Multi-residential projects could be built on federal lands, says Housing Minister Sean Fraser.

During an event in Toronto, Fraser said Ottawa is contemplating changes to federal land policies and examining ways to intensify the use of its properties for housing, the Globe and Mail reported.

Fraser called for existing federal lands to become mixed-use towers that could incorporate housing components. He suggested that new housing components could be constructed on top of existing buildings.

The minister cited lands used by Canada Post and the Department of National Defence as examples of federal properties that could be expanded vertically. The feds typically sell surplus lands for redevelopment after using them.

Canada Lands, the government’s real estate arm, usually oversees such transactions.

For example, the federal government sold a former Canada Post building that has become a mixed-use property and is used extensively as Amazon office space.

Fraser said the government could lease some of its land to non-profit partners or residential developers who agree to affordability conditions.

Pictured: A new Loblaws store under development at Vancouver’s former main Canada Post, complex, which was sold and converted into a mixed-use project.

Image: QuadReal Property Group