Ministers Launch Work on Housing Agreements
Federal, provincial and territorial housing ministers met in Toronto and directed officials to begin a workplan toward finalizing bilateral housing agreements.
Updated on Nov. 14, 2026 in Economic Policy
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Federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for housing and homelessness met in Toronto on November 13, 2026, for the FPT Forum on Housing and Homelessness. Ministers directed senior officials to begin developing a workplan toward finalizing bilateral housing agreements.
Why it matters
Ministers acknowledged the urgency and scale of current housing and homelessness challenges across Canada. Existing bilateral housing agreements expire in 2027-28, making the coming negotiations central to how federal and provincial funding for housing will continue.
The 2026 federal budget commits $44.7 billion over 11 years toward ending homelessness, including $5.6 billion over 10 years for the Canada Housing Benefit and $6.5 billion over 10 years for Reaching Home. How these allocations will be divided among provinces and territories has not been detailed.
The players
Gregor Robertson
Gregor Robertson is Canada's Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and co-chair of the FPT Forum on Housing and Homelessness.
Rob Flack
Rob Flack is Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing and co-chair of the FPT Forum on Housing and Homelessness.
The details
Ministers met in person in Toronto and co-chaired by Gregor Robertson, Canada's Minister of Housing and Infrastructure, and Rob Flack, Ontario's Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The meeting produced direction for senior officials to start developing a workplan toward finalizing bilateral agreements.
Timeline
November 13, 2026: FPT ministers meet in Toronto on housing and homelessness.
2027-28: Existing bilateral housing agreements expire.
Spring Economic Update 2027: Target timing for advancing bilateral agreement negotiations.
Spring 2027: Ministers meet again to discuss progress.
Economic Policy
The forum moves the 2026 federal budget's $44.7 billion homelessness commitment from announcement toward implementation through bilateral agreements, which expire in 2027-28. Ministers' target of the Spring Economic Update 2027 sets the timetable for finalizing that funding relationship with provinces and territories across Canada.
Canadians who rely on the Canada Housing Benefit or on Reaching Home programs will be affected by how the bilateral agreements are finalized. The timing of the 2027-28 expiry means households depending on these supports should watch for decisions expected through the 2027 negotiations.
The takeaway
Federal and provincial funding for housing will be set through negotiations over the next year, so the bilateral agreements expiring in 2027-28 are the key point to track. Ministers' spring 2027 meeting is the next checkpoint for measuring progress.
What happens next
Senior officials are to report back to the FPT Forum on the workplan in the coming months, and ministers will meet again in spring 2027 to review progress on the bilateral housing agreements.
Further reading
For broader context on how federal funding is structured, explore Economic Policy coverage across Canada.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sarnia Observer.
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