New affordable housing under construction in Sooke, Victoria
Two new housing projects have just been launched in Sooke and Victoria, with some of the units earmarked as affordable housing, according to the B.C. government.
In Sooke, a five-storey apartment building is set to be built at two adjacent lots at the corner of Sooke Road and Drennan Street.
The building will include 170 rental units, ranging from studio units to three-bedroom homes.
Twenty-nine of the units are being reserved for people with low incomes, with monthly rent set at shelter rates.
Meanwhile, the remaining 141 units will be set at "below market" rental rates, according to the province.
The building is expected to open to tenants in fall 2023. Construction is pegged at roughly $13.5 million, with contributions from all three levels of government and the M’akola Housing Society.
"This new project will provide a wide range of housing options with more affordable monthly rents," said B.C. Premier John Horgan in a statement Friday.
Meanwhile, construction has begun on a new condo project in Victoria.
A six-storey condo building is coming to the corner of Hillside Avenue and Cook Street at 1301 Hillside Ave. The building will be home to 49 units, including studio, one-bedroom, junior two-bedroom, and two-bedroom homes.
Nine of the building's units will be listed through the province's Affordable Home Ownership Program (AHOP).
AHOP is a BC Housing program that offers low-cost financing for middle-income home buyers through government-administered second mortgages.
These second mortgages are interest and monthly-payment free for up to 25 years.
The remaining 40 units in the new building will be sold at market value, according to the province.
"This project is an example of our experiments with new models to offer affordability to British Columbians," said David Eby, Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing.
"In addition to being an experiment in affordability, this building will mean more homes for those living in Victoria and will support middle-income buyers to own their first home," he said.
The building is slated to finish construction in spring 2023.
Further information on BC Housing's AHOP program can be found here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.