Message From Tony
Over the last decade, we have witnessed a dramatic decline in the construction of purpose-built rental housing units. That is why on August 10th, I was proud to announce $77 million in financing for Phase 3 of The Rose Corporation’s Deerfield project, which will add 175 units to the rental housing stock in Newmarket. Long-term rentals, that are well served by public transit and close to amenities, are vitally important to building healthy, liveable communities.
Providing fully repayable low-interest loans from the National Housing Strategy’s Rental Construction Financing Initiative to developers such as The Rose Corporation is but one example of how our government is moving forward to provide affordable housing options. The Rental Construction Financing Initiative is one of many programs and initiatives under the National Housing Strategy, a plan that’s helping Canadians build the life they want and deserve.
This announcement follows a similar initiative made several years ago for the project at 195 Deerfield which has created 216 purpose-built rental units. In total, these two projects provide a total of 391 more rental units here in Newmarket. Once constructed, this phase called Bakerfield Phase II will provide secure tenancies in a new and modern purpose-built, energy-efficient, and professionally managed rental apartment building with carefully selected amenities that serve the target population.
Projects such as this one requires partnerships. Only by working together, can we create more housing. My thanks to the Rose Corporation, The Regional Municipality of York, The Town of Newmarket for their help in making this happen. Beyond the bricks and mortar, it’s about creating stronger more vibrant communities that Canadians can feel proud to call home.
Sport Aurora - Athlete of the Year Awards
At Sport Aurora’s School Athlete of the Year Awards Ceremony, I had the honour of recognizing the athletic excellence and achievements of these athletes alongside my colleague, Member of Parliament Leah Taylor Roy.
These young athletes were recognized not only for their remarkable performances, but also for inspiring fellow students to stay active and participate in sport.
Many of these young Canadians have been supported by their family, friends, coaches, and teammates, who have helped them grow into the passionate and determined athlete they are today.
Congratulations to all for reaching this level of excellence and thank you to Sport Aurora for hosting such a wonderful event.
Supporting 22 Environmental Projects Across Canada
By investing in restoration and protection efforts for our natural environment, we’re building a sustainable future for all Canadians.
The Environmental Damages Fund (EDF) directs funds received from fines, court orders, and voluntary payments to priority projects that will benefit Canada’s natural environment.
Last week, the most recent round of allocated funding was announced and will support 22 projects to be carried out across Canada — five of these being in Ontario.
These projects aim to:
- Provide restoration and management actions for more than 1,029 hectares of habitat.
- Reduce and divert over 30,800 kilograms of toxic or harmful waste.
- Implement environmental quality activities on 772 hectares of habitat.
- Monitor, assess, and direct studies carried out on more than 19 million hectares of habitat.
- Engage over 1,166 participants and 252 partners and provide opportunities for community members, including Indigenous peoples and youth, to increase environmental awareness and capacity.
Through the EDF, Ontario Streams received $45,813 in 2018 to help reduce the negative effects of pollution along streams within York Region. Visit this website to learn more about previous EDF projects.
We’re taking steps to protect our climate, environment, and biodiversity.
Update on 2 Billion Trees Program
Through our 2 Billion Trees (2BT) Program, we’re protecting our forests as they play a crucial role in our fight against climate change.
Last week, we announced that we’ve planted over 110 million trees through the 2BT program, which is 20 million trees ahead of our goals for the first two years.
Alongside this achievement, we announced over $60 million in federal funding to support four new 2BT projects, specifically aimed at restoring wildfire-impacted forests and rehabilitating reserve lands, which will improve forest health and biodiversity and benefit Canadians.
The over $60 million will be split up to support:
- $1 million to plant 900,000 seedlings to restore three wildfire-impacted forests – The World Wildlife Fund Canada’s Secwepemcúl’ecw Restoration and Stewardship Society project in British Columbia
- $18.7 million to plant 10.5 million trees to repair damage caused by the 2021 wildfires – Skeetchestn Natural Resources’ project in British Columbia
- $27.4 million to plant 20.8 million trees to restore boreal forest lands – Nekoté Limited Partnership’s Kistike’win Wildfire Restoration project in Manitoba
- $2.2 million to plant over 4.3 million trees to increase biodiversity in Western Canada – Agroforestry and Woodlot Extension Society’s 2 Billion Trees Western Coalition project in Alberta
These four projects aimed to restore wildfire-impacted land, comes alongside 12 other 2BT projects, backed by a $39.2 million federal investment, to support the planting of an additional 21.7 million trees.
Canada’s forests are a vital part of our wildlife and communities, with tree planting at the forefront of reforestation efforts.
Share Your Thoughts on Budget 2023
In March 2023, we tabled Budget 2023 and outlined our plan to build a stronger economy that works for all Canadians. As we continue to implement our Budget 2023 priorities, we’re inviting Canadians to provide feedback.
Canadians are invited to share their views and feedback on various measures as the government works towards legislative implementation in the coming months.
The Department of Finance Canada is consulting Canadians on:
- Measures to grow Canada’s clean economy;
- Measures to deliver tax relief for Canadian workers and businesses;
- Measures to close tax loopholes;
- Measures to ensure tax fairness;
- Sales and Excise Tax measures;
- Tax improvements and other tax measures; and,
- Previously announced measures.
Learn more about how to share your thoughts here.
