TORONTO, Ont. - Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for housing and homelessness met in Toronto on Friday, November 13, and committed to advance negotiations on renewing bilateral housing agreements before the current agreements expire in 2027-28.
The meeting, co-chaired by federal Housing and Infrastructure Minister Gregor Robertson and Ontario Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Rob Flack, discussed the 2026 federal budget, which invests $44.7 billion over 11 years to put Canada on a path toward ending homelessness, expand non-market housing, and build a housing market that works for all.
Ministers highlighted the renewal of the Canada Housing Benefit, at $5.6 billion over 10 years, and Reaching Home, at $6.5 billion over 10 years, and noted $5 billion for the new Integrated Supports Fund and $10 billion in additional federal investments in supportive and transitional housing. Ministers committed to advance negotiations in the coming months on the bilateral housing agreements ahead of the Spring Economic Update 2027, including preserving existing non-market housing stock, and agreed to meet again in spring 2027. Senior officials were directed to start developing a workplan toward finalizing the agreements.
For Surrey, the renewal talks are not abstract. Surrey has one of the largest and fastest-growing populations in B.C., and its housing pressures are among the most acute in the province: long waits for affordable rentals, a large population experiencing homelessness, and 527 shelter spaces in Surrey, according to a BC Housing release on November 10, 2026. The bilateral agreements are the mechanism that moves federal housing money into B.C. programs, so a lapse or a gap in the agreements would land directly on Surrey’s shelters, non-market housing providers and renters. British Columbia’s minister did not take part in the publication of the release, the communique notes, due to the recent provincial election.
“Housing and homelessness are challenges we cannot solve in isolation. We need all orders of government working together, building on our partnerships and turning shared priorities into meaningful action. Our investments in Budget 2026 give us an important opportunity to accelerate progress towards ending homelessness in 10 years, from protecting existing affordable and community housing to expanding supportive and transitional housing and helping more people find a stable place to call home,” Robertson said.
“Every Canadian deserves a safe, affordable place to call home, and all levels of government have a role to play in making that happen. I was pleased to meet with Minister Robertson and my provincial and territorial colleagues for a productive discussion on our shared housing priorities. The investments announced in the 2026 federal budget are a promising step forward, but there is still important work ahead,” Flack said.
The communique also records that Quebec intends to fully exercise its own responsibilities over housing on its territory and to obtain its fair share of every federal funding initiative quickly and without conditions.
Source: Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada, November 13, 2026; shelter figures: BC Housing, November 10, 2026
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