Affordable apartment in Sudbury, Ont., made of cross-laminated timber to open in September

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Aug 19, 2026 12:43 PM EDT | Last Updated: August 19

A new affordable housing development in Sudbury, Ont., with 38 one-bedroom apartments is due to open its doors next month.

Eileen Mahood, chair of the Peace Tower Housing Project, said her late husband Jeremy Mahood, a well-known pastor in Sudbury, dreamed the project would one day become a reality.

"He would be so happy because it's a beautiful building first of all,” she said.

“[W]e are not putting people in a slum apartment. We are giving people the chance to make this their home."

Mahood said her husband discussed the idea with Sudbury developer Dario Zulich in 2018, one year before he died suddenly.

“Even then in 2018 it was apparent the lack of affordable housing,” Mahood said.

“And together, they conjured up a way to improve the city by building some affordable housing.”

Zulich donated a parcel of land for the project located next to the Sudbury water tower, overlooking the downtown core.

The not-for-profit Peace Tower Housing Project was incorporated in 2022 and managed to eventually secure a combined $12 million in provincial and federal funding to build the five-storey building.

People on the City of Greater Sudbury’s Housing Registry will be given priority for available units.

Mahood said rent will top up at $1,244 per month, or 80 per cent of market value in 2025. Monthly rent will also be geared to income, however, and won’t surpass 30 per cent of a tenant’s monthly income.

Mahood said that with its 38 units, the building only scratches the surface of what’s needed in Sudbury for affordable housing.

She said it was a challenge to secure the funding needed for the project, which makes such projects difficult to get off the ground.

“Most not-for-profits do not have millions sitting around and are able to use that for capital,” she said.

“So it's a conundrum of the model that we want affordable housing, but we're not, we're not getting the program right.” 

A unique building

The Peace Tower Project is the first building of its kind in northern Ontario to be built with cross-laminated timber.

The building material is made by combining several layers of two-by-fours to create large wood beams.

Architect Chris Baziw said the material costs around as much as steel but is more sustainable because wood is a renewable resource.

After setting the foundation for the building, Baziw said contractors were able to complete the five-storey building in 12 months.

“Our hope is that the next project from start to finish, we could do another 40 apartments, 30 apartments, 50 apartments in just 12 months,” he said.

Baziw said he believes the rapid construction time for buildings made of cross-laminated timber is one way to address Ontario’s housing shortage.

“It's not the solution, but we really do think it is going to be a significant piece of the puzzle,” he said.