COUNCIL VOTES TO APPROVE CALGARY'S UPDATED HOUSING STRATEGY

After three hard and emotional days, City Council voted 12-3 to pass the Housing Strategy in its entirety. The actions outlined in this strategy make up a comprehensive and critically needed framework to address housing affordability, ensuring more Calgarians have a safe place to call home.

Over 1,322 pages of written submissions were sent in, 162 members of the public came out to speak, and our office received hundreds of emails. Overwhelmingly, the stories of those desperate to find or keep a roof over their head are the ones that dominated the conversation.

You can read the full Housing Strategy report and all 66 of the recommendations HERE.

Thank you to everyone who came out to speak, sent letters of support, and advocated for these changes. We made it to this point because of your collective voice and courageous words. Let’s keep pushing forward together.

Amendments Made to the Housing Strategy Include:  

• Leveraging City-owned sites for emergency housing for families 
• Including incentives for downtown office conversions to support post-secondary residents 
• Investigating business licensing for residential landlords
• Considering infrastructure investments for increased densities
• Adding reporting considerations for planning application processes

Council’s approval of the amended Housing Strategy is a significant stride towards increasing the supply of market and non-market housing to meet demand and improve affordability, ensuring that there is a diverse range of options in all communities so all Calgarians can find a home that meets their needs. 

As a variety of actions in the Strategy are implemented, Calgarians can also expect supports for affordable housing providers and housing subsidiaries, and assurance that housing choices meet the needs of equity-deserving populations and Indigenous people living in Calgary. Administration will report to Community Development Committee on an annual basis on progress towards implementation.  

What Happens Next?

• Implementation will begin for actions that do not require further budget or Council approval. 
• For actions that cite the budget, Council will consider these during the budget adjustments in  November 2023.  
• Actions that require land-use or bylaw changes will follow the regulated legislation process and will return to Council in the coming months.  
• Approved actions with budgets that are not yet determined will be presented in future year budget requests. 
• Administration will report to Community Development Committee annually on progress made against the strategy

For More Information:

The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy
City of Calgary’s Housing Needs Assessment 
Watch the recording of the Committee Meeting/Public Hearing