The Pulse: Oct. 23, 2024

A man whose life veered toward homelessness after injuring his leg. A real estate agent who's convinced owning a home may not be for everyone. A senior forced to survive on garage sale proceeds. A developer working to make multi-family housing as appealing as the single-family home. A manager straddling the fence between landlords and housing-first tenants. An advocate who uses her painful experiences to help those confronting homelessness. A property manager handing out rent increases of no less than $100 a month. A landlord forced to remain one after buying at the height of the 2008 boom and never being able to sell without a loss. A wheelchair user who feels forgotten by housing design and maintenance practices.

These are a few of the glimpses into the lives of people in various roles within Edmonton's housing ecosystem gathered for a project we're calling Housing Complex. Like all ecosystems, each of the positions these people occupy is interrelated. Some win. Many feel conflicted, or like they're treading water. Some lose in awful ways. But to change Edmonton's housing ecosystem to ensure fewer people lose will mean affecting all involved — whether by forcing them to accept density in their backyards, slowing the speed at which their home grows in value, controlling rent increases, or investing public money to create more housing for people the system leaves out. That means changing anything related to housing is complex.

Edmonton is renowned in other Canadian cities for moving big rocks on the supply side of housing policy that others can't or won't. Experts say we're trailblazers on zoning reform, accelerating infill, ridding ourselves of parking minimums, and deregulating density. One need only look at Taproot's recent stories on backyard suite permits doubling in 2024, the city proactively upzoning land within the core, or proposals to develop agricultural land within city limits for evidence these reforms can create change.

And yet there is another Edmonton where people struggle to find the housing they need. It's a city where rents are increasing faster than some other major Canadian cities and outpacing how fast our incomes are growing, where vacancy rates are the lowest they've been in a decade, where newcomers are arriving in numbers we haven't seen in a generation, where Alberta's legacies as the site of the most residential schools in Canada echo throughout our community, where car-culture design continues to externalize costs onto individuals, where housing developments in our downtown are stalled despite population growth, where we see members of our community struggling in numbers and ways that are terrifying, and where an increasing number of us feel our relationship to housing is more precarious than ever. As the City of Edmonton often points out, one in eight households is in core housing need, which means one in eight of us live in housing that does not meet standards of adequacy, suitability, or affordability, where the household would have to spend 30% or more of its before-tax income to access local housing that meets all three standards.

Often, the difference between thriving and surviving in this ecosystem can be chalked up to income, with only those who make the least deemed to be struggling. Edmonton's average home price (across all housing types) is roughly $400,000, much lower than in Toronto and Vancouver, where the figure tops $1 million. Wages, meanwhile, are high here relative to other cities. Could Edmonton be the anomaly to escape a crisis that has otherwise swept across most of Canada? Or could it be could be "the next domino to fall," as Gregor Craigie, author of Our Crumbling Foundation, said during a recent chat on the housing crisis? Given how many people are moving here to escape the Toronto and Vancouver markets, the pressure on housing is only increasing.

Trying to make sense of this is daunting, but we're using two tools to increase your understanding. One is a series of portraits captured by writer Eric Rice and photographer Jordon Hon based on interviews with 12 people about their place in Edmonton's housing ecosystem. The idea behind that series of vignettes, pursued in collaboration with the Edmonton Coalition on Housing and Homelessness and funded by the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, was to surface real-life experiences with the way housing works (and doesn't) in Edmonton. These are but 12 stories among more than a million, but we hope it creates a bit of empathy and understanding across the board. (See editor-in-chief Karen Unland's post for more about why and how this series was created.)

