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.
The appearance, safety, and integrity of buildings in Saint John have a direct impact on the lives of everyone in the City. It’s why the City of Saint John operates three specific programs that regulate the standards of properties and buildings in our communities, and enforce consequences for property owners who fail to meet the standards.
Vacant and Dangerous Buildings Program
Vacant buildings can sometimes attract vandalism, arson, mischief, or criminal activity and these activities will devalue properties in an area. The Vacant and Dangerous Buildings program monitors vacant buildings throughout the City. Staff work closely with property owners to repair and reoccupy or demolish vacant buildings. When vacant buildings become a hazard to public safety, a Notice to Comply can be issued to the owner giving them a specified period of time to either repair or demolish the building and if the conditions are not remedied, the City has the power to demolish the building and send the costs incurred to the property owner.
Community Standards Program
The Community Standards program focuses on issues that directly impact the aesthetics, enjoyment, and pride of a neighbourhood, including unsightly premises, zoning by-law issues, and general upkeep of properties. The primary focus of the program is on cleaning up unsightly properties throughout the City. Staff work closely with property owners to encourage the voluntary cleanup of such properties. In instances where voluntary compliance cannot be achieved, a Notice to Comply can be issued to the owner, giving them a specified period of time to remove the unsightly conditions. If the conditions are not remedied, the City has the power to remove the unsightly conditions and send the costs incurred to the property owner.
Minimum Property Standards Program
The Minimum Property Standards Program enforces standards for the maintenance and occupancy of residential buildings in Saint John. These standards help to ensure the safety, health, and well-being of those who live in and use the properties—in other words, everyone who lives in the City. The Minimum Property Standards by-law applies to all residential properties in the City and provides the minimum standards expected for all housing in the City. Common issues that City inspectors are looking for include smoke alarms that are working and in the proper location, safe exiting, bedroom windows meeting minimum size requirements, and that there are no holes in fire separations between units. Applying the Minimum Property Standards By-Law should not increase tax assessments.
Saint John’s by-laws are there to help protect the health and safety of every resident. But in order to be effective, our by-laws need to be enforced. The City's first priority in enforcement work is education—to help our residents understand what is required of them. City staff investigate complaints and inspect properties to make sure the standards laid out in the by-laws are met. Wherever possible, staff work with residents to resolve violations. Only if education and cooperation fail does the city turn to penalties and fines.
To report a by-law infraction, please choose the specific by-law below that your complaint is related to.
Proposal 2024-092206P Consulting Services – Zoning By-Law Reform
Date:
June 5, 2024
Status:
Type:
Tenders and Proposals
Categories:
Closes
at 04:00 PM
|
Proposal 2024-092206P Consulting Services – Zoning By-Law Reform
Email proposals to supplychainmanagement@saintjohn.ca bearing the title of works:
shall be received until 4:00:00 P.M. local time, Wednesday the 26th day of June, 2024.
Bidders should note that this procurement is subject to the following internal trade agreement(s) including:
|
- City of Saint John Strategic Procurement Policy
|
|
|
Proposal details and addenda may be obtained from the City of Saint John’s website at: www.saintjohn.ca under the menu option “Tenders and Proposals”.
**Interested proponents are strongly advised to register as a bidder with the Supply Chain Management Department by emailing contact information to: |
|
For inquiries, contact Alana Nauss, no later than Monday, June 17th, 2024, by 4:00:00 p.m. local time, via email at: supplychainmanagement@saintjohn.ca.
* Inquiries after this date will not receive a response.
|
Any Canadian Citizen, 18 or older (on or before election day), who is a resident of Saint John for at least 6 months prior to the election can run for City of Saint John Common Council. Also to run in a ward, they must be a resident of that ward when they are nominated. The City of Saint John Common Council has 11 elected seats – including the Mayor’s. Eight Councillors represent four Wards, West Ward 1, North Ward 2, Central Península Ward 3 and East Ward 4 – two from each Ward. There are also two Councillor-at-Large positions making a total of 10 elected Councillors in the community.
Elections typically take place every four years. The most recent election was held in May of 2021. Individuals wanting to run for Common Council must submit nomination papers to the Municipal Returning Office. Nomination papers can be found on the Elections NB website or from your local Municipal Returning Office.
