Providing a diverse range of housing options will impact people’s choice on where they live. How we grow in the Capital Region will affect a household’s transportation choices, commute patterns and consumption of energy and other natural resources.  Ensuring a sufficient supply of housing is needed to continue to be globally competitive as a Region to attract and retain a diverse and skilled workforce. The CRB will need to work with all orders of government and industry to ensure housing is a regional priority.

The housing plan, one of the principle components of the Capital Region Growth Plan, addressed the following mandate:

MANDATE

The mandate of the Housing Committee was to develop a plan regarding social and market affordable housing requirements for the Capital Region that include recommendations with respect to the following:

• The general location of social housing
• Options to increase market affordable housing

VISION & PRINCIPLES

The vision and guiding principles will serve to guide the full range of implementation activities to address the housing needs across the Capital Region.

There is a sufficient supply, choice and diversity of housing within the Capital Region

1. Recognize that Non-Market (social) Housing requires sustainable, predictable, and adequate levels of funding in the form of capital and operating dollars from the Provincial government, with support from the Federal government.
2. Leverage partnerships with the private sector, public sector and not-for-profit organizations to provide a broad range of affordable and safe housing for all income levels that meets the diverse needs of the Capital Region.
3. Respect the unique needs of the Capital Region municipalities and create choice and diversity of housing options to enable the Capital Region to attract and retain the workforce necessary to be globally competitive.
   1. Plans, policies and programs must be responsive to housing needs and market conditions.
   2. To respond to local needs, solutions may be different in different communities.
4. The location of housing is based on integrated planning for efficient land-use that considers access to necessary amenities like transit and support services and that achieves affordable, appropriate types of housing stock and densities for both renters and owners.
5. Build sustainable and inclusive communities that respect and support families of all income levels who represent the diversity of people who contribute to the prosperity of the Capital Region.
6. Foster collaboration among the Capital Region municipalities to achieve regional housing needs based on housing investment priorities and innovative housing solutions.

Housing Plan (PDF)

The Housing Plan provides a clear strategy and framework to address the Region existing unmet and its future housing requirements that considers the future growth in population and employment in the Capital Region. The plan is also based on extensive consultations from a broad range of housing service providers and the building and development industry and a comprehensive quantitative analysis to understand the affordability gap at an individual municipal level.  The results of the affordability analysis for all Capital Region municipalities can be found in the Appendix- Community Profiles. 

The goal of the housing plan is facilitate a change in development patterns, with an emphasis on adopting Smart Growth principles, as a basis for achieving long term sustainability. Including specific housing goals for affordability, density and diversity of housing in built forms, within the Capital Region. The plan includes a series of recommendations to a broad base of stakeholders, working together, to increasing the supply and equitable distribution of Non Market and Market Affordable Housing in the Capital Region.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS 

• The implementation of a Governance Model to oversee the implementation of the housing plan by the CRB.
• The implementation a 10 year rolling Housing Plan, based on a sub regional planning model, of six regions.
• Working with the province, as part of the 10 year housing plan, explore alternative funding allocation models for capital and operating dollars to address the housing needs in the region.
• That the Province supports legislative changes to provide municipalities with greater flexibility to address housing gaps.
• That the Province identifies and implements appropriate incentives to stimulate private investment in Affordable Housing.

Included in the plan are recommendations to the CRB, all orders of government and industry, in the form of required actions, to do address the full range of housing needs in the Capital Region.   

CONTACT

For more information on the Housing Plan, contact:

Sharon Shuya, Manager - Regional Projects
Phone: (780) 638-6004
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it