City of Burlington receives third installment of Housing Accelerator Fund

Burlington, Ont.—March 18, 2026—As part of its $21.16 million Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) agreement with the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the City of Burlington has received a third installment from the fund to continue advancing its local housing strategy.

The $5.29 million installment will help ongoing efforts to accelerate housing supply to meet the required HAF total growth target of 2,724 new units permitted by the end of 2026. The City permitted 1,664 of those units by the end of 2025.

The funding will help advance initiatives that support more housing starts in Burlington and support growth that is thoughtful and add density in a way that is compatible with surrounding development.

As part of its HAF funding agreement and action plan, the City established seven initiatives and associated milestones focused on identifying a range of policy, process and program changes to accelerate housing approvals and support new housing supply. All seven have now been completed and are actively being implemented:

• Simplify planning and building approval processes to make it faster and more predictable to get an application approved and improve customer experience.
• Council approval of Major Transit Station Area (MTSA) policies and progress toward implementing a Community Planning Permit System (CPPS) to enable intensification around Burlington’s three regional rail (GO Transit) stations, supporting transit-oriented growth.
• Council approval of an Official Plan Amendment and a corresponding zoning bylaw amendment to increase “as-of-right” permissions for Additional Residential Units (ARUs) and reduce parking requirements. In Burlington, “as-of-right” means a property owner can have up to three ARUs on one urban residential lot without needing rezoning, as long as the proposal meets the City’s rules and other applicable requirements.
• Launch of Affordable Rental Housing Community Improvement Plan including financial incentive programs such as grants, forgivable loans and municipal fee waivers to encourage the development of new rental and affordable housing.
• Launch of the online Housing Connections Centre, a one-stop hub where residents, partners and industry can access housing resources, programs and contacts to support housing development and partnerships.
• Launch of the ARU Incentive Program to support homeowners in creating new affordable rental housing or bringing existing units into compliance with the Ontario Building Code.
• Acquisition of land in Burlington for future affordable housing development.

Further, the City launched an ARU look-up tool, allowing homeowners to check whether their property is eligible for an ARU, and a Garage Conversion Toolkit, which provides illustrations and guidance for converting an existing garage into a legal residential unit. The City also initiated a review of development application fees to support housing delivery.

This third funding installment will support the implementation of ongoing initiatives and help the City make any needed additional policy and zoning changes, further streamline planning and permitting processes, and ensure these efforts translate into an overall increase in housing supply in the city.

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Quotes

Mayor Marianne Meed Ward

“Together with our federal partners, we're making progress on creating more affordable housing for our residents. With federal funding, we have accelerated housing supply, with more than 1600 units already permitted, while also ensuring that development aligns with our community's values and vision for the future - with affordable housing at the right scale in the right location.”

Ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte, Deputy Mayor for Housing

“This third installment of HAF funding will help us continue to turn our housing strategy into real results. By simplifying approvals, enabling housing starts, and supporting affordable housing development, we’re creating the conditions needed to deliver more homes in our community, faster.”

Links and Resources

• City of Burlington Housing Strategy
• City of Burlington HAF Action Plan
• Additional Residential Unit (ARU) Look-Up Tool
• Garage Conversion Toolkit

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Media contact:
City of Burlington Corporate Communications
communications@burlington.ca