Mayors of those municipalities say funding will help build more affordable housing
Posted June 18th, 2025 on Niagara At Large
A News Release from the Ford Government, June 18th, 2025
Ontario Rewards St. Catharines, Niagara Falls And Welland With $6.8 Million From The Building Faster Fund
Second round of funding rewards Niagara Region cities for progress toward housing targets
St. CATHARINES, Ontario — The Ontario government is awarding a combined total of nearly $6.8 million to the cities of St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland 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. St. Catharines, Niagara Falls and Welland broke ground on nearly 2,000 new homes in 2024.
As part of the Ontario government’s record-breaking investments in housing-enabling infrastructure, this funding will help all three municipalities build more homes and community infrastructure while advancing the province’s plan to protect Ontario by investing in infrastructure to support economic growth and keep workers on the job.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford
“We’re working closely with Mayor Siscoe (St. Catharines), Mayor Diodati (Niagara Falls) and Mayor Campion (Welland), and with local leadership in municipalities across Ontario, to get more homes built faster,” said Premier Doug Ford.
“Today’s investment is just the latest step we are taking to protect our workers and communities by supporting continued growth in the Niagara Region and across Ontario.”
The municipalities being awarded through the Building Faster Fund are as follows:
- St. Catharines — $2,501,547 for achieving 85 per cent of its housing target, breaking ground on 782 new housing units, approaching their provincial target of 917.
- Niagara Falls — $2,817,707 for achieving 116 per cent of its housing target, breaking ground on 774 new housing units, exceeding their provincial target of 667.
- Welland — $1,467,045 for achieving 114 per cent of its housing target, breaking ground on 408 new housing units, exceeding their provincial target of 358.
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 municipal approval processes and get more homes built faster.
The fund rewards municipalities that make significant progress against their targets by providing funding for housing-enabling and community-enabling infrastructure. The province is also providing record funding to support housing-enabling infrastructure, including through the Housing-Enabling Water Systems Fund and the Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program.
“Our government’s latest legislation is a key step forward in our plan to reduce delays, streamline approvals and build more homes — faster — in partnership with municipalities across Ontario,” said Rob Flack, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. “Through the Building Faster Fund and our historic infrastructure investments, we’re partnering with local leadership to get more shovels in the ground and deliver the homes Ontario needs.”
The Ontario government is also helping to speed up the construction of new homes and infrastructure, including by streamlining development processes and reducing costs in close partnership with municipalities, through the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act, 2025.
Quotes
St. Catharines Mayor Matt Siscoe
“We are grateful to the provincial government for supporting St. Catharines through the Building Faster Fund. This funding recognizes the strong progress we are making toward our ambitious housing goals. Our Council remains united and unwavering in its commitment to our housing pledge of 11,000 new homes, demonstrated by our unanimous vote in support of the plan and our continuous support for housing projects when they come forward. With continued partnership and momentum, we’re building a stronger, more inclusive city for everyone.”- Mat Siscoe, Mayor of St. Catharines
Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati
“This money will have a tremendous impact in our community! Niagara Falls has worked very hard to meet and exceed housing targets and this show of confidence from the Province means that we can invest in the infrastructure needed to continue to build more housing. This is a huge win for Niagara communities. Thank you!” – Jim Diodati, Mayor of Niagara Falls
“We’re grateful to Premier Ford and Minister Flack for this funding, which will allow us to expand and enhance our infrastructure to better support the costs associated with residential growth. It’s essential that growth pays for growth, ensuring the burden doesn’t fall on local ratepayers. By meeting and surpassing our growth targets, we became eligible for this support, and we appreciate the Ontario government’s commitment in stepping up to assist.” – Frank Campion, Mayor of Welland
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