Canada's Housing minister calls on municipalities to be more 'ambitious' with funding applications

Housing Minister Sean Fraser is challenging municipalities to provide their "best offer" when applying for federal housing funding, saying that he is prioritizing "the most ambitious" applicants.

Housing Minister Sean Fraser is challenging municipalities to provide their "best offer" when applying for federal housing funding, saying that he is prioritizing "the most ambitious" applicants.

"Not every city is guaranteed approval just because they've submitted an application. We're looking for the best of the best," he told a press conference Monday.

"If cities decide to do something less than their best offer, they will be competing for what's left in the fund after we've addressed the most ambitious applications."

On Monday, the government published a list of guidelines municipalities can follow to apply for the Housing Accelerator Fund. Those guidelines include suggestions to end density exclusionary zones, make municipal lands available for housing construction and eliminate building height restrictions.