The governments of Canada and British Columbia, along with community partners, celebrated the official opening of Enderby Memorial Terrace, which provides 15 apartments of affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

"Through Economic Action Plan 2012, our government is taking concrete action to help ensure economic recovery and create the conditions for long-term growth," said Colin Mayes, member of Parliament for Okanagan-Shuswap, on behalf of the Honourable Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister Responsible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). "Funding projects like Enderby Memorial Terrace will not only improve the overall housing conditions for seniors and people with disabilities in Enderby but also help stimulate the local economy and create jobs."

"Congratulations to the Enderby Seniors Housing Society for successfully bringing much needed affordable housing to Enderby," said George Abbott, Minister of Education and MLA for Shuswap. "Enderby Memorial Terrace is the last building to officially open under the Olympic Legacy Affordable Housing initiative, which took temporary modular homes used to house athletes during the 2010 Winter Games and reconfigured them to create 156 new affordable housing units in communities across B.C. This is an example of one of the innovative housing solutions being used throughout our province."

Through an amendment to the Canada-British Columbia Affordable Housing Agreement, the Government of Canada provided $1,113,750 for this project. The Government of British Columbia provided $2,878,137 towards the capital cost - the land valued at $355,000, and annual operational funding of $31,452.

Provincial funding for Enderby Memorial Terrace, located at 708 Granville Ave., was partly provided through a provincial initiative to re-use temporary modular units from the Whistler Athletes' Village from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. In total, 320 temporary modular homes were converted to create 156 new affordable homes in Enderby, Saanich, Sechelt, Surrey, Chetwynd and Chilliwack.

Enderby Memorial Terrace is operated by Enderby Seniors Housing Society. Established in 2008, Enderby Seniors Housing Society is a non-profit organization created to build, manage and operate seniors' independent housing in Enderby. The two-storey building was designed to accommodate the society's future plans to expand the building to provide assisted living for independent seniors.

"Enderby Memorial Terrace represents a lot of hard work and volunteer hours from our dedicated society members," said Patrick Strougler, president and executive director of Enderby Seniors Housing Society. "We know that our tenants are greatly benefiting from the affordability of their homes, and we are confident that our future plans for an assisted-living development on this site will come to fruition. When everything is complete, seniors in our community will have access to Enderby's version of a campus of care clustered along Highway 97A."

The Seniors' Rental Housing initiative was a result of a $365-million joint investment under an amendment to the Canada-British Columbia Affordable Housing Agreement, which included funding through Canada's Economic Action Plan and by the government of British Columbia.

This initiative, initially announced by the two levels of government on April 8, 2009, provided $123.6 million, including $104 million for seniors and $19.6 million for persons with disabilities, to develop approximately 1,300 new affordable rental housing units, which has helped to stimulate local economies in smaller communities across B.C. Under terms of the agreement, the provincial and federal governments provided matching contributions of $61.8 million.

Canada's Economic Action Plan is built on the Government of Canada's commitment in 2008 of more than $1.9 billion, over five years, to improve and build new affordable housing and help the homeless. It provided $400 million, over two years, to build new rental housing for low-income seniors. Overall, the Economic Action Plan included $2 billion for the construction of new, and the renovation of, existing social housing, plus $2 billion in low-cost loans to municipalities for housing-related infrastructure.

A new agreement signed in July 2011 by both orders of government confirms B.C.'s allocation of the remaining three years of the $1.9 billion, which amounts to a further $90 million in federal funding for British Columbians in housing need. With the provincial contribution of $90 million in matching funds, there is a combined investment of $180 million to support housing programs that help B.C. residents access safe, affordable housing.

For more information on this and other measures in Canada's Economic Action Plan, visit: www.actionplan.gc.ca

To find out how CMHC is working to build stronger homes and communities for all Canadians, call CMHC at 1 800 668-2642 or visit: www.cmhc.ca/housingactionplan

Over the last decade, the Province has invested $2.8 billion to provide affordable housing for low-income individuals, seniors and families. This year, more than 97,000 B.C. households will benefit from provincial social housing programs and services. To find out more, visit: www.bchousing.org

A backgrounder follows.

Media inquiries:

Seumas Gordon
BC Housing
604 439-4789

Andrea Scott
CMHC Communications
604 737-4064

Marian Ngo
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819 994-2482

BACKGROUNDER

Enderby Memorial Terrace

Enderby Memorial Terrace, located at 708 Granville Ave., Enderby, is an affordable housing development providing 15 apartments for seniors and people with disabilities.

The two-storey building contains 15 bachelor units, a common kitchen/dining area, laundry facility, office and storage space.

This is the last affordable housing development to officially open under the Province's Olympic Legacy Affordable Housing initiative. In total, 320 modular homes from the Whistler Athletes' Village were converted to create 156 new affordable homes in Enderby, Saanich, Sechelt, Surrey, Chetwynd and Chilliwack.

Modular housing has been used extensively for affordable housing developments as it allows construction to take place in a factory, which means less dependence on weather conditions. The modular units meet EnerGuide 80 standards and are designed to be easily accessible for seniors and people with disabilities - this includes room sizes that allow for wheelchair access and manoeuvring, shelves and light switches at an accessible height and bathroom grab bars or step-in showers.

Partners and Funding:

The total capital cost for Enderby Memorial Terrace is $4.3 million.

• The Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), provided $1,113,750 under Canada's Economic Action Plan.
• The Government of British Columbia provided $2,878,137 towards the capital cost - the land valued at $355,000, and annual operational funding of $31,452.

Media inquiries:

Seumas Gordon
BC Housing
604 439-4789

Andrea Scott
CMHC Communications
604 737-4064

Marian Ngo
Press Secretary
Office of Minister Finley
819 994-2482