Federal government provides $1.6 million for housing in Bow Island

BOW ISLAND

Bow Island is one of six Alberta towns that will receive federal government funding to get affordable housing built faster.

Money comes from an application the town made to the federal Housing Accelerator Fund to fast-track the construction of housing by eliminating barriers that are slowing up new construction, as outlined by Sean Fraser, federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.

The HAF, launched last spring, is part of the government’s plan to increase accessible and affordable housing supply.

The Feb. 19 announcement stated that Bow Island’s $1.57-million allocation “will allow the Town of Bow Island to update their housing processes through modernizing their land use bylaw to include as-of-right zoning, digitizing their permitting process by implanting an e-permitting software solution, and regulating secondary and garden suite development.

“Bow Island will also encourage missing middle housing through an incentive program, and dis-incentivize idle land with the implementation of a Land Sale policy.”

At the Feb. 12 Bow Island town council meeting, it was discussed that there were only three homes on the market, and that residents were taking notice of this and raising concerns.

“Obviously it’s good, very good any time there’s money available for housing locally,” said Glen Motz, MP for Medicine Hat-Cardston-Warner.

“It’s something that (Bow Island Council) have been advocating for, for a while.”

Duchess, north of Brooks, will also receive $528,000. Others include Banff ($4.6 million), Sylvan Lake ($5.5 million), Westlock ($1.1 million) and Smoky Lake ($486,000), northeast of Edmonton.