• At its meeting on Oct. 22, Edmonton city council discussed the 2025 municipal election, which will include significant changes because of Alberta's Bill 20, such as the formation of political parties and allowing unions, corporations, and third-party advertisers to contribute financially. Councillors raised concerns about unfair spending advantages for party-affiliated candidates, as spending limits have increased significantly. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said he is worried about external financial influences on local elections, calling Bill 20 a "bad, bad piece of legislation."
• Edmonton city councillors voted 11-2 against implementing a requirement for criminal record checks for municipal election candidates, an option made available because of provincial changes to municipal elections. Councillors raised concerns that introducing such a requirement could discourage candidates with past mistakes and disproportionately affect marginalized groups. They also noted criminal record checks aren't required for provincial or federal election candidates.
• Edmonton recorded a significant increase in frostbite-related amputations last winter, reaching 110 cases, which was the highest in more than a decade, CBC News reported. In contrast, Calgary saw a decline with only about a third of Edmonton's cases. Doctors and advocates suggest the discrepancy between the two cities may be influenced by Edmonton's aggressive encampment eviction policy, with more than half of the amputations in both cities affecting homeless individuals. Last month, a coalition of advocacy groups released a joint statement calling on Edmonton to halt encampment removals and for all levels of government to take urgent action on homelessness.
• Edmonton will shift to its winter curbside collection schedule beginning the week of Oct. 28. Food scraps will be collected biweekly and recycling will be collected weekly. Residents are reminded to clear snow and ice from their carts and ensure proper placement for easier collection.
• The Alberta government has intervened to prevent a strike by 3,200 Edmonton Public Schools support staff by appointing a disputes inquiry board to facilitate negotiations between the board and the CUPE Local 3550. The workers, who are advocating for better wages and benefits, had planned to strike beginning Oct. 24 due to stagnant wages over the past 12 years, but the inquiry board's establishment delays any strike action until the process concludes. Meanwhile, public school custodial workers represented by CUPE Local 474 have also voted in favour of a strike, although no strike notice has been issued.
• St. Albert is the latest municipality to consider leaving the regional economic development agency Edmonton Global, with concerns over rising costs and the return on investment. If the motion to withdraw is passed in November, St. Albert would still need to pay its dues for two years while the new council, set to be elected in October 2025, reviews the decision. The move follows similar actions by other municipalities that have questioned Edmonton Global's funding model and effectiveness in fostering regional economic growth.
• A man suspected of fatally hitting a 68-year-old pedestrian while riding an electric dirt bike on Oct. 11 was apprehended with the help of a local group of electric vehicle enthusiasts who recognized him and detained him until the Edmonton Police Service arrived. Johnathan Clarke, 25, faces charges of dangerous driving causing death, criminal negligence causing death, and failing to stop after an accident resulting in death.
• The City of Edmonton launched a shop local campaign in support of the city's small business community, which makes up 95% of Edmonton's more than 38,000 businesses. The campaign, launched as part of Small Business Week, is part of a matching grant from the Alberta government to "leverage $200,000 over two years towards small business support," the City said in a release.
• CTV News profiled Dash, a six-year-old springer spaniel vital in detecting and preventing bed bug infestations in Edmonton. Dash works with Orkin Canada Pest Control to inspect various locations, including Find Edmonton, a second-hand store supporting people transitioning out of homelessness. Dash and his canine partner, Heidi, are trained to detect bed bugs and signal their presence, helping to ensure items are bug-free.
• Edmonton's Marco Arop, an Olympic silver medallist and reigning 800-metre world champion, has become the first Canadian to sign with the new professional league Grand Slam Track, set to launch in 2025. The league, started by retired American sprinter Michael Johnson, will feature nearly 100 top athletes competing for $12.6 million in prize money across four annual events.

This is one of 12 interviews conducted with various Edmontonians about their experience with the housing system. It has been edited for clarity and length. Read more about why and how Taproot embarked on this series.

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. She earned a diploma in business administration from what was then known as Grant MacEwan College. After experiencing homelessness for a time in her thirties, Chalifoux has devoted her life to helping others experiencing hardship in the housing system. She suffers from a degenerative physical disease that affects her housing needs.

Can you tell us what role you play in the housing ecosystem now?

