1. The Year in Review from the Chief Executive Officer

Exploring New Strategies to Address Military Housing Crisis

In response to the mounting pressures on military housing exacerbated by the housing crisis across Canada, CFHA has actively started to explore strategies to alleviate the strain. One such initiative involves the design and construction of additional apartment buildings, similar to the successful model established in Comox. We have also started exploring alternative solutions through collaborative efforts with the private sector. In FY 2022-23, CFHA launched Requests for Information (RFIs) to industry to determine the willingness and capacity to partner with DND to gain access to more residential accommodations at its five priority locations: Borden, Kingston, Edmonton, Esquimalt, and Trenton with results on possible alternatives expected to be available early in FY 2023-24.

Enhancing Military Housing in FY 2022-23

Another line of effort was to continue to conduct extensive routine life cycle replacement work to effectively maintain the existing portfolio. In FY 2022-23, the Agency invested over $145M in the residential housing portfolio and housing services, completing construction projects, renovation, and lifecycle repairs in over 3,500 RHUs. As a result of this investment, the national Condition Assessment (CA) rating has increased from 3.14 in 2022 to 3.18 in 2023, while the number of RHUs in ‘below average’ condition decreased significantly from 2022 to 2023, going from 2,148 to 1,695 RHUs.

CFHA’s Green Initiatives Advance Energy Efficiency

Much of the work completed this past year contributed to energy efficiency upgrades in support of the Government of Canada’s (GoC) Greening Government Strategy. CFHA continued its partnership with Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to establish a baseline of CFHA’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and plan for a net zero portfolio by 2050. As part of the NRCan led 2 Billion Trees initiative, CFHA also completed tree planting projects in Wainwright, Moose Jaw, and Dundurn where a total of 3,830 trees were planted.

Surpassing Targets: DCC and CFHA’s Indigenous Procurement Success

Through collaboration between Defence Construction Canada (DCC) and CFHA at the site and regional levels, Indigenous benefits were realized primarily through the implementation of voluntary set-asides under the Procurement Strategy for Indigenous Business (PSIB). CFHA has steadily increased its contracts with Indigenous-led businesses and exceeding targets (in number, dollar value and as a percentage of our investment program year-over-year). In FY 2022-23, 11.8% of contracts for these activities were awarded to Indigenous businesses, which greatly surpasses the target of 5%.

2023 Survey: High Satisfaction with CFHA Housing Amid Challenges

The 2023 DND Housing Customer Satisfaction Survey showed that 7 out of 10 occupants remain satisfied with CFHA services, which is similar to the baseline position from 2020. This can be considered as a sign of CFHA resilience and high level of adaptability in the face of many pandemic and post pandemic challenges, such as lack of materials, contractor and trades availability.

The main reasons for satisfaction identified were the property itself and its location near the base/wing. The property condition was also identified as the main reason for dissatisfaction, which shows the portfolio differences as significant investments in recent years have improved many RHU conditions, while more are still needed in the future. Affordability remains the primary reason why CAF members choose to live in DND housing, with a significant increase from 64% to 70% mentioning it unprompted.

The Agency continued to build on its Platinum level Canada Award for Excellence from Excellence Canada, by promoting a culture of continual improvement, modernizing business practices, leveraging the latest tools and technologies for employees, occupants, and applicants, and enhancing the Agency’s data analytics capabilities for better decision-making. New digitized processes to streamline service and enhance the digital experience for customers continue to be added since CFHA launched the Services for Occupants webpage in 2022. Overall, more than 8,000 submissions have been received using the online forms, including more than 5,000 applications for housing. CFHA is developing additional forms to add to the webpage, offering more modernized service to occupants.

In addition to the Customer Satisfaction Survey, the Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) was conducted in 2022. Year-over-year, CFHA consistently receives positive results from this survey with the majority of CFHA employees indicating they are proud of the work they do (91%), and they have the tools, technology and equipment to do their job (89%).

Despite the post-pandemic operating challenges, overall CFHA delivered on its mandate during the past year and maintained its level of excellence as an organization by focusing on continuous improvement. CFHA remains committed to delivering the Defence Residential Housing Program (DRHP) to meet departmental requirements, to exercising diligent stewardship of its resources including the housing assets, and to continuing to improve operations and services to meet the ever-evolving needs of the CAF and its members.