Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund

The Regional Development Corporation (RDC) has signed a multi-year infrastructure agreement with the Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada to increase housing supply and accommodate community growth. The Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund (CHIF) aims to accelerate the construction and upgrading of housing by supporting drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid-waste infrastructure, which directly supports the creation of new homes, and increasing densification. This investment is part of the Province of New Brunswick’s commitment to address the impacts of the housing crisis felt by communities across New Brunswick.

New Brunswick will receive approximately $150 million over the next 10 years from Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada (HICC) to invest in municipal infrastructure projects that directly enable housing supply.  Provincial funding for eligible projects will be provided from RDC’s Preconstruction and Infrastructure Fund to Support Housing.

The CHIF program will be administered by the Regional Development Corporation on behalf of the Province of New Brunswick and Government of Canada, with support from partnering departments.

Drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure projects that accelerate the construction and upgrading of housing are eligible for funding.  Planning projects can be considered eligible for funding if they support the potential construction of water, wastewater, stormwater, or solid waste infrastructure projects to enable housing growth. Applicants must demonstrate that there is a housing need in the community where the project will take place.

Water, wastewater, stormwater, and solid waste infrastructure renewal that is not linked to housing growth may be permitted for communities less than 30,000, on an exceptional basis.

For more information, please see Schedule A, Section A.3 (Eligible Projects) of the NB-Canada CHIF agreement

Eligible projects may receive the following cost-sharing:

• Seventy-three percent (73.33% - 40% federal, 33.33% provincial) of Eligible Expenditures for local governments, regional governments, public sector bodies, and not-for-profit organizations.
• Eighty-three percent (83.33% - 50% federal, 33.33% provincial) of Eligible Expenditures for local governments or regional governments with a population of 30,000 or less as identified in the 2021 Census.
• One hundred percent (100% federal) of Eligible Expenditures for Indigenous Recipients.
• Fifty percent (50% federal) of Eligible Expenditures for provincial government projects
• Twenty-five percent (25% federal) of Eligible Expenditures for any for-profit, private sector Recipients.

For more information, please see Section Schedule A, Section A.6 (Stacking and Cost-Sharing) of the NB-Canada CHIF agreement

The following are eligible to apply for CHIF funding:

• Local governments.
• Regional Service Commissions.
• Provincial government.
• First Nations.
• Incorporated not-for-profit organizations.
• Private sector, for-profit organizations (if it is working in collaboration with an eligible public-sector entity, as described below, or with an eligible Indigenous applicant as described below).

Ineligible applicants include the following:

• Private-sector, for-profit entities that are not partnering with an eligible public sector entity or an eligible Indigenous applicant, as described above;
• Individuals and private citizens; and
• Federal entities, including federal Crown corporations.

For more information, please see Schedule A, Section A.2 (Ultimate Recipients) of the NB-Canada CHIF agreement.

RDC is now accepting applications for CHIF funding. There is no deadline to apply.

Eligible applicants are encouraged to apply using RDC’s standard application form and submit completed applications to [email protected]. Applications should be signed by authorized parties and be as complete as possible, including supporting information such as housing needs assessments, business cases, detailed costing, site plans, designs, etc. Once received, RDC will work with the applicant to revise and finalize the submission. Applications will be assessed against program criteria.

Projects must not commence before the applicant receives written notification of approval by RDC.

For More Information

Please contact RDC at (506) 453-2277 or [email protected] for more information about the CHIF program.