I call myself an independent advocate because I refuse to join agencies with mandates that require them to focus on statistics instead of on real people. Unfortunately, the system today treats you like you don't belong, you're not human, you don't have any rights, you're just not worth the work, and it breaks my heart. Because so much benefit could come from treating people better, and I know that because that's what I do for people.

I help them so they don't have to have the traumas and the pain as severe as I did. Unless you've lived it, it's really hard for people to grasp the concept of what needs to be done. I even created a course to help peer workers, social workers, or workers in frontline agencies (learn) how to use a lived-experience perspective in their work so they can be more compassionate, more empathetic, more understanding, and more patient. Patience is really the biggest thing that we need of our workers.

This is one of 12 interviews conducted with various Edmontonians about their experience with the housing system. It has been edited for clarity and length. Read more about why and how Taproot embarked on this series.

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. Bonneau immigrated to Canada from India in 2010 and is certified as a Chartered Professional Accountant. She has worked with Métis Urban Housing Corporation and Métis Capital Housing Corporation (Métis Housing) since 2012.

Can you tell us what role Métis Housing plays in the housing ecosystem now?

Métis Capital Housing provides affordable housing, which is 20% below market. We call it 20% below market, but in various locations, we are even 30% or 40% below market, whereas Métis Urban Housing offers subsidized housing to Indigenous peoples in Alberta. We are not only providing affordable housing to Indigenous Albertans but also offer several housing-related programs and services to Métis people in Alberta. Currently, we operate 830 properties across Alberta, and building new homes to meet the needs of Indigenous people.

Can you share a story of a program you consider to be a success?

Yes, until October 2023 we operated the Family Reunification Program, which was transferred to our parent organization in late 2023. This program supported Indigenous families whose children are in government care not with only housing but various wrap-around services which are key to a successful housing experience. We brought such families together and worked intensely with the parents for between 12 to 18 months, where we provided them with support and services, including workshops, mental health support, or treatment services. Based on the need, some families were in the program for longer periods. Our success rate was over 75%. As I said, the program is now run by the Métis Nation of Alberta. This program is expanding as the need for it expands.

You immigrated to Canada in 2010. What kind of differences did you notice between India and Canada?

I came to Canada in April 2010. At that time my whole vision of Canada was that it was going to be amazing because it's a developed country. What I had learned in school is that Canada had all the amenities, they had all the infrastructure in place, and people lived in prosperity. But when I came here, I struggled with finding a job. Anywhere I went, people said, "You don't have Canadian experience," so they could not give me a job. So that was a bit of a surprise to me.

We didn't have any type of NIMBYism in my community in India. I grew up in a community where there were beautiful homes, and in the corner, we had people living in their shelters, but they were just part of the community. Those families worked in neighbouring homes and earned their living. We never thought they should not have their homes there. But here in Canada and working with Métis Housing, whenever we applied for any new housing development, we saw pushback, you know, that Indigenous housing should not be built there, so that was a bit of a surprise to me in the beginning.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Small Business Week: Human Resources starting at 9am at Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
• Market Research for Business Success starting at 10:30am online
• Growing Your Food Business starting at 11:30am at the NAIT Productivity and Innovation Centre
• Overcoming the Pain of Career Trauma starting at 12pm online
• World Trade Centre Open House starting at 2pm at Edmonton Chamber of Commerce
• State of the Region: Charting a Course for Growth & Competitiveness starting at 5pm at NAIT
• Small Business Week: Resilience in Business starting at 6pm at Fu's Repair Shop
• The Austrian "Seerrior" Wine Tasting starting at 6:30pm at Wine and Beyond Windermere
• Fred Penner starting at 6:45pm at Winspear Centre
• Igniters Launch Event starting at 7pm at Creative Hive

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 9: Sweater Weather Soirée: An Autumnal Burlesque Show at Die Pie
• Nov. 14: Here's Nina at Edmonton EXPO Centre
• Nov. 15: Climate Quest Sip & Science at TELUS World of Science Edmonton

Visit the beta version of the Taproot Edmonton Calendar for many more events in the Edmonton region.