Affordable Housing

The Calgary Alliance Affordable Housing Team works toward practical, long-term solutions to Calgary’s housing crisis. Our members advocate for policies that increase housing options, support affordability and help more Calgarians find a safe and stable place to call home.

What We Are Doing

The Affordable Housing Team is organizing coordinated advocacy to ensure responsible housing policy in Calgary. Our current work includes:

Engaging City Council on rezoning and housing supply
Advocating for release of appropriately zoned land
Supporting rental assistance measures
Training community members to speak at public hearings
Providing research and policy analysis on housing impacts

When People Speak, Council Listens

Calgary Alliance and Housing Allies Win Important Changes for Secondary Suites and Housing Supply

Zoning may not be the most exciting topic around the dinner table. But the rules behind terms such as “R-CG,” “secondary suites” and “backyard suites” help determine what kinds of homes can be built in Calgary, and who can afford to live in them.

When City Council considered changes affecting secondary suites, backyard suites and R-CG properties, Calgary Alliance members joined other housing advocates in taking action. They learned about the proposed changes, participated in training and brought their experiences and concerns directly to Council.

Together, our advocacy contributed to several important outcomes:

Approximately 3,000 R-CG properties retained the ability to accommodate side-by-side fourplexes through the UPH retention provisions, supporting faster and less expensive housing development on several inner-city main streets.
Secondary suites—most commonly basement suites—became a permitted use throughout Calgary’s low-density residential districts, helping maintain a pipeline of additional rental housing, particularly for students and other renters.
Backyard suites remained a permitted use in the R-G district, which includes townhouse communities in Calgary’s growing suburban areas, supporting gentle density and additional housing choices.

Why Secondary Suites Matter

Secondary suites provide relatively affordable rental options while helping homeowners manage rising mortgage and living costs.

Because Council made secondary suites a permitted use city-wide, a proposed suite that meets all applicable rules can now move through the approval process more quickly and with fewer costs. This makes it easier for homeowners to create safe, legal basement suites and add much-needed homes to Calgary’s housing supply.

Council did not extend the same city-wide permitted-use status to backyard suites. Outside districts where they are already permitted, these small, separate homes remain a discretionary use and require a development permit and additional review.

This was not the outcome the Calgary Alliance and other housing advocates had hoped for. Backyard suites can be especially valuable for seniors, people with disabilities, caregivers and families who want to live close to one another while maintaining some independence. They can also add rental housing to established neighbourhoods without requiring large apartment buildings or dramatically changing the character of a street.

Protecting R-CG Housing Capacity

R-CG zoning allows different forms of ground-oriented housing, including rowhouses and townhouses. During the hearing, Council considered reducing the maximum density allowed on some properties. On a typical 50-foot R-CG lot, the proposed change could have reduced the number of primary homes from four to three.

One home may not sound like a significant difference. But when that reduction is repeated across many properties, the missing homes add up.

At a time when Calgary needs more housing, preserving the ability to build a fourth home creates more opportunities for renters, first-time buyers, seniors and families to find a place in the communities they call home.

Community Participation Makes a Difference

This hearing produced the first significant housing-policy victory of the current Council term. It was achieved, in part, through the participation of Calgary Alliance members and other community organizations.

Our members studied the proposals, prepared to speak and shared their experiences directly with decision-makers. Their voices helped protect secondary suites and preserve housing capacity on thousands of R-CG properties.

There is no single solution to Calgary’s housing crisis. Our city needs non-market housing, supportive housing, purpose-built rentals, rental assistance and many other measures. We must also make thoughtful use of the homes and land already within our communities.

Affordable housing policy can feel complicated. Its purpose, however, is simple: creating more ways for more people to find a safe and affordable place to call home.

Our Continuing Work

The Affordable Housing Team continues to:

Engage City Council on housing supply and affordability
Advocate for the release of appropriately zoned land
Support rental assistance and other affordability measures
Train community members to participate in public hearings
Provide research and policy analysis
Build relationships with organizations and residents affected by the housing crisis

Get Involved

The progress made at this hearing showed that organized community participation can influence public policy.

If you care about housing affordability and want to help shape the Calgary Alliance’s next steps, we invite you to join the Affordable Housing Team.