Work on 1,880 new homes was started last year in Pickering

The Ontario government is awarding the City of Pickering with $5.2 million through the second round of the Building Faster Fund, which provides funding to municipalities that achieve at least 80 per cent of their provincially designated housing targets.

Pickering broke ground on 1,880 new homes in 2024, which works out to 174 per cent of its 2024 housing target. This funding will help Pickering build more homes and community infrastructure, said a provincial statement.

“I commend Mayor Ashe for taking bold and decisive action to get homes built faster in Pickering,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Announced in August 2023, the Building Faster Fund is a three-year, $1.2 billion program that is designed to encourage municipalities to speed up approval processes and get more homes built faster. The program rewards municipalities that make significant progress against their targets by providing funding for housing-enabling and community-enabling infrastructure.

“For the second year in a row, Pickering has shown strong leadership by exceeding it’s housing targets,” said Peter Bethlenfalvy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Pickering-Uxbridge. “This $5.2 million investment from the Building Faster Fund will further accelerate vital housing projects underway in Pickering.”

200,000 New Homes

Additionally, the Building Faster Fund is complemented by an investment of nearly $81 million in municipalities across Durham Region through the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, which will enable the construction of more than 200,000 new homes. This includes over $5.1 million to the City of Pickering.

“As one of Ontario’s fastest growing cities, Pickering is proud to answer the call by increasing housing supply and providing more choice for new and existing residents at every stage of life. Whether discovering our community for the first time or staying in the place they love, people are choosing Pickering and all that it has to offer,” said Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe. “We thank the Ontario government for its partnership through the Building Faster Fund, which is enabling more Ontarians to achieve the dream of home ownership and helping us shape a vibrant, inclusive future for Pickering.”