Will you work with us to address the affordable housing crisis and implement Calgary’s Housing Strategy? How will you work with us to expand and better coordinate rent supports for renters in crisis? How will you ensure that sufficient land is made available for affordable housing and is zoned appropriately before being released?
Myke Atkinson
Yes
Myke sees a need to incentivise the acquisition of housing solely as an investment. He suggested adopting measures, such as those taken in Canmore, to implementaddress a tax on empty residential buildings and vacant lots. He also suggested a need to develop an affordable housing fund. Appropriate zoning is essential, though sometimes problematic. He is supportive of the new zoning bylaw. I believe he mentioned the significance of moving to a permitted model, presumably in contrast to the discretionary model currently in place. He expressed enthusiasm for community-based housing developments, such as the Sunnyhill Co-op.
Heather McRae
Yes
Candidate was unable to elaborate on the rent question.
Heather feels City Council has the mandate and can make land available. She feels her party views many issues through the lens of housing.
Terry Wong
Yes
Work with province to establish rent subsidy programs that are more effective than rent control measures; look for opportunities/collaborations within the public and private sector for sources of subsidy funding.
Prioritize crisis/shelter housing for those living rough or in need of urgent. If it is not an emergency then prioritize transitional and supportive housing before providing market-based incentives. The City needs to identify uncommitted city lands for crisis/shelter, transitional, supportive then non-market affordable housing. Then ensure they align with community-defined locations per local area planning process.
Anthony Ascue: Uncertain -One of our key responsibilities of being in city council is to keep our citizens safe. Mental health is a huge issue, and has been plaguing the entire world for a long time. We need to make sure we have the budget to help combat mental health issues. This is everything from PTSD, trauma, substance abuse, etc. This will not only help save lives, but it will also help with our homeless situation. We should have programs ready to handle the people that are in need, and we need to have social workers able to promote and encourage people in need to seek out and use our programs.
Responsible planning and ethical building. I am against blanket rezoning because it doesn’t do either of those. We cannot give developers and the bureaucrats at City Hall Carte Blanche to building whatever they want, wherever they want. You don’t want to see a 3 story 5-plex towering over a single-story home, with all 5 units looking into the home’s backyard. That is neither responsible nor ethical. Calgary will continue to grow, and we have plenty of landmass to accommodate for that growth, without needing to over densify our communities.
David Barrett: Yes - On Affordable Housing, I intend to pass a landlord licensing system that ensures safe living conditions through incentives and enforcement. This was a commitment made in Calgary’s Home is Here strategy, but I have not seen any movement on this item. My office will work with administration to develop a robust licensing regime that results in high landlord participation and a reduction in poor landlord practices. I would pair this measure with a maximum heat bylaw, to ensure Calgary’s renters are kept safe and healthy during our hot and smoky summer months.
- On the building side, we need to eliminate development fees for non-profits, slash permit review times to 60 days max, and preemptively upzone some of our designated main streets, in accordance with our local area plans, to encourage the rapid growth of transit-oriented development. At the same time, we’ll turn surplus city land over to housing providers immediately, because no public parcel should sit empty while some Calgarians don't have a roof over their head. I’ll push to expand the Housing Capital Initiative, hire city staff with co-op housing expertise, and fast-track pre-approved building designs to cut red tape. We’ll incentivize purpose-built rentals with fee discounts and impose a vacancy tax on corporate speculators hoarding empty homes.
Greg Amoruso: Yes - This is another top priority as our city council all stated that
affordable housing will be made and nothing has been done instead they
give gave hundreds of millions of dollars to downtown commercial
buildings for conversations and this is unacceptable. I have also voiced
my opinion and disappointment with this to our council members and
received no response.
I will work with our council and find land that
will be zoned properly and timely to get affordable housing started with
minimal delays.