The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a $4-billion federal government initiative designed to help Canadian municipalities speed up housing delivery and create favourable conditions for additional housing development. The program aims to boost housing supply and improve certainty in the approval and building processes, in response to the national housing crisis. 

By providing incentive funding, CMHC aims to leverage the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to drive transformational changes in local government land use planning and development approvals. The primary goal is to accelerate housing supply and increase certainty in the approval process. Additionally, the HAF prioritizes the development of complete, affordable, equitable, inclusive, low-carbon, and climate-resilient communities. 

Meeting the Housing Supply Growth Target is a key condition for HAF funding. The City of Saint John’s goal is to create 1,158 units between January 2, 2024, and December 31, 2026. This includes specific targets for 839 multi-unit housing units, 164 missing middle housing units, and 101 affordable housing units, which represent 9% of the overall growth target. 

• The City has delivered all reporting requirements and CMHC is satisfied.  
• CMHC is satisfied with The City’s progress on the commitments.  
• The City has achieved the Housing Supply Growth Target.  

“Missing middle housing” refers to ground-oriented housing types that fall somewhere in between a single-detached home and mid-rise apartment buildings – such as garden suites, secondary suites, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes where units have direct ground floor access.  

ADUs are homes located in or on the same property as the main home. This could include additional homes in a single detached house or backyard homes.  

Yes, there is direct funding available for the creation of affordable housing. Additionally, this funding can be leveraged to secure further funding from sources beyond the HAF. Generally, increasing the housing supply impacts affordability across the entire housing continuum.  

While many jurisdictions include affordable housing in their programs, market housing is also essential. To effectively address the housing crisis, we need to develop a diverse range of housing types to cater to all economic segments of our community.  

The North End is a walkable, established community that requires revitalization. This initiative will accelerate the Community Improvement Plan (CIP) with a focused infill strategy and an infrastructure roadmap. The infill strategy aims to increase density in key corridors while maintaining the character of low-rise areas. . For the latest updates, please visit the Shape Your City page for the North End Secondary plan.

The Housing Concierge will prioritize the development of larger purpose-built rentals. A dedicated project champion will collaborate with building, heritage, infrastructure, and planning staff to proactively provide tailored support from the pre-application stage through to permit issuance for each major project.  

The City will develop a design catalogue featuring missing middle housing types and accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to streamline permit review and approval processes. Additionally, Subdivision By-law amendments will be introduced to expedite the creation of infill lots and update ADU zoning requirements.  

This program will offer upfront funding to trusted partners identified for the Province’s Affordable Rental Housing Program or eligible CMHC projects. It aims to create more affordable housing units through local coordination, support, and incentives. For more details on Affordable Housing and Soft Cost Grants or the City’s Affordable Housing Action Plan, please visit our website.”

The City will develop a public GIS inventory of all public and underutilized lands within its boundaries to coordinate redevelopment opportunities with various government levels and partners. Additionally, amendments to the City’s Land Acquisition and Disposition policy will be made to formalize the municipal process for land disposition aimed at creating housing.  

The City will accelerate Zoning By-law reforms to facilitate housing by easing requirements on converted dwellings, increasing as-of-right housing, upzoning low-density areas, and simplifying prescriptive design requirements in city center zones. Additionally, removing unnecessary developer agreement conditions will shorten approval timelines for projects that align with the Municipal Plan. For the latest updates and to share your feedback, please visit the Shape Your City page for the Zoning By-law Reform  

The City will implement a new e-permitting software to facilitate efficient permit reviews and approvals. The new system will result in a systemic improvement to building, planning, and enforcement permitting that will greatly improve efficiency and customer service.  

The City will investigate governance enhancements that would increase the long-term supply of affordable housing in Saint John. This includes considering various reform options, such as establishing a municipal housing entity to implement the City's Affordable Housing Action Plan.

This new development incentive program is focused on the uptown and surrounding areas, which the municipal plan has prioritized for the highest amount of density. The incentive targets developments that would not otherwise proceed, such as large high-rise buildings.  

December 18, 2024 – 5.3 City of Saint John Housing Accelerator Fund 2024-2026 Action Plan - CMHC Agreement 

May 27, 2024 – 13.4 Finance Committee: Housing Accelerator Funding – 2024 Budget Amendment 

June 24, 2024 – 5.4 Amendment to Schedule A - City of Saint John Housing Accelerator Fund 2024-2026 Action Plan – CMHC Agreement #27,097,302 (Recommendation in Report) 

October 28, 2024 – 13.1 Growth Committee: Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Grant Program 

December 16, 2024 – 9.1 Housing Accelerator Fund Zoning By-law Reform Amendments with Planning Advisory Committee report and Staff Presentation (1st and 2nd Reading) 

December 16, 2024 – 10.1 Subdivision By-Law Amendment (Money-in-lieu of Land for Public Purposes) - Housing Accelerator Fund (1st and 2nd Reading) 

January 13, 2025 – 10.3 Zoning By-Law Amendment - Housing Accelerator Fund (3rd Reading) 

January 13, 2025 – 10.4 Subdivision By-Law Amendment (Money-in-Lieu of Land for Public Purposes) - Housing Accelerator Fund (3rd Reading) 

February 10, 2025 – 17.2 Real Estate Acquisition and Disposition Policy and Enhanced GIS Tool - Housing Accelerator Fund Initiative 24-5 - Leverage Public and Underutilized Lands  

May 22, 2024  - 6.2 Housing Accelerator Funding 2024 Budget Amendment 

July 16, 2024 - 7.1 Housing Accelerator Progress Update 

October 8, 2024 - 7.1 Housing Accelerator Fund Initiatives Update 

October 8, 2024 - 7.2 Housing Accelerator Fund Grant Program 

November 19, 2024 - 6.1 Gap Analysis - Municipal Housing Entity - Governance Reform Review 

February 4, 2025 - 7.1 Housing Accelerator Fund Program Update  

February 4, 2025 - 7.2 Housing Accelerator Fund Grant Update  

November 26, 2024 - 5.1 HAF Subdivision By-Law Amendments 

November 26, 2024 - 5.2 Zoning By-Law Reform 

Signed Attestation Letter - Semi-Annual Agreement Report.pdf 

Capital Projects Report - CoSJ Semi-Annual Agreement Report.pdf 

a. HAF Attestation (EN) - Jan. 20 2025 Signed.pdf 

b. Capital Projects Template - CoSJ Jan 2025.pdf 

c. Permit Data Reporting Template - CoSJ Final V2.pdf 

d. Use of HAF Funding Reporting Template - CoSJ Jan. 2025.pdf