OTTAWA — Applications opened Thursday for a $1-billion federal program to help municipalities and Indigenous communities build critical infrastructure.

The Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund set aside $1-billion in direct funding to communities to build or improve infrastructure to support drinking water, wastewater, stormwater and solid waste.

Applications opened online today, with municipalities and Indigenous communities able to apply.

Those applicants will need to demonstrate how their proposals will support the building of more homes.

Housing Minister Sean Fraser says he expects to distribute $1 billion from the program directly to communities by the end of the year.

Fraser also announced the Regional Homebuilding Innovation Fund is accepting applications, which will see $50 million over two years to support housing construction in southern Ontario.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.

Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press