City of Cornwall and Federal Government Invest in Home Repairs for Residents

Cornwall, Ontario –July 25, 2024 – The City of Cornwall, in partnership with the Government of Canada, announced a significant investment of more than $6.7 million to repair 400 municipality-owned homes in Cornwall and the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry (SDG). It underscores a shared commitment to enhancing the quality of affordable housing for residents.

This initiative ensures that at least 120 of these homes remain affordable, with more than 30% dedicated to women and their children. A key goal of the repairs is to achieve a minimum 25% reduction in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to a more sustainable community. Funding includes:

• More than $4.7 million from the City of Cornwall
• More than $2 million from the federal government through the Affordable Housing Fund

This investment will support projects including:

• Replacing the aging, conventional gas hot water heating system with high-efficiency tankless water heaters at a 45-unit property in SDG.
• Provide heat pumps to replace forced-air, gas furnaces at up to six (6) family housing communities located in the City of Cornwall and SDG.
• Convert gas-fired hot water tanks at 195 family housing units, throughout the City of Cornwall and SDG, with high-efficiency tankless water heaters
• An accessibility of audit of key senior housing properties to guide aging at home improvements for a minimum of 80 units of seniors housing located in the City of Cornwall and SDG.

All repairs are expected to be completed by winter 2027.

“As we work to continue to provide housing for all, we welcome this investment by the federal government”, said Cornwall Mayor Justin Towndale. “Continued investment into our municipal housing portfolio within the City of Cornwall and SDG will mean that hundreds of residents will have access to a safe and affordable place to call home.” 

“While increasing the number of adequate and affordable housing units available across Cornwall and SDG is crucial to our work, so too is maintaining the housing infrastructure that we currently have. We thank the federal government for their collaboration with this maintenance stream”, said General Manager of Human Services and Long-Term Care Mellissa Morgan.