The provincial government needs to help build affordable homes if it wants to bring in more workers from abroad, says St. Albert’s mayor.
St. Albert Mayor Cathy Heron closed out her two-year term as president of Alberta Municipalities at the group’s annual conference Sept. 27 to 29. The event saw roughly 1,200 delegates learn about issues important to Alberta’s urban communities, vote on resolutions related to municipal issues, and elect a new board.
Delegates voted on 26 resolutions at the conference to set the board’s priorities for the next year.
One of the more significant resolutions called on the province to increase the amount of money it planned to give municipalities next year under the Local Government Fiscal Framework Capital program to $1.75 billion from the proposed $722 million — an increase Alberta Municipalities says accounts for population growth and the province’s drop in capital contributions since 2011. The framework, which kicks in next year, is meant to replace the old Municipal Sustainability Initiative program and represents the bulk of the capital cash the province gives communities.
Heron said the city is set to get about $7 million under the framework compared to the $14 million it got under the old program — a gap that would require a six per cent tax hike to fill.
“That means we have less money to fill potholes, build new Zambonis, buy new fire trucks,” Heron said.
“We have almost no money for new stuff unless we take on debt.”
St. Albert won support for its call to lobby the province to reverse its 2021 decision to no longer let communities borrow money from the province at the same lower interest rate the province gets on the bond market.
Heron said this change added some $1.48 million to the interest St. Albert has to pay on the $26 million it borrowed last year to work on Ray Gibbon Drive, St. Albert Trail, and the Lakeview Business District.
“That needs to change.”
Delegates backed several calls for the province to better support affordable housing. Heron said she and Coun. Ken MacKay also met with Alberta Seniors Minister Jason Nixon during the conference to discuss support for St. Albert’s affordable housing project at 22 St. Thomas Street.
“We are in a crisis mode,” Heron said, and all three levels of government need to act to ensure Canadians can afford homes.
“If we’re going to advertise around the world and Canada and say (to people), ‘Move to Alberta’ (a reference to the province’s “Alberta Is Calling” campaign), we need somewhere for them to live.”
