Private philanthropy will help support Ottawa’s plan to end homelessness in Winnipeg, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne said Tuesday, although he did not identify donors or say how much they would contribute.

In an interview with CBC Manitoba’s Information Radio, Champagne described the initiative as a partnership involving the federal, provincial and municipal governments alongside the philanthropic sector, according to reporting by CBC’s Ian Froese.

“It’s really all of us coming together,” Champagne said.

The federal government has pledged more than $1 billion for Winnipeg to build a mental health and addictions centre and 2,000 housing units for people who need homes. Federal funding is to cover construction of the housing and health-care facility, while Manitoba will provide $84 million annually for operations and maintenance.

Champagne said philanthropic money would be additional, but offered no details about private-sector involvement.

Winnipeg Jets co-owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson stood behind Prime Minister Mark Carney at Friday’s news conference promoting the homelessness initiative. Their presence, however, was not accompanied by confirmed financial commitments in CBC’s reporting.

Chipman would not confirm a contribution Tuesday. A spokesperson for True North Sports and Entertainment told CBC the organization looked forward to assisting all levels of government with the housing units and health-care facility. Thomson’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Champagne called the initiative the “Winnipeg model,” saying the federal effort to end homelessness would begin in Manitoba’s capital and could be replicated elsewhere in Canada.

Speaking later Tuesday at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event, he said other provincial finance ministers wanted to learn more about Ottawa’s plans for the city.

The initiative forms part of a wider federal homelessness commitment. The budget released Thursday sets aside $11.2 billion over four years beginning next year, and $17.8 billion over 10 years, to end homelessness across Canada.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew described the federal announcement Monday as the biggest investment the province had seen in his lifetime, comparing it with the opening of Winnipeg housing co-operatives in the 1960s.

Sources