Help Shape Fredericton's Affordable Housing Strategy

Fredericton's Affordable Housing Strategy is getting an update, and we want to hear from you.

The City adopted its first Affordable Housing Strategy in 2022. Since then, housing costs and other related expenses in Fredericton have changed fast. That’s why we're refreshing the strategy; to make sure it reflects what's happening in the city today.

Here's how to take part

• Take the survey starting September 9, 2026!
• Share your experience via email*: housing@fredericton.ca
• We're gathering input until September 30, 2026.

*Please note that any stories shared will be summarized and included in the engagement summary report. No identifying information will be made public.

Why we're refreshing the Strategy

A lot has changed since 2022. An updated Housing Needs Assessment, completed in 2025, shows that housing has become harder to afford for more people in Fredericton:

• In 2019, a household earning $100,000 a year could afford 93 out of every 100 homes for sale in Fredericton. By 2024, they could only afford 29.
• In 2019, a household earning $40,000 a year, close to the median for renters, could afford 47 out of every 100 available rental units. By 2024, they could only afford 16.
• Homelessness in Fredericton grew by 63% between 2021 and 2023.

At the same time, Fredericton's population has grown quickly and is expected to keep growing. Over the next 20 years, the city will need thousands of new homes, especially smaller and more affordable homes for seniors, single people, and young families.

The strategy refresh will update the City's goals and actions to match this new reality.

What is the Affordable Housing Strategy?

The Affordable Housing Strategy is the City's plan to improve access to housing. It sets out the actions the City will take, from policy changes to partnerships with housing providers, to help more people in Fredericton find homes they can afford.

The strategy refresh builds on the 2022 Strategy. It will update the City's approach based on the latest data, new funding programs, and what we hear from the community.

What we're looking for in the update:

• A clear, local definition of affordable housing
• Updated goals and priorities for the City
• New and revised actions, including exploring the possibility of a municipal housing entity to help deliver more affordable homes
• An implementation plan with clear timelines and responsibilities

2022 Affordable Housing Strategy in Review

The 2022 Strategy set out 13 recommendations, grouped into four actionable categories. It was designed to be focused around achievable and realistic goals. Each recommendation was chosen because it was achievable and could make a real difference.

Four years in, here's where things stand: 5 recommendations have been fully delivered or completed, 2 are partially underway, 6 have not yet been actioned or delivered.

Improving municipal housing capacity and policy

1. Add staff focused on housing

The City created a dedicated Affordable Housing Development Coordinator role in 2023 to drive new affordable housing forward.
Status: Completed.

2. Update how “affordable housing” is defined

The Strategy called for a clearer, tiered definition of affordable housing (attainable, affordable, and deeply affordable) so support could be better matched to need.
Status: Not yet completed. “Affordable housing” continues to be defined by provincial and federal programs.

3. Update zoning rules to allow more housing, faster

The Zoning Bylaw was changed to allow up to four homes on most residential lots without rezoning, plus new infill options along commercial corridors and higher density near College Hill.
Status: Completed

4. Require affordable units in new development

The Strategy proposed two tools working together: offering developers more height or units in exchange for including affordable homes, and requiring a share of affordable units in larger developments (known as inclusionary zoning).

Status: Not yet delivered. The City evaluated the potential of inclusionary zoning in 2022, and concluded that such policies could yield weak and/or negative results if implemented.

Growing Fredericton's non-profit and co-op housing sector

5. Support non-profit and co-op housing groups

The City began offering capacity-building grants to help new and existing non-profit and co-op housing organizations grow.
Status: Completed.

6. Help non-profit and co-op housing groups turn ideas into real projects

To help non-profit and co-op housing developers offset costs during the proof-of-concept stage associated with developing an affordable housing project, the City began offering pre-development funding grants. The City also reimburses building permit and other municipal development fees for non-profit and co-op housing developers who build deeply affordable housing.
Status: Completed.

7. Provide City-owned land for new affordable housing projects

The City has advanced infrastructure work to provide land for affordable homeownership as well as affordable rental and co-op housing projects. In addition to this, the Southeast New Neighbourhood (Doak Road area) and former New Brunswick Exhibition site redevelopments are both moving forward to unlock more affordable housing development.
Status: Completed.

Creating a municipal housing entity

8. Create a municipal housing entity to take the lead in creating and maintaining a portfolio of non-market housing throughout Fredericton

A significant recommendation of the Strategy was to create a permanent, City-supported organization that could build and hold affordable housing over the long term, similar to models used in Moncton, St. John's, Ottawa, and Tofino.
Status: Not yet completed. Business plan and funding commitments have not been secured. This remains a key focus for the 2026 strategy refresh.

Advocacy and partnerships with other governments

9. Push for fairer property tax treatment of rental housing

The Strategy called on the City to advocate for tax rules that don't unfairly burden rental housing, and for more flexibility to offer lower tax rates tied to affordability commitments.
Status: Not yet completed.

10. Seek funding support from the Province and federal government

The City has secured about $10.3 million through the federal Housing Accelerator Fund helped Fredericton permit more than 2,400 new housing units between 2024 and 2026. In 2026, the federal and provincial governments have jointly committed $300 million toward building at least 1,200 homes across New Brunswick, though how many will be in Fredericton has not been announced.
Status: Ongoing.

11. Seek legislative change to enforce affordability agreements with developers

Provincial law currently only allows binding housing agreements between the City and senior levels of government, not private developers. The Strategy recommended pushing for changes that allow municipalities to enter into housing agreements with private developers to supply affordable housing, similar to those in British Columbia's Local Government Act.
Status: Not yet completed.

12. Advocate for stronger renter protections

Renters carry a disproportionate share of housing need and are most exposed to rising costs. The Strategy called for the City to push for stronger protections and stay engaged with tenant advocates and housing providers.
Status: Not yet completed.

13. Work with other municipalities on shared housing priorities

The Strategy suggested Fredericton team up with other cities such as Moncton and Saint John on issues that are hard to tackle alone, like a shared rental vacancy registry. Fredericton’s Affordable Housing Development Coordinator meets regularly with housing staff from other municipalities across the province to share best practices.
Status: Ongoing.

Who's involved

The City of Fredericton's Planning, Development & By-Law Enforcement Department is leading this project, guided by the Affordable Housing Committee and Economic Prosperity and Growth Planning Committee. Turner Drake & Partners, UPLAND Planning + Design, and M'akola Development Services are supporting the work, including community engagement, research, and analysis.