants over the next decade, ensuring that more Nova Scotian families can call East Hants home.” – Kody Blois, Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants
“I have listened to the growing needs of residents. Today, this government is taking action to address those needs with regards to the much-needed infrastructure to meet those concerns of residents and grow our communities. East Hants has a wonderful opportunity for growth and we intend to work with the municipality to reach its fullest potential.” – John A. MacDonald, MLA for Hants East
“East Hants is extremely grateful to receive funds from the Housing Accelerator Fund program and the Municipal Capital Grant Program. This is great news for our communities and will give us the ability to continue to expand housing options for our residents.” – Eleanor Roulston, Warden of East Hants
