Ottawa signs deals to house homeless in 11 municipalities in Ontario, Saskatchewan

A resident puts a winter coat on in a snow covered tent encampment in Trinity Bellwoods park in Toronto on Sunday November 22, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

OTTAWA — The federal government has signed deals with nine additional municipalities in Ontario and two in Saskatchewan to address homelessness.

The agreements are worth a combined $91 million over two years and are meant to support the municipalities' encampment response plans.

Those plans include creating new shelter spaces and increasing transitional housing options.

Toronto, Durham, Peel, York, Hamilton, Niagara, Waterloo, Ottawa and Sudbury in Ontario signed deals, as did Saskatoon and Regina.

Housing Minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith says deals have also been reached with all other provinces and territories, with details to be announced in the coming weeks.

He said Ottawa couldn’t sign provincial partnerships with Ontario and Saskatchewan because those provinces wouldn’t match the federal government’s contributions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.