The Housing Accelerator Fund
The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation administers the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). It provides incentives for local governments aimed at increasing the supply of housing. It supports the development of complete, low-carbon and climate-resilient communities that are affordable, inclusive, equitable and diverse.
HAF in Thunder Bay
The HAF is a once in a generation opportunity to build Thunder Bay for the future!
The City of Thunder Bay has been awarded up to $20.7 million from the Government of Canada through the HAF to fast-track the development of over 600 new housing units over the next three years, to reach a total of 1,691 new permitted homes by February 2027.
Program goals
- To support affordable housing, multi-unit housing, and "missing middle" housing.
- To encourage intensification on existing municipal servicing - this supports the City of Thunder Bay's strategic goals:
- Support urban density through complete, compact, and walkable development
- Take decisive action to respond to the climate emergency
- Plan and deliver cost-effective services
The goals of the HAF strategy will be achieved through the implementation of the Housing Accelerator Action Plan's eight HAF initiatives.
HAF FAQs
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How do I qualify for the HAF? |
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The following types of housing could qualify for financial incentives:
The following types of housing WILL NOT qualify for financial incentives:
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| What is a Community Improvement Plan (CIP)? |
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A CIP is a tool used to focus municipal initiatives in areas of need of development and/or redevelopment. Adopting a CIP empowers the City to offer grants to cover all or part of the cost of eligible development projects. The City of Thunder Bay currently has a Housing CIP and a Strategic Core Areas CIP. |
| What is the missing middle? |
| “Missing middle housing” refers to housing types that fall somewhere in between a single-detached home and mid-rise apartment buildings – such as townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and four plexes. This type of housing is our greatest need. |
| What are Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs)? |
| ADUs are homes that are located in or on the same property as the main home. This could include additional homes in a single detatched house or backyard homes. When reviewing the Zoning by-law and other relevant documentation, it is important to know that the City has adopted the term “home” which is used interchangeably with “unit”. |
| How can the community get involved? |
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The community will have opportunities to provide input on the development of various incentives including CIPs. The creation of new CIPs and modification of existing CIPs are public planning processes which require a Public Meeting before City Council makes a decision. Once started, notification will be placed in the local newspaper and on the City’s website. |
| How can I find land to develop? |
| At City Council’s direction, Administration has identified 40 City-owned parcels of land as suitable to be made available for the primary purpose of housing. These lands will be presented to Council in a series of reports and, as approved, will then be marketed as lands currently available for sale. |
| What is the role of the Mayor’s Task Force on Building More Homes? |
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The Mayor’s Task Force on Building More Homes is an Advisory Committee of Council that includes citizen representatives with expertise in housing and related initiatives. The role of the Mayor’s Task Force is to guide the implementation of the City’s Housing Pledge and Housing Accelerator Action Plans and recommend additional strategies and actions to accelerate the development of a range of housing types and affordability levels to meet the City’s housing needs. |
| Is there a timeframe to spend the incentive money? |
| The City of Thunder Bay’s agreement is a multi-year agreement for the above eight HAF initiatives spanning 2024 -2027. Each initiative may have individual milestone dates to be achieved. |
| How is the city spending the funding? |
| The City of Thunder Bay has eight HAF initiatives. Each initiative has a number of milestones and allocation of funds to achieve realization of the milestones. They are listed above. |
| Will this funding help housing affordability challenges? |
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Yes, there is direct funding for affordable housing. Also funding that can be leveraged to attain funding for affordable housing from sources beyond HAF. Generally, added housing supply affects affordability across the housing continuum. |
HAF Initiatives
The City of Thunder Bay was awarded $20.7 million to fund the eight transformational initiatives outlined in the Housing Accelerator Fund Action Plan designed to increase the supply of housing:
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Multi-Unit & Affordable Housing Incentive |
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Currently, affordable units are not developed fast enough to meet demand. Creation of an Affordable Housing Incentive Program will provide grants to boost affordable housing in target locations in Thunder Bay. Part of the strategy also includes the sale of city-owned surplus lands for the purpose of affordable housing, as well as an incentive for maximizing residential unit density up to the allowable limits in the zone that is intended to encourage developers to add additional units to planned developments. Learn more about the Affordable Rental Housing Funding Program |
| Encouraging Additional Dwelling Units |
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What is an Additional Dwelling Unit (ADU)?An Additional Dwelling Unit generally describes adding another separate living space to the home you already have. They can be built inside the house, onto the house, or in the yard. Depending on the size of your lot, an ADU is allowed in most urban residential neighbourhoods. How to create an additional dwelling unit on your property
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| Affordable Housing Navigator |
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The Navigator is responsible for providing guidance to these or similar organizations, including neighbouring First Nations and urban Indigenous organizations, who are involved with supportive housing, transitional housing and other models of housing needed to meet identified needs in Thunder Bay. The Navigator is also responsible for identifying zoning by-law and policy amendments to further create systemic change in support of affordable housing. |
| Vacant Commercial Development |
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The bylaw changes will encourage development of infill housing which is anticipated to be more sustainable than alternative forms of growth. This will reduce the financial burden of site servicing costs for the city in the long-term. The introduction of residential units in commercial areas will encourage urban renewal, especially in the core areas, and contribute to the creation of complete communities. |
| Core Areas Community Improvement Plan (CIP) |
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Construction Assistance Grant ProgramThis program is available for eligible projects within the city's Strategic Core Areas. It is a stand-alone grant stream funded by the Housing Accelerator Fund designed to stimulate the development of new residential units within the city's strategic core areas.
