Winnipeg news: Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne says private money is needed to make Ottawa’s $1 billion plan to end homelessness in Winnipeg a success, but he would not say Tuesday how much private investors will chip in or who they are.
By Maplestime News Desk | Winnipeg, Manitoba | November 10, 2026
Sources: CBC News, Prime Minister’s Office | Last updated: November 10, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne told CBC Manitoba’s Information Radio on Tuesday that private money is needed for the $1 billion Winnipeg homelessness plan to succeed.
- Champagne would not say how much private investors will contribute or name any of them.
- The plan pledges more than $1 billion in federal money for a mental health and addictions centre and 2,000 housing units in Winnipeg.
- Manitoba will put $84 million a year toward operations and maintenance of the new units and facility.
- Champagne calls the approach the Winnipeg model and says Ottawa wants to replicate it across Canada.
What Champagne Said on Tuesday
Champagne spoke to Information Radio host Marcy Markusa in Winnipeg on Tuesday, four days after Prime Minister Mark Carney stood in the city to launch the plan. The finance minister was clear on the principle and silent on the numbers.
“It is really the federal government, the province, the city and also the philanthropic sector, which has said, ‘We want to play a role,'” Champagne said. “It is really all of us coming together.”
He would not say how much private investors will chip in, and he did not name any contributor or give a timeline for private money. The CBC report states plainly that Champagne did not provide details on private sector involvement.
What the $1 Billion Winnipeg Plan Covers
Carney announced the plan in Winnipeg on Friday, November 6, alongside Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew and Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham. The federal government has pledged more than $1 billion to build a new mental health and addictions centre along with 2,000 housing units for people in need of housing.
The centre is expected to be fully operational in as soon as three years, according to the November 6 announcement. The money sits inside Budget 2026, tabled last Thursday, which commits $11.2 billion over four years starting next year and $17.8 billion over 10 years to end homelessness in Canada.
Related: Federal Budget $1 Billion Winnipeg Homelessness 2026
Who Is Expected to Pay
Federal money will build the new units and the health care facility. The provincial government will contribute $84 million annually toward operations and maintenance. The city and the province will identify and provide public land, and the province will operate the homes and provide the supports that come with them.
The philanthropic share is the open question. True North Sports and Entertainment said it looks forward to assisting all levels of government with the housing units and the new health care facility, but it gave no dollar figure and no commitment.
Winnipeg Jets co-owners Mark Chipman and David Thomson, two of the biggest philanthropists in the Winnipeg community, stood behind Carney at Friday’s news conference. Chipman would not confirm any money on Tuesday, and a request for comment from Thomson’s office was not immediately returned.
The Winnipeg Model
Champagne is pitching Winnipeg as the test case for the whole country. He called the plan the Winnipeg model and said the federal effort is starting in the Manitoba capital.
“I think this is going to be a great, great model that we will try to replicate across the nation,” Champagne said. Speaking at a Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce event, he added: “I am so proud that we have embraced that as a nation, and that the Winnipeg model is the model that we are championing across the country.”
Premier Kinew, speaking Monday, called the federal announcement the biggest investment the province has seen in his lifetime. The only comparable spend he could think of was in the 1960s, when various housing co-operatives opened in Winnipeg.
What Is Still Unknown
No private dollar figure has been given. No contributor has been named. No split between public and private money has been set out, and no timeline for private contributions has been stated. By Champagne’s own framing, the plan’s success depends in part on money he has not yet quantified, which leaves Winnipeg watching for the next announcement to learn who pays what.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne on Winnipeg’s homelessness plan and the federal investment in supportive homes. View the post on X
— François-Philippe Champagne (@FP_Champagne) November 10, 2026
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