Municipal Affairs Policy

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Building Stronger Municipalities

Our goal is not to have merely sustainable cities and towns, but to have thriving, flourishing communities.  We would support municipalities in their delivery of high quality services through partnership, innovative legislation and sufficient financial backing.

  • We would commit to a long-term funding agreement with municipalities and we would honor that commitment in good economic times and in bad.
  • We would give Calgary and Edmonton clear responsibilities and the authority to act independently within those areas of responsibility.
  • We would partner with municipalities to meet their environmental goals, such as water conservation, public transportation and waste management. 
  • We would improve regional planning mechanisms.

Because Everybody Needs a Home: An Affordable Housing Plan for Alberta

Right now, thousands of Albertans can’t find a safe, affordable place to live. There aren’t enough affordable homes and rental spaces available to meet rising demand.

As more and more people flock to Alberta in search of a better life, as our economy’s demand for skilled labour continues to rise, the problem only gets worse. An economy cannot function without homes for its workers, nor can individuals and families take full advantage of Alberta’s vast opportunity without an affordable place to live.

The Alberta Liberal Caucus has a plan to meet this crisis head on. And by doing so, we’ll help Alberta move forward, toward a sustainable future.

Our policy will:

  • Create 10,000 units of affordable housing in Alberta within five years ?
  • Ensure that Albertans who need it have access to safe and affordable housing ?
  • Protect tenants from rent gouging while respecting landlords ?
  • Make home ownership affordable for more Albertans

Guiding Principles

    Every Albertan needs a home. This crisis can be solved by a government with the political will to legislate solutions with broad impact. Good solutions balance the rights and responsibilities of renters and landlords, encourage home ownership and empower municipalities.

Creating Affordable Housing

Secondary Suites

The Alberta Liberal Caucus would change provincial legislation to allow the creation of secondary suites in detached, semi-detached, and duplex dwellings. We would also offer grants of up to $5000 to homeowners who create new secondary suites.

Give Cities and Towns the Ability to Plan

(Inclusionary Zoning)
By amending the Municipal Government Act, we will give cities and towns the power to include – if they choose – minimum percentages of affordable housing in any new developments or redevelopments in their community. 

Land Transfers

Purchasing land can account for up to 20-40% of the cost of affordable housing construction. To reduce this cost, the Alberta Liberal Caucus plan will swap or donate land to local land trusts to hold in perpetuity for affordable housing. Tax breaks will be used to encourage owners of desirable land to contribute their property for affordable housing.

Incentives for Builders

Our plan would encourage local governments to reduce or eliminate property taxes on affordable rental units for a set number of years by providing corresponding grants to municipalities to make up for the lost revenue.

We would provide Density Bonuses that allow developers to build more affordable units per site to offset the costs incurred from inclusionary zoning. This allows them to build housing at a lower cost per unit.

The Alberta Liberal plan would encourage municipalities to eliminate development fee levies, fast-track building permits and waive permit fees.
Provide Matching Provincial Funding to Federal Initiatives ?Our plan would continue the current Canada-Alberta Affordable Housing Agreement. We would match funding with the federal government’s Affordable Housing Trust and the Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust.

Encourage Home Ownership

The Alberta Liberal Caucus would extend financial assistance to moderate income earners who wish to buy their own home, and partner with the private sector and community housing agencies to accomplish this goal. Our policy would not only help up to 5000 families achieve home ownership – it would free up their previous dwellings for new renters.

Protecting Renters

Portable Housing Allowances and Rent Supplements

The Alberta Liberal plan would connect allowances and supplements to the renter, not the unit. Portable housing allowances and rent supplements give renters more flexibility in tight market conditions, making a wider range of rental spaces affordable to them.

Microcredit for Low-Income Renters

An Alberta Liberal government would extend low- or no-interest loans to qualifying low-income earners to cover the cost of the security deposit and first month’s rent. This initial cash outlay is the biggest impediment to working homeless people in search of affordable homes.
It is important to note that the portable housing allowances, rent supplements and microcredit offered to Albertans using social assistance will not result in a reduction of their other benefits (AISH, SFI, etc.).

Enhance Tenant Protection

When vacancy rates are very low, tenants need additional protection. Our plan establishes a vacancy rate trigger of 3%. When implemented, this trigger:

  • Institutes a temporary rent regulation measure that limits rent increases for 12 months to a maximum of 10%. The law would expire in 365 days from the date of proclamation.
  • Places a two-year moratorium on conversions of rental properties to condominiums – except those developers who agree to replace any rental units lost due to condo conversions with new rental properties.

