Trudeau expected in Thunder Bay, Ont., for housing announcement Thursday | CBC News

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected in Thunder Bay, Ont., for a housing announcement on Thursday. 

His itinerary, released by the Prime Minister’s Office, says Trudeau will be in northwestern Ontario for the announcement with Thunder Bay MP Patty Hajdu, the Indigenous services minister and minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor). 

CBC News will livestream the announcement starting at 11:45 a.m. ET. 

No other details were immediately available, but housing has been a major policy focus for Thunder Bay’s mayor and council.

Mayor Ken Boshcoff has committed to building  2,113 new homes over the next three years and hit a provincial target of 2,200 by 2031. 

In November, Boshcoff and other city officials publicly made their case for Ottawa funding for new builds.

Thunder Bay’s proposal — falling under the government’s $4-billion Housing Accelerator Fund — asked for $45.6 million to build the 2,113 units, nearly 1,600 more than if that money isn’t taken into account. It included 475 affordable housing units and 405 missing middle housing units, which include a range of multiple-family dwellings.

Boshcoff has long maintained the city’s need for housing is great and may be higher than what statistics suggest. 

These homes are desperately needed to fill current demands and prepare for an expected influx of mining and related economic activity in the coming years, he said. 

The city is also in the midst of a homelessness crisis, with outreach organizations estimating the number of people staying in encampments tripled in 2023 compared to 2022.