Alberta government shreds Trudeau's 'net-zero' housing policies

'The days of the federal government being able to bypass us in our own jurisdiction and go directly to a mayor that they may or may not have had a previous relationship with are coming to an end in this province,' Minister of Community and Social Services Jason Nixon told reporters.

  • By Alex Dhaliwal
  • April 05, 2024
Alberta government shreds Trudeau's 'net-zero' housing policies
The Canadian Press / Todd Korol and The Canadian Press / John Woods
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A Trudeau Liberal housing announcement, plagued with controversy, has tied federal infrastructure money to climate-friendly building developments.

At the displeasure of the Alberta government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet are going around the province directly to the municipalities.

"Younger generations, like millennials and gen Z, feel like they're falling behind because housing costs are just too high," Trudeau told reporters in Calgary. "That's not OK — and it needs to change," he said.

As part of a $600 million pre-budget commitment, the prime minister pledged $500 million on Friday to low-cost loans for "innovative" home builders.

An additional $50 million will go to a homebuilding technology and innovation fund, with another $50 million to modernize and expedite construction.

In yet another petty slight at the Alberta government, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet are going around the province directly to the municipalities.

“Does Alberta have a plan to prevent this latest federal overreach into provincial jurisdiction?” asked Rebel News. “We have been talking about this for a while, particularly around housing,” replied Jason Nixon, Alberta's Minister of Community and Social Services. 

“The premier has been very clear that we're prepared to go down the road that Québec went down,” he added.

Nixon said his government may pass legislation to stop the federal government from being able to directly fund municipalities and other organizations primarily funded by the province and within its jurisdiction. 

“I'm comfortable saying that the days of the federal government being able to bypass us in our own jurisdiction and go directly to a mayor that they may or may not have had a previous relationship with are coming to an end in this province,” he told reporters on Friday.

On March 14th, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek maintained that federal dollars were a surety regardless of rezoning efforts. However, city administrators clarified that Council must vote “yes” to secure the funding.

“If council made a decision not to [approve city-wide rezoning] there is a chance the funding would be impacted,” claimed an administrator.

“The federal government has no jurisdiction to even make that request,” Nixon said.

“It is our job to manage municipalities,” he added. “But we have, at the same time, respected the municipal process [and] the elected councilors going through that process with their constituents,” he said.

The City of Calgary quietly engaged residents and “interested groups” on the proposed rezoning efforts since January that will continue through April.

A public hearing date has been set for April 22, 2024, following the consultations. This is when city administrators will present a recommended approach to citywide rezoning to the Council. 

No rezoning efforts will take place without Council approval, clarified an administrator.

“Has your ministry been in contact with the city of Calgary on their efforts to densify new housing and condo developments?” asked Rebel.

“If you're asking if we have received instructions from Ottawa to say that Calgary had to do a certain amount of density. The answer is no,” replied Nixon.

City of Calgary administrators earlier testified that federal funding for housing is tied to residential densification efforts. At the time Mayor Jyoti Gondek appeared completely in the dark.

“My understanding — and I would love some clarity on this — the application we submitted to secure the Housing Accelerator Fund was predicated on certain things we would deliver," she said. 

Last November, the Trudeau Liberals committed $228 million to build new housing and residential developments in Calgary through the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). They intend on building upwards of 35,000 new homes over the next decade.

“I don’t think we made a firm commitment in the application,” claimed Gondek.

“In the application, we indicated that we would move forward with this process, and that includes a council decision that is to come — that is the commitment we made to CMHC,” replied a city administrator.

However, Nixon pushed back on the federal overreach.

“Ottawa showing up in Calgary and telling them how to [build houses] is completely wrong,” he told reporters.

He hinted at provincial legislation in short order to avoid provincial exclusion from federal talks on their jurisdiction.

“They would have to come talk to us,” clarified Nixon.

Acknowledging there would be different viewpoints for new residential builds, Nixon told reporters “They're worth having.” 

“We continue to call on all our municipalities to speed up building permits, which I think is some of the fastest ways to address our housing challenges,” he said.

On September 16, City of Calgary administrators published its housing strategy through 2030, suggesting that rezoning residential communities would “improve choice and affordability.”

“Row houses, for example, give Calgarians a type of home that is in high demand at lower price points compared to single and semi-detached houses in the same community,” reads Home is Here. 

It suggests rezoned housing can be upwards of 50% more energy efficient than the older housing it replaces.

“Citywide base zoning also allows new community builders to respond to housing demand efficiently,” reads the document.

“Our message has been, hey, we have to do this fast,” added Nixon. “We don't want to see municipalities slowing us up.”

The city of Leduc approves housing permits within 48 hours, according to Nixon. He also cited Sundre for approving permits in 24 hours.

“Recognizing Calgary may be a little bit longer just because of the size,” clarified Nixon. “But nonetheless, there's a way to do this fast.”

Alberta Justin Trudeau Canada Climate Change Expose The Reset Alberta Legislature Danielle Smith Housing
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