A funding announcement Thursday (Oct. 15) in St. Thomas is an important step toward making housing projects more viable and building more homes.

The city is receiving up to $19.6 million in exchange for reducing development charges for three years.

The provincial and federal funding is through the Development Charge Reduction Program.

MP Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, stressed the announcement “Is creating the conditions to ensure communities like St. Thomas can continue to grow and thrive.”

He continued, “There’s no doubt we’re in an affordability crisis in many ways, but especially when you talk about housing. That is the crisis of the day. And we’re trying to change that.

“And what you need to do to change that is work with all levels of government, federally, provincially, and municipally, and I think that is exactly what is happening here today.