The Town of Collingwood has opened applications for a new pilot program offering cash incentives to build affordable housing, with up to $200,000 available per apartment unit. The Collingwood Housing Incentive Pilot Program (CHIPP) started accepting applications on July 8, 2026, and will run through September 8, 2026.
CHIPP is a competitive, application-based program that provides funding to developers and homeowners who create units at below-market rents. It offers up to $70,000 for each affordable Additional Residential Unit, such as a basement apartment or garden suite, and up to $200,000 for each affordable apartment in a multi-unit building. Eligible projects also have development charges waived.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin called the launch a big step. “We are hopeful this funding will kick-start more affordable housing projects in our community,” she said. The Town has set aside $350,000 to $400,000 each year for the affordable housing budget, with about $1.5 million currently sitting in the affordable housing reserve fund.
The program tackles a stark need. According to the Affordable Housing Task Force, Collingwood is short at least 1,300 affordable homes, a number that could double in 20 years without action. Average rents in town run between $2,200 and $2,540 per month, with three-bedroom units averaging $3,000. For a unit to be considered affordable under the program, rents must be set at town-defined thresholds: $1,003 for a bachelor, $1,309 for a one-bedroom, $1,539 for a two-bedroom, and $1,758 for a three-bedroom.
CHIPP also includes a Municipal Lands Stream that will make town-owned land at the northwest corner of Poplar Sideroad and High Street available for an affordable housing project. This builds on Collingwood’s earlier housing efforts, including its Rapid Additional Residential Unit Program, which has issued 70 building permits and approved 33 grants totaling more than $280,000 since 2023.
