Nathaniel Schmidt

Yes

Interview Response:

He considers rent supports to be a provincial responsibility under the Residential Tenancies Act. He would like to develop purpose-built affordable rentals and provide by-law supports to ensure quality housing, because substandard housing at the end of its life-cycle has become the substitute for affordable housing.

We need to considers "land-use bylaw" to be only the starting point for affordable housing strategy. The land-use framework needs to change before commitment to building is made by qualified builders. Funding from other levels of government is required to build new housing.

Miguel Cortines

Yes

Interview Response:

Blanket zoning was supposed to provide supply, but it is not reducing prices in more established communities. The City needs to engage with communities to maintain the character of neighbourhoods. Land use should be developed in an integrated manner, incorporating amenities, such as through a master-planned community. Communities need to work with both buyers and renters, using high-end and affordable housing as solutions to the crisis.

Miguel suggests creating undermarket projects and fund affordable housing from public lands through partnerships.

Survey Response:

This is a complex issue. First, we need to work together in a long term vision and proper planning of housing options. We need to create housing options for everyone. We need alternatives that can provide options for renters, and buyers, from all type of economic levels. We need to work in collaboration with developers, city planners, non for profit groups, and community members to have a common sense of building communities, not just buildings. We need to create a sense of social responsibility when talking with different stakeholders.

Working with non for profit groups that are focus on creating affordable housing options in order to find suitable land that can be allocated to under market values. 30% of housing in new projects must be allocated to affordable housing. Continue to incentivize secondary suites that can be used for alternative options for living. Find pieces of land that can be used to create new communities with an integral approach like the one that was used when East Village was created.

Kent Hehr

Yes

Interview Response:

Create more rental housing and co-op housing. New housing remains unaffordable for average Calgarians. Edmonton has worked creatively to maintain CMHC financing and achieve affordable housing solutions that work for communities. Cannot afford sprawl.

The government should put pressure on developers to use all mechanisms possible to increase housing stock. Office conversions should be expanded, particularly for affordable housing. The city should not always focus on maximizing the value of land when it can offer immediate housing. The City should err on the side of more housing in land use decision-making

Survey Response:

Kent supports the writing and implementation of a Calgary renters' bill of rights protecting tenants from unjust evictions, unfair rent increases, and unsafe or unlivable housing. As Calgary's population grows, so may competition for housing. The municipal government must be ready to ensure fair treatment for residents and Kent is committed to developing strategies to do so in partnership with community groups.

Building more affordable housing is essential to accommodate Calgary's rapid population growth. Kent also understands that we cannot rely on costly and unsustainable endless urban sprawl to achieve this. Kent plans to achieve the development of affordable housing while limiting urban sprawl by making use of unused city land, further encouraging conversions of underused office buildings to residential buildings, and restructuring the zoning system to simplify regulations.

By making use of underutilized land and structures such as the greenfield space near Westgate Mall and vacant downtown offices, the city has the opportunity to simultaneously expand the affordable housing supply while revitalizing communities through the addition of vibrant and livable mixed-use spaces.

Currently, development is not serving the affordable housing needs of Calgarians. Despite vast quantities of new housing being developed, a small portion of that is truly affordable. In future developments, the City of Calgary should provide incentives for the construction of affordable housing and require affordable housing to compose a considerable portion of units in projects it partners on. It is also clear that the current zoning system is not working. Despite the intent to increase affordable housing through more density, not enough affordable housing is being built. To encourage the development of more affordable housing, Kent's plan looks to the community-based solution of co-op housing. To encourage the development of more co-op housing, the city should ensure more land is identified and zoned for co-op projects, organizations advocating for and building co-op housing are cooperated with, and civic partnerships are enabled.

Josie Kirkpatrick

Yes

Survey Response:

I would commit myself to working with you to implement Calgary’s affordable housing strategy, effectively ensuring that the needs of renters and those in housing crisis are at the forefront. To better support renters in crisis, I would hope to be able to work with the province in methodically and strategically expanding and coordinating subsidized low-income housing programs, including emergency rent assistance programs, and targeted subsidies and initiatives.

Additional Response

With strategic and purposeful planning, sufficient land can be readily made available for affordable, low-income and properly zoned housing facilities. I will advocate for land-use policies that will prioritize subsidized affordable housing developments that are strategically placed and created to ensure the success of those they house.

I would forge relationships with the province, as we can often link affordable housing with health care, and with Alberta being the richest province, there really should not be so much adversity to looking after our citizens. Blanket rezoning has nothing to do with affordable housing, and nothing being built today is catering specifically to low-income individuals or the issue of affordability. Government subsidized low-income housing that is strategically placed with support systems, resources, easy access to public transit, and tax breaks is what will create and contribute to renters in crisis.

I would work hard to ensure that sufficient and strategically located land is made available and zoned appropriately before being released. I would do this by adhering to my platform which is focused on PURPOSEFUL PLANNING. We should not be putting the cart before the horse!! Organization, critical thinking, community input, strategizing, researching and purposeful planning is how I'd like to address all issues. The more ideas are refined, the better one is able to figure out the best approaches to resolving issues.