Housing Complex
What works, what doesn't, and what can be done to improve Edmonton's housing system
Home truths: In Edmonton's housing system, some win, some lose, and many feel conflicted
Taproot presents a special project exploring what works, what doesn't, and what can be done to improve Edmonton's housing ecosystem as we head into the 2025 municipal election. There are no simple solutions to the problems of a complex system that hurts some and rewards others. But the path toward improvement begins with a common understanding of the issues.
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Vignettes 12
Interviews with Edmontonians who have various roles in the housing ecosystem, collected by Eric Rice and photographed by Jordon Hon
Bernice Westfall: 'Now I'm one of the ones needing help'
Bernice Westfall is a resident of Pioneer Place, a seniors' residence run by Operation Friendship Seniors Society at which subsidized rents are set at 30% of the resident's income.
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Omar Yaqub: 'Why is the policy this way?'
Omar Yaqub serves the team at IslamicFamily.ca, a holistic social change organization based in Edmonton. IslamicFamily (also known as IFSSA) serves thousands of Albertans every month, providing care and community connection, as well as capacity-building research and supports for the social sector.
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Chris Tieland: 'Entrusted with most people's biggest investment'
Chris Tieland is a property manager with Realty Canada Inc., a provincially licensed, full-service property management company based in Edmonton. He manages about 160 properties.
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Doug Singleton: 'Some people aren't meant to be homeowners'
Doug Singleton is an associate broker with Royal LePage Noralta Real Estate in Edmonton.
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Cecilia Romero: 'What if I had given up on them?'
Cecilia Romero is the client services program manager for Operation Friendship Seniors Society, a non-profit society that provides community-based preventative social services to the seniors of Edmonton's inner city, operating more than 310 affordable housing units for Edmontonians over the age of 55.
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Clare Mullen: 'You have to be really cautious'
Clare Mullen is a homeowner and entrepreneur who owns shares in several houses in Edmonton that are rented to individuals seeking housing.
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Rob MacIsaac: 'A massive barrier for individuals with disabilities'
Rob MacIsaac is the client services coordinator for Spinal Cord Injury Alberta, a non-profit society whose mission is "to empower persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities to achieve independence and full community participation."
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Paul Lanni: 'Not going to see a return to the way things were'
Paul Lanni is the president and CEO of Averton, a developer and builder of townhomes, single-family detached homes, and multi-family buildings operating in both Alberta and Ontario.
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Nadine Chalifoux: 'My pain was something I could use to help others'
Nadine Chalifoux, whose Cree name means Green Butterfly Woman, provides information and advice to people experiencing homelessness or navigating the municipal and provincial social service systems.
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Bruce Bremner: 'I had a rough, rough go there'
Bruce Bremner is on income support in lodgings provided through the Jasper Place Wellness Centre's Bridge Healing program after an accident in January 2024 that resulted in infection.
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Bindu Bonneau: 'There is a lot more to develop'
Bindu Bonneau is the senior director of operations at Métis Housing, a not-for-profit that provides affordable housing to Métis and other Indigenous people in Alberta, with almost 900 affordable housing units in 13 urban locations.
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Chris Batdorf: 'A very uncomfortable fence to sit on'
Chris Batdorf is a housing manager with Right at Home Housing Society, a charity that helps to house Edmontonians who have nowhere safe to live or spend a disproportionate amount of their income on housing.
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Explainers 7
A deeper look at some of the questions raised about how Edmonton's housing system works, pursued by Taproot's editorial team
What city council can — and can't — do to improve Edmonton's housing system
In Taproot's Housing Complex series, we examined where Edmonton is at on housing supply, government subsidies for housing, rental housing, infill, sprawl, and more. To wrap the series, we will now look at what city council and the City of Edmonton can, and can't, do to improve Edmonton's housing system, and for whom.
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Why Edmonton's work on Indigenous-led housing remains complex
As Edmonton enters an election year, then, it's clear that more of its residents are struggling to find adequate housing than ever before, and most acutely within the Indigenous communities that make up 6.2% of the region's population. To find out why this is happening, what's working, and what needs to be improved, Taproot spoke to experts who work in Indigenous-led housing across Edmonton.
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How Edmonton compares to cities finding success in tackling homelessness
As Edmonton enters an election year with rising housing prices and record numbers of residents who are homeless, Taproot spoke to experts to explore how other cities have found success transitioning people from being homeless to housed.
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Why Edmonton may need to focus on renters as it stares down 'peak home ownership'
As Edmonton enters election season and rents rise, Taproot spoke to experts with the Community Housing Canada research project and the Collins Lab for Urban Excellence at the University of Alberta to learn more about how to keep prices attainable as the city continues to grow.
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Why the decline in public housing is 'the origins of Canada's housing crisis'
As Edmonton enters an election period while nearly 4,700 residents are homeless, Taproot spoke to experts with Community Housing Canada and the Collins Lab for Urban Excellence at the University of Alberta to learn more about Edmonton's supply of non-market housing.
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How should Edmonton grow to make housing more accessible?
With the next municipal election less than one year away, Edmonton is reckoning with an expected population of two million by as early as 2060 and a need to create housing to meet this demand. But how should Edmonton build to respond while keeping housing anywhere close to financially accessible? Out or in?
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Would building more supply slow Edmonton's rising home prices?
As Edmonton prepares to enter a municipal election period where growing housing prices are expected to be a central issue, Taproot spoke to experts with Community Housing Canada and the Collins Lab for Urban Excellence at the University of Alberta to determine if municipal officials need to focus on increasing housing supply if they hope to help slow those increases.
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More about housing
Sohi reflects on housing emergency declaration, downtown investment
In a year-end interview with Taproot, Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said council's declaration of a housing and houselessness emergency in January led to real change, despite provincial criticism at the time that it was performative.
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Edmonton policies and processes could be targeted by Housing Delays Portal
A provincial portal aimed at identifying processes that slow home construction could zero in on a proposed City of Edmonton policy aimed at pushing suburbs to be complete before starting a new development.
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On the agenda: Migrant plan, neighbourhood renewal, ArtsCommon 118
This week, council returns from a short break to talk about a proposed migrant action plan, neighbourhood renewal budgets, and the ArtsCommon 118 development.
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