A federal investment of $348,161 will help repair affordable apartments and emergency homeless units in Brandon. The investment will also help Ste. Rose and District Handi-Van, the Town of Carberry and the Municipality of North Cypress – Langford purchase new accessible vehicles for public transit.

“There are many intersections between housing and public transportation. By investing in public transit and housing, we are better connecting residents to affordable and accessible places to live and work. We will continue to support projects like these that help Manitobans prosper and live independent and fuller lives for generations to come.”

Chris Bittle, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities and Member of Parliament for St. Catharines, on behalf of the Honourable Sean Fraser, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities

“Carberry is very thankful and appreciative to receive funding for a new handivan. Public transit is very beneficial and crucial to the mobility impaired as well as several other community members who use it for shopping, medical appointments, excursions, etc. It helps to maintain an independent lifestyle with the assistance that this vehicle will provide. On behalf of the Town of Carberry, I extend our appreciation for this funding.” 

His Worship Ray Muirhead, Mayor of the Town of Carberry 

“On behalf of The City of Brandon, our clients, residents, and community partners, Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation extends heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Canada’s Department of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities for their invaluable support through the Reaching Home Strategy. The challenges of homelessness in Brandon have tragically surged threefold since the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic. It's evident that affordable housing is a pivotal solution to address homelessness. This injection of funds aimed at repairing affordable housing units will significantly aid in preventing homelessness and ensuring shelter stability.”

Rushana Newman, Executive Director of Brandon Neighbourhood Renewal Corporation

“On behalf of everyone at our organization and for the communities we serve, thank you to the Government of Canada’s Rural Transit Solution’s Fund for helping fund our new project of purchasing a new wheelchair accessible vehicle. We are forever grateful for this funding as it will allow us to continue providing transportation for all mobility disadvantaged persons in our rural communities.”

Kendra Moriaux, Manager of Ste. Rose & District Handivan Inc.

• The federal government is investing $96,954 in the housing repair project through the Reaching Home: Canada’s Homelessness Strategy.

• Reaching Home is a community-based program aimed at preventing and reducing homelessness across Canada. This program provides funding and support to urban, Indigenous, territorial, rural, and remote communities to help them address their local homelessness needs. 

• Funding under this program is allocated to 64 Designated Communities (urban centres), three territorial capitals, 30 Indigenous communities, and rural and remote communities across Canada. The program also makes funding available to Indigenous partners to support distinctions-based approaches to homelessness services.

• The federal government also recently announced partners for their Action Research on Chronic Homelessness initiative. Through identifying and documenting persistent barriers, successes, and challenges, it will pilot strategies for ending chronic homelessness that can be adapted for use across Canada.  

• Through Reaching Home, the federal government is investing nearly $4 billion over 9 years to address homelessness. 

• Additionally, the federal government is investing $251,207 in the two transit projects through the Rural Transit Solutions Fund (RTSF) .Municipalities and partners are contributing $62,802. These projects are contingent on the completion of contribution agreements.

• The RTSF helps Canadians living in rural and remote areas get around their communities more easily. It supports the development of rural transit solutions, including new transit service models that could be replicated or scaled up. 

• A minimum of 10% from the RTSF’s $250-million fund will be allocated to projects that benefit Indigenous populations and communities.

• Applications to the RTSF – Capital Projects stream are accepted on a continuous basis. This stream helps cover capital costs like the purchase of vehicles or digital platforms, as well as support for the purchase of zero-emission vehicles.

• Through the Capital Projects stream, eligible applicants can seek contributions of up to $3 million to help cover the capital costs of a new or expanded transit solution (e.g., purchase of vehicles or digital platforms), and up to $5 million to support zero-emission transit solutions (e.g., for the purchase of a zero-emission vehicle(s)).

• One in five Canadians live in rural communities. Rural communities in Canada account for nearly 30% of the nation’s gross domestic product.

• The RTSF complements Canada’s strengthened climate plan: A Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy. Through the plan the federal government has committed to providing permanent federal funding for public transit in support of making clean and affordable transportation available in every community.

• Since 2015, the federal government has announced an unprecedented investment of over $30 billion in thousands of transit projects in communities across the country.

• Federal funding is conditional on the signing of funding/contribution agreements.

Associated links

• Reaching Home: Canada's Homelessness Strategy
• Canada’s National Housing Strategy
• Rural Transit Solutions Fund
• Strengthened Climate Plan
• Federal infrastructure investments in Manitoba

For more information (media only), please contact:

Micaal Ahmed
Communications Manager
Office of the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
343-598-3920
micaal.ahmed@infc.gc.ca

Media Relations
Infrastructure Canada
613-960-9251
Toll free: 1-877-250-7154
Email: media-medias@infc.gc.ca
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Merrilea N. Metcalf
Corporate Communications Officer
City of Brandon
204-729-2590
m.metcalf@brandon.ca