Canada Frees Up Public Lands to Tackle Housing Shortage

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government identified 56 federal properties, representing the size of about 2,000 hockey rinks, where hundreds of new affordable homes could be built to counter the scarcity of available land worsening a housing shortage.

The properties will be featured in the new Canada Public Land Bank, the government said in a news release. Five properties in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa, listed on the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.’s website, are already available for long-term leasing at a discounted value, and builders can submit their plans. The list is expected to grow regularly.