Housing Accelerator Fund | Municipality of Brockton

The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) was created to address the housing crisis affecting the majority of Canadians. The lack of sufficient, appropriate and affordable housing has created a situation where many Canadians are struggling to find suitable housing to meet their current needs. The Municipality of Brockton applied, and was subsequently approved for, the Housing Accelerator Fund grant, which will allow for the Municipality to conduct studies, promote the area and ensure appropriate growth happens within our municipality. By increasing the housing supply and supporting the development of diverse housing options, this will ensure that the homes being built can meet the needs of the residents of our communities.

Through this fund, the Municipality of Brockton will be receiving up to $3.4 million dollars for creating 433 new housing units over the next three years.

"The Federal Government’s funding will help expand attainable housing in Brockton, supporting our growing workforce, strengthening our business community, and attracting new residents for long-term sustainability and economic growth. Council and staff remain committed to Building a Better Brockton." – Mayor Chris Peabody

Press Release

Municipality of Brockton Receives Housing Accelerator Fund

The Municipality of Brockton is pleased to announce that we are a successful recipient of the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC’s) Housing Accelerator Fund. We are pleased to receive access to $3.4 million in funding which can be allocated towards infrastructure that supports new and existing residents, supports programs and policies to advance needed units, and increases the available supply for attainably priced units in the growing community of Brockton.

The Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) is a $4.4 billion initiative from the Government of Canada, helping to boost housing supply while supporting affordable, diverse, and climate-resilient communities. Through the HAF, the Government of Canada are working with local governments to accelerate the construction of over 4,200 homes over the next three years, spurring the construction of over 44,700 homes over the next decade. The HAF provides incentive funding to local governments related to affordable housing, housing-related infrastructure, community-related infrastructure supporting housing, as well as the creation of an action plan for the forecasted growth.

The Municipality of Brockton has long identified the need for more housing, especially housing that is available to support workers, young families moving to the community and promote economic growth. The Municipality will be undertaking the following initiatives to facilitate additional housing growth in Brockton’s community:
1. Updating infrastructure planning to align with official community plans, growth targets and housing needs assessment.
2. Implemented disincentives to discourage idle units.
3. Promoting infill developments (adding new units to existing communities) with increased housing density and a variety of unit types (ex. duplexes or secondary suites).
4. Creating a process for disposal of Municipally owned land assets for the development of affordable housing.
5. Ensuring that development and amenity charges are clear, transparent and pre-determined.
6. Aligning development charges with the costs of infrastructure and servicing.
7. Revised parking requirements, such as reduced or eliminated parking spaces for new developments that may benefit apartments to create more units where multiple spaces are not necessary.
8. Allowing increased density housing on a single lot - reducing impact on available land supply.
9. Implementing incentives, costing or fee structures (ex. density bonusing), to encourage such things as affordable housing and conversions from non-residential to residential.
10. Promoting and allowing more housing types that serve vulnerable populations.
11. Partnering with non-profit housing providers to preserve and increase the stock of affordable housing.

Many of our initiatives are related to projects that the Municipality currently has underway and are advancing or are related to urban expansion goals.

"The Federal Government’s funding will help expand attainable housing in Brockton, supporting our growing workforce, strengthening our business community, and attracting new residents for long-term sustainability and economic growth. Council and staff remain committed to Building a Better Brockton." – Mayor Chris Peabody

Brockton Housing Initiatives

Brockton is working towards the following initiatives under the Housing Accelerator Fund. The intention of the initiatives is to promote development in a meaningful way.

Initiative One

Reducing & Eliminating Parking Standards

Initiative Two

Comprehensive Review of Development Charges and Fee Schedules

Initiative Three

Make Municipally Owned Lands Available for Priority Housing Development

Initiative Four

Zoning By-Law and Official Plan Amendments to Eliminate Density Restrictions and Introduce New Residential Development Flexibility

Initiative Five

Develop and Implement New Site Plan Control Policies and Promote Low-Rise Infill Development

Initiative Six

Develop Affordable Housing Community Improvement Plan and Concierge Service to Introduce New Affordable Housing-Based Incentive Programming

What is the purpose behind these Initiatives?

For more information on the initiatives, including what we mean by them, what tasks are under them and the progress on them, click on the initiative below:

As part of Initiative One, staff have been advancing the following milestones:

Council Approval of Payment-in-Lieu By-laws
Application and Review to Amend Zoning and Payment-in-Lieu By-laws
Implementation of Zoning and Payment-in-Lieu By-laws

What does this mean?

The new amendments have reduced the restrictions on parking on new developments and amended the requirements for parking.

As part of Initiative Two, staff have been advancing the following milestones:

Conduct a thorough assessment of the Development Charges and Fees Schedule
Development Charges, Fees By-law Amendments approvals
Implementation of By-laws and Fees Schedule

What does this mean?

In order to remain competitive, the municipality should review the fees and charges, associated with Development applications and building permits, on a consistent basis. Under this initiative, the municipality will be conducting a review of the fees and charges for Development related activities.

As part of Initiative Three, staff have been advancing the following milestones:

Develop and Implement Official Plan Zoning By-Laws and Land Conversion Policy Amendments
Establish New Partnerships with Non-Profit Housing Providers
Develop and Implement Zoning By-Laws
Revision of Existing Policy, Generation of Land Asset Inventory and Creation of New Assessment Matrix

What does this mean?

