By Heather Kingdon, Manager, Communications, Foresight Canada
When it comes to expanding housing development across Canada, the country faces significant challenges. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) estimates an additional 3.5 million housing units are needed by 2030 to support the nation’s population. Adding the need to implement sustainable building practices, Canada’s housing market is ripe for innovation.
Foresight Canada recently partnered with CMHC on the housing supply challenge to identify sustainable, nation-wide solutions to address Canada’s housing issues. Innovators across the country have responded enthusiastically, showcasing groundbreaking solutions designed to enable sustainable and scalable housing growth.
Rural Impact Canada
One standout participant, Rural Impact Canada, is revolutionizing how small and rural municipalities approach affordable housing development. By leveraging their Municipal Services Corporations (MSCs) Program, the organization empowers small and rural communities to build homes more efficiently and sustainably, paving the way for long-term development. Foresight Canada recently had the opportunity to speak with Lindsay Blair, president of Rural Impact Canada, about the challenges that the organization is working to solve, their innovative programs, as well as their accomplishments and goals for the future.
Rural Impact Canada was born out of the housing supply challenge with the goal of reducing and eliminating the barriers that small and rural municipalities face when building infrastructure and supporting dense and diverse development. Their MSC Program, the first of its kind in the housing and development industry, provides a step-by-step guide and resources for municipalities to create their own MSC faster and for less, helping them build an environment that is able to support development.
MSCs are municipality-owned entities that consolidate resources and expertise to address local needs efficiently. These highly adaptable corporations give smaller municipalities tools to manage growth and collaborate with developers and innovators on housing and infrastructure solutions. Whereas smaller municipalities often lack internal resources, such as robust legal departments and must frequently outsource to for-profit organizations, MSCs have a dedicated board of directors, often saving municipalities significant time and money. For-profit organizations may not prioritize a municipality’s needs – unlike an MSC, which exists solely to serve the community.
Unlocking capital
MSCs can also help address key issues such as unlocking capital for infrastructure investments and development, and taking on the management and operations of alternative infrastructure solutions. Rural and small municipalities are inherently disadvantaged in obtaining capital due to their lower tax revenue and debt limitations. The MSC approach offers smaller municipalities a tool to manage growth strategically, reducing the financial strain and inefficiencies of traditional municipal approaches.
The MSC Program takes municipalities through the steps required to create or join an MSC (along with other program outcomes), focusing on creating solutions to Canada’s housing challenges at the local level. The program aims to reduce the complexities of creating an MSC and introduces standardization and resources that simplify the process while addressing each municipality’s unique needs. The guide significantly reduces the time and cost of the process; what typically took three to seven years can now potentially be completed in around six to 12 months, avoiding the costly trial-and-error process.
The organization’s MSC Program, along with its Municipal Housing Development (MHD) Program and the Decentralized Housing Development (DHD) Program, accelerate housing productivity and pave the way for diverse, sustainable housing options, including seniors’ housing, transitional units and missing middle developments which, are low in supply in rural and small municipalities. By integrating cleantech innovations into water and wastewater management, which ripples into innovative heating and construction materials, Rural Impact Canada’s approach not only expands housing access but also promotes resilience and sustainability in the face of climate challenges.
Fundamental needs
“Building homes goes beyond just construction – it requires addressing fundamental needs like access to water and wastewater systems, which are key to tackling housing challenges across Canada,” says Helen Platis, chair of Rural Impact Canada advisory board and Foresight Canada executive in residence. “At Rural Impact, we collaborate with stakeholders nationwide to help drive housing growth and create lasting change in people’s lives. As chair of the advisory board, I’m proud to be part of an organization that’s making a real difference.”
Rural Impact Canada was officially launched in September 2024 and is already working with six municipalities with the MSC and MHD Programs and four housing developers taking part in the DHD Program. By 2025, the organization anticipates influencing over 200 net-new housing units submitted for building permits, which would not have been possible otherwise, and expects to see more than 10,000 housing permits submitted by 2028.
Rural Impact Canada is further enhancing its programs by integrating advanced technology, including AI, to assist with delivering their programs to more municipalities faster and for less. The organization aims to expand its focus on other development and efficient land use barriers such as transportation. Recognizing that smaller municipalities often lack public transit systems, the organization is developing concepts for local transportation plans to reduce parking requirements, which will create larger building footprints and smaller hardscapes (more units of housing).
Additionally, it aspires to collaborate with CMHC to design funding programs tailored to smaller communities. Within the next three years, Rural Impact Canada envisions being at the table with CMHC – either as advocates shaping new funding models or as administrators of innovative programs – ensuring small municipalities are better equipped to meet their housing and infrastructure needs.
Heather Kingdon is Communications Manager of Foresight Canada. foresightcac.com.
Photo credit Origin Films (@originfilms)
