Convention spotlight: Housing issues "front & centre"

Many municipalities across Alberta are acutely concerned about housing. The Canada-wide housing shortage, described by some as a crisis, has been at the top of many municipal leaders’ minds for the last few years.

Two of the education sessions at Alberta Municipalities’ annual Convention in late September will focus on various aspects of housing.

Session 1: Building housing to support communities and improve affordability

Despite record-setting housing starts, supply is not keeping up with Alberta’s rapid population growth. Moreover, housing has become less affordable for many Albertans. The panel will discuss what is or can be done in communities across Alberta to address the challenge and ensure municipalities remain affordable places for people to live.

This session will take place on Wednesday, September 25, from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m.

Session 2: Enabling housing choices

This session will focus on housing in small rural communities. Smaller, more remote municipalities face distinctly different housing challenges from those experienced by towns and cities.

The Rural Development Network (RDN) is changing people’s ideas of housing choice and diversity in rural communities. The RDN will share the community engagement practices it used to better understand the local housing situation. Local policies, bylaws and processes were reviewed and then discussed with administration so that potential changes and updates to enhance housing choice and diversity would suit the local situation. Rural communities throughout the province will find the RDN’s Guidebook to Enabling Housing Choice in Rural Alberta beneficial when examining and updating their own policies, bylaws and processes.

This session will take place on Wednesday, September 25, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.