In order to maximize the capacity for the lands, the municipality is creating an inventory of lands that may be underutilized or have the possibility to be alternatively designated to make them available for priority housing developments. As such, the Municipality is reviewing the current policies related to acquisition and disposition of municipal land and considering partnership opportunities for non-profit housing providers. Part of this initiative will involve reviewing the appropriate zoning on lands to support housing, which will be considered as part of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law review.

As part of Initiative Four, staff have been advancing the following milestones:

Approval of RFPs and Data Collection Initiatives
Revision of Amendments and Council Approval for Official Plan
Revision of Amendments and Council Approval for Zoning By-Law

What does this mean?

The Official Plan and Zoning By-law outline what can be done on properties, grouping most commercial or industrial purposes out of residential neighbourhoods for instance, and as part of this initiative, special consideration is being made towards increasing residential development flexibility and looking at the density restrictions, and the possible addition of additional residential units (ARU's).

As part of Initiative Five, staff have been advancing the following milestones:

Site Plan Design RFP for ARU units
Development and Implementation of Official Plan Zoning By-Law Amendments and CIP Policy Updates

What does this mean?

Part of this initiative is the development and implementation of improved Site Plan Control process and policies. Site plan control is a planning tool municipalities use to manage community development. This could include things like walkways, parking areas, landscaping or exterior design on a parcel of land where development is proposed. This is something that would be considered as part of the Official Plan and Zoning By-law, which are currently under review. Additional considerations for low rise development (developments under five stories), are also a focus under this initiative.

As part of Initiative Six, staff have been advancing the following milestones:

Revision and Amendment of Community Improvement Plan
Council Approval and Community Engagement of New CIP

What does this mean?

Municipal Staff will be reviewing the Community Improvement Plan to update it based on initiatives to support housing development. Certain municipal abilities for funding opportunities are limited outside of the Community Improvement Plan areas and the review will allow for more opportunities within the Municipality in the interest of housing creation.

Documents and Plans

The Municipality of Brockton has long identified the need for more housing, especially housing that is available to support workers, young families moving to the community and promote economic growth. In order to move forward in the most effective way, staff have been working diligently on various plans and documents to help facilitate the initiatives under the Housing Accelerator Fund.

Asset Management Plan

The goal of asset management is to deliver an adequate level of service in the most cost-effective manner. This involves the development and implementation of asset management strategies and long-term financial planning.

To be presented to Council in July, 2025

Recreation Master Services and Facilities Plan

The purpose of the Plan is to guide provision of recreation services, programs, open spaces (parks, trails and water accesses) and facilities for the ten-year period of 2023 to 2033, and allow for greater cost savings, efficiencies and future opportunities.

Master Servicing Plan

The Master Servicing Plan’s intent was to provide staff and council a handbook on requirements for future growth and expansion of the Town of Walkerton.

Click here to view these plans, as well as other Brockton related Plans, Reports and Studies.

As part of the Housing Accelerator Fund, the following documents and plans are being worked on:

Housing Needs Assessment

Brockton has initiated a Housing Needs Assessment to examine types of development that will be the most beneficial for the community. This assessment will inform staff and developers not only what kind of housing units are needed, but provide a rough idea of where and how many units are needed to fill our 'missing middle'.

Find out more at: Housing Needs Assessment.

Official Plan & Zoning By-law Review

The Official Plan and Zoning By-law outline what can be done on properties, grouping most commercial or industrial purposes out of residential neighbourhoods. Part of this review is considering specific restrictions on housing units, including density, additional residential units, and other restrictions.

March 18th, 2025 - Special Meeting of Council
March - April 2025 - Online Public Survey
June 10th, 2025 - Council Meeting (Background Report) - We are here!
June 18th 2025 - Public Information Session
September 30, 2025 - Statutory Public Open House
December 9, 2025 - Statutory Public Meeting

Click here to find out more about the Official Plan and Zoning By-law Review.

Community Improvement Plan

The Municipality of Brockton last updated its Community Improvement Plan (CIP) in 2022 to add incentives for business owners, and to expand the area. The CIP provides a framework to encourage the rehabilitation and repurposing of existing commercial, industrial, institutional and heritage buildings and structures, improvement of commercial signage and facades, energy efficiencies, accessibility improvements, and the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized properties and buildings, particularly for projects that address the need for more attainable housing. As such, regular reviews are carried out.

The CIP will be updated again in 2025 to support additional housing development in Brockton. This aligns with the Municipality’s successful application to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation’s Housing Accelerator Fund. Under this fund, Brockton will receive access to $3.4 million which can be allocated towards infrastructure that supports new and existing residents, supports programs and policies to advance needed units, and increases the available supply for attainably priced units in the growing community of Brockton.

Four key action items are being pursued in the 2025 CIP update:

Add affordable housing and additional residential units as eligible categories under existing grants.
Create a Priority Housing Planning Application stream with development charge fee reductions.
Include the new Tax Increment Equivalent Financing (TIEF) program as a grant stream and enable Bruce County participation.
Update CIPA mapping for clarity and expand inclusion to all commercially zoned downtown Walkerton properties and applicable properties along settlement area roadways.

Community consultation will be incorporated as the CIP update progresses.