Stoney Creek, ON - The Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario, and the City of Hamilton through CityHousing Hamilton Corporation today celebrated the start of construction of 48 new affordable rental units in Stoney Creek

The project received more than $3.3 million in funding through the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.

Dean Allison, Member of Parliament for Niagara West-Glanbrook, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation; Sophia Aggelonitis, MPP for Hamilton Mountain, on behalf of the Honourable Jim Watson, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; and Mayor of Hamilton, Fred Eisenberger, made the announcement today.

Today's announcement recognized a 48-unit building in Stoney Creek. The project, currently under construction, will provide affordable housing for low-income individuals and families, persons with disabilities and recent immigrants. Completion of the homes is scheduled for April 2010. This $6.5 million project, sponsored by the CityHamilton Housing Corporation, received more than $3.3 million under the Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program.

The federal and provincial allocations to the project were complemented by a contribution of $3 million from the City of Hamilton. In addition, the province donated the land to the City of Hamilton for development purposes.

The Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program comprises a commitment of $301 million from each of the two senior levels of government. In total, the federal, provincial and municipal governments will invest at least $734 million in the program, which will provide affordable housing for up to 20,000 households in Ontario.

Last fall, the Government of Canada committed more than $1.9 billion over the next five years to improve and build new affordable housing and to help the homeless. Canada's Economic Action Plan builds on this with an additional one-time investment of more than $2 billion over two years in new and existing social housing and lending of up to another $2 billion to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure. Combined for Ontario, this means a further $1.2-billion joint investment under the amended Canada-Ontario Affordable Housing Program Agreement. The federal and provincial governments are contributing equally to this overall investment.

Ontario is moving quickly to implement this additional funding, which increases the number of quick start projects to 39 totaling over $76.5 million and which will improve access to affordable housing for low-income families, seniors and persons with disabilities. It will also create jobs and strengthen local economies. To find out more about affordable housing in Ontario, visit www.mah.gov.on.ca.

To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC are working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1-800-668-2642 or visit www.cmhc.ca/housingactionplan. For more information on Canada's Economic Action Plan, call 1-800-O Canada or visit www.actionplan.gc.ca.