The Pulse
Oct. 29, 2026

When Omar Yaqub struggled to help an IslamicFamily client escape domestic abuse, he knew something had to change. That incident and others inspired his work on the Diamond of Dunluce, a forthcoming development that will offer affordable housing for multigenerational living.

"She was caring for her elderly parents; she was also caring for her children, and one of her kids had special needs," Yaqub said during a groundbreaking event at 365 Dunluce Road NW on Oct. 26. "The choice she was given by our shelter system was abandon your parents, abandon your kids, or stay in abuse. That's not a choice — it's not a choice anyone should have to deal with."

It took about five years to solve her housing situation, and Yaqub continued to meet clients with similar needs, such as a family of 15 whose members escaped war only to struggle to live close together in Edmonton. Why? The supply of affordable housing with enough bedrooms and the right amenities for large families just wasn't there.

"The reason why the private sector doesn't build three-, four-, and five-bedroom units (in multi-family developments) is because the pro forma just doesn't work, generally speaking," Build Edmonton Homes CEO Gord Johnston told Taproot.

But Yaqub, Johnston, and Issam Saleh of Vivid Homes (who started Build Edmonton Homes with Johnston) found a way to add 96 townhouses with 290 bedrooms — meaning two to five per unit. Three-quarters of the homes are 20% to 50% below market. Johnston expects the development to be ready for move-in in the first quarter of 2028.

How? They received $9.3 million from the province, $3.6 million from the city, and $250,000 from the federally funded Green Municipal Fund administered by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities — more than one third of the estimated $37 million total. The rest is a mix of potential federal funds, private investment, philanthropic contributions, and what Yaqub calls "fairer financing," a model based on Islamic home financing practices, which forbid charging conventional interest fees.

"Almost all of the affordable housing in Canada is built using debt financing — it's below prime, but what that financing does is it actually prevents communities who (don't want to or can't) use conventional finance from participating in affordable housing," said Yaqub, whose title is "servant of servants" at IslamicFamily. "That also prevents that community from coming with other resources. Our community is also able to bring a community-based rent supplement that keeps affordable housing affordable, and it provides new maintenance dollars for affordable housing."

Multigenerational living comes in many forms. It can be everyone in one unit, a house with a basement suite or a backyard suite, or even just being neighbouring homes. And it can change as life happens, though housing players don't always acknowledge that, said Chelsey Jersak, one of the founders of Wello Living and the founder and strategic director of Situate, which helps infill developers with zoning and permitting.

"I grew up with a single parent, and I think there are times when a single parent and a child need to have a place to stay, like after or during a divorce," she told Taproot during a Wello event on Oct. 22. "We don't ever think about those household types when we're thinking about building housing. We're like, 'Nuclear families need housing.' Well, so does everybody else."

That's partly why she's building Wello One, an eightplex infill with two- and three-bedroom suites in Prince Rupert. It was designed for people who don't want a one-bedroom apartment and perhaps want to live with kin outside the single-family home. She expects it to open in December.

• Edmonton city council voted to prioritize residential alley renewal, delaying work in several business improvement areas. The decision pushed Alberta Avenue alley renewal to 2031, which frustrated some local residents. "We're seeing a lot of infill, and that's just creating a lot more stress to our infrastructure, and we haven't had it updated in more than 50 years," said Erick Estrada of the Alberta Avenue Business Association. Mayor Andrew Knack said council was reallocating money rather than cutting funding.
• Edmonton respondents gave the city an overall C+ across 13 measures of local life in a CityNews-commissioned Canada Pulse Insights survey. The survey of 383 adults gave affordable housing a C-, while parks and green spaces earned a B.
• Julie Kusiek resigned as Ward F trustee with Edmonton Public Schools after five years. She will join BILD Edmonton Metro as manager of metro strategy on Nov. 2. The association represents the region's building, land development, and residential construction industry.
• Edmonton woke to its first significant snowfall of the season on Oct. 28, leading to a wet morning commute. A fatal multi-vehicle crash also closed Highway 28 in Sturgeon County. A Collision Reporting Centre representative said 119 crashes were reported in Edmonton between 8am and 1pm.
• The Edmonton Oilers announced that they placed forward Zach Hyman on injured reserve with an upper-body injury and activated Jason Dickinson.

Here are some events happening today in the Edmonton area.

• Never Not Negotiating starting at 9:30am at Winspear Centre
• Battery Energy Storage in Alberta starting at 12pm online
• Women Taking Over TNT starting at 5pm at The Wine Room
• Seasons of Connection: Community Stewardship: Turf the Turf with Dustin Bajer starting at 5pm at Earth's Refillery Coop
• Bowl your ACE off starting at 5:30pm at Plaza Bowling Co.
• DIY Thursday Workshops: Treats and Trivia starting at 6pm at City of Edmonton Reuse Centre
• Evening of Opportunity starting at 6:30pm at Bison Lodge
• Glenora Scotch Tasting starting at 6:30pm at Square 1 Coffee (Glenora)
• Healthy Eating Habits for Busy Entrepreneurs starting at 6:30pm at Chartier
• Zak Jones In Conversation with Conor Kerr starting at 7pm at St. Albert Public Library (Downtown)
• Baroque's Greatest Hits starting at 7:30pm at Winspear Centre
• Nerd Nite Edmonton #95: All Hallows' Eve Eve Eve starting at 7:30pm at Fringe Theatre Arts Barns

And here are some upcoming events to keep in mind:

• Nov. 12: Startup TNT: Top 5 Finale Night at Citadel Theatre
• Nov. 12-14: Broad View International Film Festival at Garneau Theatre
• Nov. 19: The Future We Can Afford at ArtsHub Ortona

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

Test your crossword prowess and deploy a little of your Edmonton knowledge. Complete the puzzle.

This one has a bit of a transit theme, and so does Episode 377 of Speaking Municipally.