The Governments of Canada and British Columbia, along with community partners, officially opened the recently renovated Victoria Towers today, providing 91 new affordable apartments for low to moderate income individuals, seniors, families and persons with disabilities in Prince George.

Located at 1245-20th Ave., the 12-storey building is the largest affordable housing development in Prince George. Victoria Towers is directly managed by BC Housing.

Quick facts:

• The Governments of Canada and B.C. provided a combined investment of $1.5 million through the Federal-Provincial Housing initiative − http://www.bchousing.org/Initiatives/Creating/FPHi − under the Canada-B.C. Agreement for Investment in Affordable Housing 2011-14 − http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/corp/nero/nere/2011/2011-07-04-0930.cfm − that was recently extended until 2019: https://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/corp/nero/nere/2014/2014-03-04-1530.cfm
• The Government of B.C. provided $2.3 million in construction financing and $11 million for the purchase and renovation of the building.

Quotes:

Richard Harris, Member of Parliament for Cariboo-Prince George —

“Our Government is dedicated to helping those in need, which is why we are proud to have invested in this project in Prince George. These new 91 units are more than just safe and affordable places to live, they are the key to a better life for the residents that will call them home.”

Shirley Bond, Minister of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training and Minister Responsible for Labour and MLA for Prince George-Valemount —

“Our government continues to support projects that result in the creation of affordable and accessible housing in the North. The reopening of Victoria Towers will have a significant impact on this community by providing new opportunities for people and families who need assistance finding a home that they can afford.”

Associated links:

• Annually, the Government of Canada, through Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), will invest approximately $2 billion in housing. Of this amount, $1.7 billion will be spent in support of close to 600,000 households living in existing social housing. In British Columbia, this represents an estimated 67,350 households. The remaining funding supports housing-related activities and affordable housing programs. To find out more about how the Government of Canada and CMHC help Canadians meet their housing needs, call CMHC at 1 800 668-2642 or visit: www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca (cmhc.ca)

• In 2012-13, the B.C. government invested over $20.5 million to provide subsidized housing and rent supplements for 1,708 Prince George households. To find out more, visit: http://www.bchousing.org/

Stay connected:

Follow CMHC on Twitter @CMHC_ca (twitter.com)

Follow BC Housing on Twitter @BC_Housing (twitter.com)

Media Contacts:

Andrea Scott
CMHC Communications
BC Region
604 737-4064

Elaine McKay
BC Housing
778 452-6476