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| Secondary Planning & Infrastructure Planning in Support of Housing Strategy |
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The strategy identifies potential infill areas with barriers to residential development due to fragmented property ownership and incremental property development. The initiative would aim to resolve a legacy of insufficient coordination of these lands so that land ownership can be consolidated, providing for a more efficient building process. Through this initiative, the City will undertake secondary planning for the areas with the highest potential for housing within the established urban infill areas. |
| Vacant Industrial Land Assessment & Conversion Program |
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A 2020 Land Study identified 406 vacant, undeveloped properties that are currently designated for industrial use. Among these sites are a collective 42 hectares of properties individually measuring less than 0.5 hectares in size. The Study suggests these properties are limited in their potential for industrial development due to size. This initiative will target these properties for residential infill instead. Working with an environmental engineer to identify the best candidates, the City would systematically assess land for compatibility with residential use. Priority will be given to land that is city-owned, serviced, and with little-to-no remediation required. This will achieve faster processing times and ultimately bring more units online in the short-term. Properties deemed incompatible with residential use will be earmarked for land assembly, increasing their viability for industrial development while alleviating pressure on residential land within the settlement area. |
| Archaeological Management Plan |
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The City, in partnership with Lakehead University and Fort William First Nation, has undertaken a Heritage Inventory (a city-wide study) of land with the aim to verify and correct the inventory of known sites. This study was completed in August 2023, laying the groundwork for an Archaeological Management Plan. An Archaeological Management Plan is a locally created plan that supports goals and directions of provincial planning documents, streamlines the planning and development and review process, and provides clear direction and a local lens for when Archaeological Assessments will be required. This plan will remove the financial uncertainty and time burden from the developer, accelerating the growth of housing by reducing the process requirements associated with development. |
This initiative aims to accelerate development of Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs), including backyard homes, within the city's Urban Low-rise Zone. It will also offer grants for the construction of ADUs. To accelerate the development process, pre-approved ADU "templates" will be made available for free-standing units. 
Review and amend the 
The City of Thunder Bay's 
Currently, developers are responsible for undertaking a Stage 1 Archaeological Assessment on properties meeting a criteria established by the province. This criterion is so broad that it encompasses 76% of lands within the municipal boundary.Mayor's Task Force on Building More Homes
The Mayor's Task Force on Building More Homes guides the delivery of housing Initiatives and recommends additional strategies and actions to accelerate the development of a range of housing types and housing affordability levels to meet the City’s housing needs.
The main objectives of the Task Force are:
- to accelerate desirable housing development consistent with the policies outlined within the City’s Official Plan and other approved strategies;
- achieve community support, collaboration and participation to share in and deliver housing goals;
- support and accelerate a range of housing types and affordability levels with particular focus on affordable housing;
- identify and provide recommendations to overcome the root causes constraining housing development and affordability;
- improve Thunder Bay’s financial position by achieving additional density and making the best use of existing infrastructure; investigate and recommend additional resources to implement recommendations.
| 2024-2027 Mayor's Task Force Members |
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