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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More about housing
Downtown needs per-door housing incentives, report authors argue
The authors of the new Downtown Investment Plan told the co-hosts of Episode 281 of Speaking Municipally that public investment is necessary to stimulate Edmonton's struggling downtown core, even though the requests are expensive and ambitious.
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Edmonton on track to approve one garden suite a day in 2024
A backyard housing advocate said he expects the City of Edmonton to issue one new backyard suite permit every day this year, thanks to a combination of revamped zoning and new loan products.
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Housing pilot tests if connecting people can boost inclusion
A new pilot project that tests if a community animator can build a sense of inclusion at an apartment building where people with developmental disabilities live has already convinced the building owner of its worth.
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