Alberta has earned a D+ on affordable housing, according to a recently released report from the Task Force for Housing & Climate.
That’s the lowest grade in Canada.
A student with those grades would be told to redo their work.
The report examined Canada’s progress toward building an estimated 5.8 million affordable new homes that the non-profit predicts will be needed by 2030.
It scored provinces on five measures. These included legalizing higher density housing, adopting better building codes, encouraging more factory-built housing, avoiding high-risk areas, and filling market gaps.
Little to cheer about
Alberta, the province with the highest per capita income in Canada, fell short in numerous ways, according to the report.
“While housing supply has been rapidly increasing in the province, that is largely due to reforms made by municipal governments, rather than the Government of Alberta,” wrote economist and report author Mike Moffat. “Alberta has done less to legalize family-friendly density than other provinces and is lagging on resiliency and energy efficiency.”
The Task Force for Housing and Climate was founded in 2023 by 15 housing experts across Canada. Their goal is to reduce the number of Canadians spending more than 30 percent of household income on housing, which is considered the benchmark for housing affordability.
The most effective ways to achieve this are by increasing housing density, energy efficiency and climate resilience, not building in high-risk areas such as floodplains, and shifting to more factory-built homes that are faster to build.
Alberta earned a C- for housing density, D for building codes, D- for factory-built housing, D for risk avoidance, and C for filling market gaps.
That was barely good enough for a D+ overall.
Feds and municipalities lead
Moffat said the federal and municipal governments have been responsive. For example, cities and towns are moving on increased density thanks to federal incentives like the Housing Accelerator Fund.
Last year, Ottawa inked deals with Banff, Sylvan Lake, Bow Island, Westlock, Smoky Lake and the village of Duchess through the accelerator fund. The deals will fast-track 400 new homes by 2027 and another 3,100 over the next decade.
“It’s a positive move to begin to navigate this long journey in terms of adjusting our cities — not just the Town of Banff, but other cities across Canada and communities to respond to the cost of living and the housing crisis that we’re experiencing,” University of Calgary architecture professor Sasha Tsenkova told CTV News.
Provinces lagging
Moffat’s research shows that provincial governments “have been slower to act.”
“While some have taken positive steps, most lag behind,” he said. He noted that British Columbia has legalized buildings with only one staircase, which will allow more space to be used for bedrooms. Nova Scotia has also recently adopted higher energy efficiency standards for new buildings.
The lack of provincial effort shows in the report cards. Of all the provinces, Quebec, BC, and Prince Edward Island scored highest with C+s. That’s still not exactly a stellar performance.
“Canada remains in the midst of a housing crisis,” the report concludes. “Provinces and municipalities must make it easier to build forms of ‘missing middle’ type housing, such as fourplexes and small apartment buildings, making building code and zoning reform essential, particularly to ensure the construction of more family-sized units with three or more bedrooms, in line with Canada’s commitment to housing as a human right. As the Mid-Rise Manual puts it, for these homes to be built.”
