PEIConcerns about P.E.I.’s Affordable Housing Development Program were raised after the standing committee on public accounts met Tuesday to discuss the Auditor General’s report on the program.’We really have no idea how much this program has cost us,’ says Green MLARyan McKellop · CBC News · Posted: Sep 16, 2025 6:50 PM EDT | Last Updated: September 16Cheryl Paynter, CEO of the Prince Edward Island Housing Corporation, says the affordable housing development program has been successful, and has created 123 units of affordable housing with nearly 100 more to come. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)The P.E.I. Housing Corporation said its Affordable Housing Development Program is a success, but the province’s Auditor General says it has issues.Officials presented the latest numbers to the province’s public accounts committee Tuesday, which met to discuss a spring report from the Office of the Auditor General that found glaring issues with how the program is run, as well as with its overall impact on the creation of affordable housing units in the province. Officials said it’s important to look at the overall results, not just a specific year. They said some projects can take many years to get off the ground. “I think it’s important to note…up until today, the program has created 123 affordable units and will create another 76 expected to come online this year,” said Cheryl Paynter, CEO of the P.E.I. Housing Corporation.Officials say another 76 affordable housing units are currently under construction. (Wayne Thibodeau/CBC)Paynter said government has invested heavily into this program as it works to lower the number of people on the social housing registry.”There’s been an historic investment by this government in government-owned social housing, mobile rent vouchers, there’s been a number of different programs all with the overriding goal of driving down that registry.”She said the registry has gone from more than 1,100 people down to 389 at one point. It’s currently back up to nearly 500 people.Paynter said support from the province comes in two forms.The program helps with the cost of construction, through a forgivable loan of up to $55,000 per unit. The Housing Corporation then agrees to lease those units back for up to 25 years.”We in turn sub-lease those units to our clients [in] a rent-geared-to-income approach.Clients pay, typically, 25 per cent of their income.”Green MLA voices concernsGreen MLA Karla Bernard said government is not providing enough information.”We really have no idea how much this program has cost us, nor is that part of the information that government is willing to offer, and so how are we as legislators supposed to deem something effective when we don’t have the numbers to determine that?”She said another thing officials haven’t made it clear is what criteria they are using to measure the program’s success. “They’re basing it on the number of people coming off the registry, but what they’re not telling us is how many of those people came off the registry because of things like rental vouchers.”Officials say numbers show P.E.I. affordable housing program is a success, Green MLA raises concernsConcerns about P.E.I.’s Affordable Housing Development Program were raised after the standing committee on public accounts met Tuesday to discuss the Auditor General’s report on the program. The province says the numbers show it is a success — but the AG says it has issues, and Green MLA Karla Bernard agrees. CBC’s Wayne Thibodeau reports. She said rental vouchers are “a kind of Band-Aid measure.””They want to get people in affordable housing, not relying on government to pay for rents that are too high to keep it affordable for them.”Looking aheadBernard said she is also concerned about what will happen after the affordable rent guarantee with the developer comes to an end after 10 to 25 years. “Government is subsidizing that by paying 70 to 80 per cent of the market value. So when the lease is up with those developers, that can go back on the market for the rent they were receiving, which is 70 to 80 per cent, so the increases will go on top of that.”She said that will put the rents back to almost market value.”Unless…we get creative and we understand that getting market rents to an affordable rate is the goal, not rental vouchers, not government-dependent stuff, you know, I think this potentially, in 10 to 25 years, is going to be a massive issue.”ABOUT THE AUTHORRyan McKellop is a graduate of the Holland College Journalism program and a web writer at CBC P.E.I.With files from Wayne Thibodeau
Concerns raised about P.E.I.’s affordable housing program, province says numbers show it’s successful
