Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government is granting the City of Kingston $3.2 million through the Building Faster Fund for exceeding its 2024 housing target.
Kingston broke ground on 966 new homes in 2024, reaching 145 per cent of its provincially designated target of 665 units. The funding supports municipal efforts to build more homes and community infrastructure as part of the province’s plan to protect Ontario’s economy and keep workers employed.
The three-year, $1.2-billion Building Faster Fund, announced in August 2023, rewards municipalities that meet at least 80 per cent of their housing targets by providing funds to accelerate municipal approval processes and support infrastructure for housing development.
“Kingston has once again surpassed its annual provincial housing target, demonstrating our ongoing commitment to addressing the housing needs of our growing community,” said Bryan Paterson, mayor of Kingston. “Investments like the one announced today help us stay focused on facilitating housing construction that is both affordable and accessible.”
The provincial government is also working to streamline development processes and reduce costs through the Protect Ontario by Building Faster and Smarter Act 2025.
John Jordan, MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, said the funding “will ensure that we can keep up with the growing demand for more homes in the City of Kingston and surrounding regions.”
From January to May 2025, Ontario recorded 6,977 rental starts, a 25 per cent increase compared with the same period in 2024, marking the second-highest level of rental starts on record for that time of year.
The government has extended the deadline for municipalities to spend Building Faster Fund money to 2028 to help support ongoing community growth.