Village Canada – Our most recent initiative

Village Canada is an exciting new vision of a non-profit, intergenerational, seniors village on surplus federal land on Confederation Heights in Ottawa.

Confederation Heights’ location offers a unique opportunity
to create a village complex with affordable and market housing for seniors, students, and people with disabilities, in a vibrant, diverse, environmentally-sustainable, urban village setting. The development will provide supportive housing and integrated community-based health and social care.

The picture above is a “Student Project Vision” developed as part of a senior archetecture project in the class of Jerry Hacker, professor at Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism at Carleton University, a member of the Consortium.

Over the fall of 2025, the Village Canada Consortium met with Canada Lands Company (CLC), the federal organization responsible for development of federal surplus property at Confederation Heights. We consulted with CLC in the past and were now able to present our vision in greater detail. They agree that our vision aligns with theirs.

Since the 2025 federal election, when Mr. Carney was elected with promises of using federal land for development of federally built housing to address the crisis in affordable housing in Canada, two developments have occurred. The government created Build Canada Homes who asked the public to respond to their vision. It is very much aligned with that of Village Canada. Our response is here.

Canada Lands Company has been amalgamated with Build Canada Homes in a new organization that reports to the Minister of Housing for the federal government. We are attempting to impart a sense urgency to the government as there are so few appealing supportive housing options as the majority of us age out of our homes. These federal actions bode well for Village Canada as they accelerate the construction of non-profit, affordable housing.

The MP representing Confederation Heights, Yasir Naqvi, committed his support to our Village Canada vision in advance of the election and continues to support us.

In December 2025, Village Canada Consortium was provincially incorporated as a non-profit. About twenty organizations are interested in various roles in the ‘village’ should the federal government be willing to enter into a long term lease. The area of most interest is on a hill to the south of the RA centre – formerly CRA buildings.

This powerpoint presentation summarizes the project.

If this vision appeals to you, we encourage you to write to your MP, MPP or City Councillor telling them that you want to see this development proceed. The representatives for Confederation Heights are: MP yasir.naqvi@parl.gc.ca;  MPP John Fraser jfraser.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org and Councillor Shawn Mènard, capitalward@ottawa.ca. 

As well, you can write to the Canada Lands Company (at confederationheights@clc-sic.ca) who are managing the process.

Housing Team History