Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Ottawa threatens to pull ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s housing funding over sixplex decision
OTTAWA - Claiming the city is falling short on its promise to ramp up density, federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson is threatening to pull some of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s housing funding.
Minister of Housing and Infrastructure Gregor Robertson rises during question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA - Claiming the city is falling short on its promise to ramp up density, federal Housing Minister Gregor Robertson is threatening to pull some of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s housing funding.
In a letter to ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Mayor Olivia Chow dated Monday, Robertson wrote that he’s disappointed by a recent decision to limit where builders can put up to six housing units on a lot.
Last month, ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ city council compromised with a plan that would see some city wards sign up to the sixplex framework, while others would have the choice to opt in later.
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Robertson argued that decision went against ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½’s agreement with the federal government under the Housing Accelerator Fund — a tool Ottawa uses to encourage cities to rapidly build more housing.
“I encourage the City of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ to revisit the measures they could implement to address the housing crisis and to restore the ambitious scope of this agreement,” Robertson wrote in the letter, now a part of submissions to the city council’s upcoming meeting agenda.
ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ signed a deal with the feds in late 2023 that would see the city build nearly 12,000 new units over three years and receive $471 million in federal funding.
The deal calls on city staff to report back to council “on opportunities to permit more low-rise, multi-unit housing development through as-of-right zoning by-laws in neighbourhoods across ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½, including … permissions for residential buildings with up to six dwelling units.”
In his letter, Robertson warned ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ could lose some of its housing funding if the city fails to meet the goals of the original agreement.
He said he wants to find a solution to the impasse by December 20.
“As previous stated, I will underscore the possibility of reduced funding if the City of ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ does not present solutions that ensures the spirit of the agreement is met,” Robertson wrote.
In a previous letter to Chow dated March 11, then-housing minister Nate Erskine-Smith warned ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ could lose up to 25 per cent of its funding if the city falls behind on boosting housing density.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2025.
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