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Affordability and Choice Today

Affordability and Choice Today

The Affordability and Choice Today (ACT) program promotes regulatory reform to encourage housing affordability, choice and sustainable development. Funded by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, ACT is delivered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in collaboration with CMHC, the Canadian Home Builders’ Association and the Canadian Housing and Renewal Association. Since its inception in 1990, ACT projects have contributed to innovative housing forms, secondary suites, alternative development and renovation standards, streamlined approval procedures and community support for change.

Organization Type:
Other
Repository Name: 
Affordability and Choice Today
Subjects: 

affordable housing, housing choice, Sustainable development

Date range of documents: 
1992-
Language: 
English, French
Format of repository and documents: 

Case studies and solutions sheets produced under this program are found under the ACT Solutions option from the menu at the left of the main page. Documents are arranged under the following categories and sub-categories:

1. Streamlining Approvals and Raising Awareness
• Alternative and Fast Tracking Applications;
• Education and Awareness Programs;
• Coordinated and Standardized Applications and Procedures;
• Computerized Permit and Development Applications.

2. Facilitating New Forms of Housing
• Convertible Housing;
• Broadening Housing Options;
• Secondary Suites;
• Garden Suites.

3. New Approaches to Infill, Intensification and Conversion
• Downtown Revitalization;
• Regulatory Approaches to Infill and Intensification;
• Small Scale Infill;
• Conversion.

4. Alternative Land and Site Development Standards
• Regulatory Review and Reform;
• Demonstration of Alternative Standards.

5. Cost Effective Renovation Standards

6. Specific to Community or Province

For most of the case studies found under the categories listed above, a project overview document is available in HTML format, as well as the complete case study in PDF format. All documents are free.

Also from the left-hand menu, under Media, is a listing of ACT press releases archived back to 1999. These are in PDF format.

On the right side of the home page is a listing of the following documents, available free in PDF format:

• About ACT Grants – criteria for applying for an ACT grant;
• ACT Grant Application - the application form in PDF format;
• ACT Solutions - October 2007 – a number of the most recently completed case studies done under the program;
• Housing for Lower Income Households: Municipal Regulatory Options – a discussion paper outlining how various proposed solutions have been put into practice by municipalities to improve housing for lower-income households;
• Housing for Lower Income Households - Summary Chart – a companion document to the one above – it summarizes the findings in table format

Geographic focus: 
Canada
Intended audience: 
housing sector stakeholders, municipalities

Contact information

Street address: 
Affordability and Choice Today, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
24 Clarence Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5P3

Mailing address: 
Affordability and Choice Today, Federation of Canadian Municipalities
24 Clarence Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5P3

Main phone number: 
(613) 241-5221 x242
Main fax number: 
(613) 244-1515
E-mail addresses: 

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