New Affordable Housing Coming to North Bay
May 15, 2026NORTH BAY – Vic Fedeli, MPP for Nipissing, announced that solving Canada’s housing crisis requires immediate action to bring down costs. To provide Canadians with increased access to affordable and sustainable housing, the federal and provincial governments announced a combined investment of $4.5 million through the Canada-Ontario Community Housing Initiative (COCHI) to support the delivery of affordable homes in North Bay.
“The Brookes Street housing project is a win for our community and answers DNSSAB’s call to increase affordable housing opportunities in Nipissing. We look forward to taking further steps to bridge that gap for those who need a safe place to call home. The new build near the North Bay Indigenous Hub will enable residents to access culturally safe health and wellness outcomes close to home. Ontario’s goal is to create more homes and reduce homelessness, and we are proud to be part of that effort.” – Vic Fedeli, MPP Nipissing.
The project involves the development of a 60-unit affordable housing building on Brookes Street in North Bay. It will consist of a three-story residential building providing a mix of one-bedroom and two-bedroom units along with a common area space for tenants. The project will provide Indigenous-focused affordable housing for Indigenous households and will be developed and operated by Ontario Aboriginal Housing Services (OAHS). Construction of the project is expected to start by early fall this year.
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 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 Government of Canada and the Province of Ontario recently signed the Canada-Ontario Partnership to Build in support of shared goals, including building more affordable homes, infrastructure, and transit. Under this new partnership, the federal government and Ontario will cost-match a total of $8.8 billion over 10 years to support housing-enabling infrastructure projects for municipalities that reduce and maintain low development charges. This marks the federal government’s first partnership through the Build Communities Strong Fund.
Quick Facts:
- 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.
- North Bay proposed an ambitious Housing Action Plan, which included rezoning to allow four units as-of-right within the city’s urban boundary and making municipal lands available for housing. The City recently received its third HAF installment of nearly $2.7 million, reflecting the successful implementation of its plan.
Additional Information:
- The recently introduced Building Homes and Improving Transportation Infrastructure Act, 2026, builds on the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025, which helps speed up the construction of new homes and infrastructure by streamlining development processes, modernizing planning rules, and reducing costs, in partnership with municipalities.
- For more information on affordable housing in Ontario, visit ontario.ca/affordablehousing or follow us on X.