On a chilly Friday morning, January 30, 2026, the Almonte Old Town Hall was buzzing with representatives from rural municipalities across Eastern Ontario. The Cahdco team hosted “Building Solutions Together: Municipal Housing Symposium”, a forum focused on affordable housing initiatives in rural communities.
With significant system changes underway in the affordable housing sector—most notably the creation of Build Canada Homes (BCH)—we wanted to create space for an open discussion on what these new programs could mean for Eastern Ontario and to connect on affordable housing initiatives. The symposium focused on BCH’s new funding initiatives and their potential implications for rural municipalities. Historically, rural communities have often been overlooked by federal affordable housing programs in favour of urban developments. With a shift in how funding will be allocated, this moment presents an opportunity for rural towns, counties, and municipalities to act quickly and position Eastern Ontario on the federal radar.
Cahdco is collaborating with rural municipalities to create an Eastern Ontario Housing Pipeline to present to Build Canada Homes as a model for supporting rural development across Canada.
The Build Canada Homes (BCH) Context
The way that BCH is rolling out funding is very different from how Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) has done previously. With a focus on repeatability and scale, BCH hopes to fund affordable housing pipelines that use and promote modern methods of construction (MMC). They also hope to open up more federal land opportunities, provide more flexible financial tools, and empower domestic raw material manufacturing. The introduction of pipelines and projects of larger scale could mean that areas outside urban areas would be left behind. This does however present an opportunity for municipalities to create a pipeline by combining their projects and affordable housing goals.
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC)
Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) represent Build Canada Homes’ other major area of focus. In order to truly “build, build, build,” Canada’s construction industry must increase efficiency and speed. As a result, there is a strong emphasis on pre-fabricated construction methods and innovative technological solutions.
Pat Richards, Cahdco’s Development Consultant, provided a thorough introduction to MMC, highlighting key approaches such as panelized construction, volumetric modular building, mass timber, and vertical integration through Building Information Modelling (BIM). These methods have the potential to reduce construction timelines, manage costs, and support scalable housing delivery—particularly in rural contexts.
Roadblocks to Rural Development
A breakout session invited participants to identify the roadblocks they have encountered when developing housing in their communities. This exercise was integral to fostering open discussion and understanding the varying capacities and limitations of each organization before considering collaboration.
Participants noted that many rural municipalities face similar challenges when advancing affordable housing projects. Common themes included:
- Land scarcity
- Uncertainty around available funding
- Limited knowledge of the affordable housing landscape
- The need for coordination and support across all levels of government
- Limited development capacity
These shared challenges underscored the importance of collaboration, capacity-building, and regional coordination in moving rural housing projects forward.
The Eastern Ontario Pipeline
Cahdco’s housing pipeline is a mechanism to bring federal funding to rural communities for affordable housing development. The pipeline enables municipalities to build at scale through collaboration and sharing capacity, achieving efficiency through replication across the region.
As emphasized by the breakout session there are many limitations to developing rural affordable housing, amongst the larger barriers is capacity to deliver. Projects often stall due to them being bespoke one offs with different designs, different approvals and unique procurement. Volatile construction pricing and labour shortages further contribute to this complexity.
Cahdco is partnering with rural municipalities in Eastern Ontario to create a 10-year pipeline of affordable housing projects to present to Build Canada Homes.
A key component of this delivery model is collaboration with a Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) manufacturing partner. Cahdco believes a dedicated production facility is essential to support the consistent delivery of the proposed pipeline and to strengthen rural construction capacity over the long term. This can be achieved by partnering with an established factory or creating a dedicated manufacturer to ensure scalability, efficiency, and long-term sustainability.
If you are a part of a municipality and have questions, please contact us at info@cahdco.org, or pat.richards@cahdco.org
Examples of Successful collaboration
The Bell Hall project demonstrates the critical role of municipal collaboration and early buy-in in advancing affordable housing. Through a strong partnership between the Municipality of North Grenville and Cahdco, an existing building on the Kemptville Campus is being retrofitted to deliver 60 affordable housing units for seniors and veterans, including 20 rent-geared-to-income units, improved energy efficiency, and 19 fully accessible units.
Early alignment between the municipality, Cahdco, and professional partners allowed planning and permitting requirements to be identified upfront, with open communication and regular check-ins streamlining decision-making. This coordinated approach resolved potential roadblocks early and enabled an expedited pre-development timeline leading into a capital funding application.
Dr. Jackie Schoemaker Holmes, Program Manager for the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) with the Municipality of North Grenville, presented the project alongside Cahdco Project Manager Warren Viber-Adams, who has led the project since inception. Together, they provided a clear example as to how municipal leadership and cross-sector coordination can move projects efficiently to shovel-ready status.
The symposium also touched on housing operations with guest speaker Rob Eves who is the Chief Executive Officer of Carebridge Community Support; part of the Lanark County Alliance. Though the symposium was centered around capital, it is critical to also address identifying operators and ensuring the long-term maintenance of the homes.
Next Steps…
As Build Canada Homes reshapes the affordable housing landscape, communities are at a pivotal moment to position themselves to meet their unique local needs. Strong collaboration between municipalities, housing operators, and sector partners will be essential to unlocking new opportunities. Cahdco believes the Eastern Ontario Pipeline offers a clear pathway forward—and with municipal leadership and community commitment, this vision can become a reality. Cahdco seeks letters of support from communities that would like to partner with us to bring an application to Build Canada Homes.