Our plan also limits rent increases to once per year, regardless of vacancy rates. 

Expand the Residential Tenancy Dispute Resolution Service

This pilot project, currently operating in Edmonton, is intended to reduce costs, wait times and the burden on the courts to resolve landlord-tenant disputes. The project comes up for review later this year; if it proves to have achieved its purpose, we will expand the service to other Alberta communities.

Government Structure

The government has accepted the Alberta Liberal Caucus’ recommendation to move responsibility for housing to Alberta Municipal Affairs. To insure that the housing issue receives the attention it needs, we would appoint a Deputy Minister within Municipal Affairs, responsible for housing.

Budgetary Implications

This plan will cost approximately $150 million per year; approximately $122 million in new spending, the rest from existing programs.

Beyond the Shelter: Polices to End Homelessness in Alberta

Our robust economy has created a population boom that has put enormous pressure on housing and overwhelmed human services. The response has been to open more emergency shelters every year — but warehousing people is not the answer.

Everybody needs a home. It’s time to move beyond the shelter.

The Alberta Liberal Caucus plan will increase the supply of affordable housing, provide direct support to the hard to house, and support community plans to end homelessness.

Six Steps to Ending Homelessness

  • Implement the Alberta Liberal Caucus Affordable Housing Policy (see above).
  • Create a Director of Housing and Human Services.
  • Plan for action with stakeholders.
  • Implement Permanent Supportive Housing
  • Improve outreach services to homeless people.
  • Prevent today’s at-risk children and youth from becoming homeless.

For more details, read Beyond the Shelter.

 

Municipal Affairs Responses & Questions

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15 February 2012

Sherman demands that Redford fire Carter, Griffiths

Edmonton – Alberta Liberal Leader Raj Sherman says Premier Alison Redford must fire her Chief of Staff and require her Municipal Affairs Minister to either immediately apologize to the President of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) or resign.

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14 February 2012

AUMA boycott puts PC arrogance on full display

Edmonton – The PCs are lashing out at Edmonton City Councillor and Alberta Urban Municipalities Association president Linda Sloan. The crime? Criticizing the budget. The punishment? A boycott of Thursday’s AUMA breakfast by all PC MLAs and Ministers.

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31 January 2012

Bed bugs biting Alberta seniors

Edmonton – Official Opposition Leader Raj Sherman and Edmonton-Centre MLA Laurie Blakeman say the state of some publicly funded seniors’ accommodations is unhealthy and an affront to the human dignity of Alberta’s seniors.

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23 November 2011

Residential Construction Standards (November 22)

Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. The 2008 building envelope survey done by the government with the city of Calgary said that Alberta’s “system of construction and inspection is not performing adequately to protect the home or condominium owner.”

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30 September 2011

Sherman outlines strong vision for cities at AUMA AGM

Calgary – Official Opposition Leader Raj Sherman is speaking to delegates at the Annual General Meeting of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) this morning, offering greater autonomy and respect for Alberta’s cities and towns if Albertans elect a Sherman Liberal government.

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13 July 2011

Rossdale Court condominium residents suffer under inadequate homeowner protection

Edmonton – Owners in the Rossdale Court condominium building in Edmonton are unimpressed by Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau’s latest assurances that new homeowner protection measures are being considered. That building, like a number of others in the province, has experienced major deficiencies, and repairs totaling over $2 million are currently underway to address roof and door water leaks and damage to balconies and walkways.

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13 July 2011

Rossdale Court condominium residents suffer under inadequate homeowner protection

Edmonton – Owners in the Rossdale Court condominium building in Edmonton are unimpressed by Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau’s latest assurances that new homeowner protection measures are being considered. That building, like a number of others in the province, has experienced major deficiencies, and repairs totaling over $2 million are currently underway to address roof and door water leaks and damage to balconies and walkways.

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28 June 2011

Bella Vista condominium residents lament inadequate homeowner protection

Calgary – Owners in the Bella Vista condominium building in Calgary are unimpressed by Municipal Affairs Minister Hector Goudreau’s latest assurances that new homeowner protection measures are being considered. That building, like a number of others in the province, has experienced major deficiencies, with owners now facing special assessments ranging from $77,000 to $189,000 to pay for needed roof, eave, balcony and parkade repairs.

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