Governance
Financial
| Long Term Financial Plan |
| Restructuring Plan |
| General Fund Operating Budget |
| The Path Forward |
| Path to Financial Sustainability |
| Long Term Financial Plan |
Reviews, Reports, and Audits
Other Important Information
| Council Priorities 2016-2020 |
| Work Plan 2021 Introduction |
| 2021 Common Council Meeting Schedule |
| Being a Mayor is a Tough Job |
| Organizational Chart |
About Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)
Overview of HAF Program
In spring 2023, the Government of Canada launched the Housing Accelerator Fund to support local governments in creating transformational changes to boost housing supply.
In January 2024, the City of Saint John received $9.1 million to implement its Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Action Plan. With this investment, the City aims to achieve a Housing Supply Growth Target of 1,124 net new residential units over the next three years.
Through the Housing Accelerator Fund investment, the City of Saint John has set a Housing Supply Growth Target of 1,124 net new residential units over the next three years. To ensure the success of this ambitious goal, the City has developed a comprehensive HAF Housing Action Plan, featuring eight strategic initiatives designed to drive housing development.
- Initiative 1 North End Secondary Plan - Phase One
- Initiative 2 Housing Concierge Program
- Initiative 3 Unlock Gentle Density
- Initiative 4 Capitalize Affordable Housing
- Initiative 5 Leverage Public and Underutilized Land
- Initiative 6 Zoning By-law Reform
- Initiative 7 E-Permitting One Stop Development Shop
- Initiative 8 Governance Reform
For more information on these initiatives please see the Initiatives Tab.
FAQ’s
What is the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF)?
What is the intent of the Housing Accelerator Fund?
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.
What is the City’s Housing Supply Growth Target?
Meeting the Housing Supply Growth Target is a key condition for HAF funding. The City of Saint John’s goal is to create 1,124 units between January 2, 2024, and December 31, 2026. This includes specific targets for 805 multi-unit housing units, 164 missing middle housing units, and 101 affordable housing units, which represent 9% of the overall growth target.
What are the conditions of HAF funding?
- 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.
What is the missing middle?
“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.
What are Additional Dwelling Units (ADUs)?
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.
Will this funding help housing affordability challenges?
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.
Is the Housing Accelerator Fund just about affordable housing?
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.
Major Milestone Timeline
October 3, 2022City Council Approves Affordable Housing Action Plan
August 3, 2023City of Saint John Submits Application for Housing Accelerator Fund
January 2, 2024City of Saint John Signs HAF Agreement with CMHC and Receives First Payment Advance
February 15, 2024Storm Water Monitoring Begins for Infrastructure Modeling in Support of the North End Plan Begins
April 17, 2024Shape Your City Launched to Begin North End Plan Community Engagement
March 21, 2024First Annual Developer Symposium with Development Community
July 8, 2024City Council Approves Amendments to Affordable Housing Grant Program
July 15, 2024Affordable Housing Grant Intake Opens
September 25, 2024First of two open houses for Zoning By-law Reform
October 8, 2024Review of Expanded Development Incentives in Support of HAF Initiatives with Growth Committee
October 28, 2024City Council Approves HAF Grant Program
November 7, 2024Second open house for Zoning By-law Reform
Through the Housing Accelerator Fund investment, the City of Saint John has set a Housing Supply Growth Target of 1,124 net new residential units over the next three years. To ensure the success of this ambitious goal, the City has developed a comprehensive HAF Housing Action Plan, featuring eight strategic initiatives designed to drive housing development.
Initiative 1 North End Secondary Plan - Phase One
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.
Initiative 2 Housing Concierge Program
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.
Initiative 3 Unlock Gentle Density
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.
Initiative 4 Capitalize Affordable Housing
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.”
Initiative 5 Leverage Public and Underutilized Land
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.
Initiative 6 Zoning By-law Reform
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
Initiative 7 E-Permitting One Stop Development Shop
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.
Initiative 8 Governance Reform
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.
Progress toward the Housing Supply Growth Target
The disbursement of HAF funding depends on The City meeting the overall Housing Supply Growth Target (HSGT) of 1,124 net new units between January 2, 2024 and December 31, 2026. This chart shows that we are on track with 36% of the overall 3-year target achieved as of October 2024.
Council and Committee Reports
Council:
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
Finance Committee:
May 22, 2024 - 6.2 Housing Accelerator Funding 2024 Budget Amendment
Growth Committee:
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
Status Reports Submitted to CMHC
Semi Annual Agreement Report (First Reporting Period)