‘Once-in-a-generation investment’: Mayor Gillingham lauds $1B in federal budget for transitional housing in Winnipeg
Posted November 5, 2026 6:31 pm.
The federal government announced $1 billion for addressing homelessness in Winnipeg as part of the budget tabled Thursday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s second budget earmarks $800 million for building 2,000 new transitional and permanent housing and funding for the creation of a new Centre for Mental Health and Addictions which will include acute and outpatient care and wraparound services in the city.
“The government is partnering with Manitoba to create the conditions to end homelessness in Winnipeg,” the budget reads.
Mayor Scott Gillingham welcomed the funding announcement for the city where about 2,000 people are estimated to be living on the streets.
“This is a once-in-a-generation investment in Winnipeg and a huge step forward in addressing some of the biggest challenges facing our city,” he said.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to make lasting progress on homelessness, mental health, and addictions in Winnipeg.”
The budget tabled by federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne includes many big-ticket items aimed at spurring more investment in small businesses, addressing homelessness and promoting Canada’s cultural sector. The new measures are expected to cost $142.1 billion and largely offset by stronger-than-expected federal revenues.
Ottawa is proposing another boost to the Canada Groceries and Essentials Benefit in the form of a one-time payment worth half the benefit’s annual value. It’s expected to land in early 2027.
The government expects to post a deficit of $62.3 billion in this fiscal year, some $3 billion lower than projections in April’s spring economic update. Higher federal revenues tied largely to a spike in global energy costs had been expected to improve Ottawa’s fiscal standing in the near-term.
— With files from The Canadian Press
