The mayors of Kitchener and Waterloo shared their thoughts on the 2024 federal budget, emphasizing its emphasis on housing and affordability.
Waterloo mayor Dorothy McCabe expressed her appreciation for the budget’s focus on housing and affordability, highlighting the federal government’s engagement in addressing these key priorities. She noted the announcement of an additional $400 million for the Housing Accelerator Fund and its potential impact on the city.
Mayor McCabe also stressed the significance of new infrastructure funding, highlighting ongoing discussions with federal and provincial governments to adjust fiscal funding arrangements. She expressed hope that the Canada housing infrastructure fund would facilitate more substantial conversations on this front.
Kitchener mayor Berry Vrbanovic echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the critical nature of investments in housing infrastructure. He highlighted the budget’s measures aimed at improving affordability for Kitchener residents, including addressing housing costs, agreements with cell providers, and banking fees.
Mayor Vrbanovic welcomed the funding to match provinces in addressing chronic homelessness and praised new measures to assist Canadians with mortgage renewals. He described the budget as striking a strong balance between addressing affordability for Canadians and continuing to invest in municipalities.
Overall, both mayors applauded the federal budget’s focus on infrastructure and housing investments, recognizing their potential to positively impact local communities.
