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Calgary Herald

Opinion: Calgary is Canada's housing engine, and we need to do more

You've likely heard that Calgary is growing at a record pace. As Calgarians, you likely feel it — when you take your kids to the leisure centre or when you're driving or training to work, our city feels 'busier.' Article content Article content That's because 91,000 net new people moved to Calgary in the past year, and 83,000 the year before that — that's like the population of Kelowna, B.C., moving here in just two years. Article content Article content While new housing to accommodate this growth has been a highly political topic in Calgary for some time. I get it; how our neighbourhoods change over time is something we all have an interest in. But the fact remains, people need places to live. Article content Article content In 2024, Calgary achieved a record 20,000-plus new housing starts — more per capita than any other Canadian city benchmarked by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. This trend continued through the first quarter of this year. Calgary is producing more than half of Alberta's housing starts — and it's still not enough. Article content Last year alone, about 36,000 new Calgarians struggled to find housing. This adds to the 220,000 Calgarians who are struggling to afford their housing expenses, and the thousands more who live in housing that doesn't suit their needs but don't have options to move to. Calgary needs to enable more housing supply and choice across our city to maintain livability for our 1.6 million residents, and future residents who want to call Calgary home. Article content Article content As chief housing officer, this is what I was hired to lead. As a born-and-raised Calgarian now choosing to raise my son in Calgary, and worrying not just about the state of housing affordability now but about what future we are building for his generation, I'm more than passionate about getting it right. Article content The City of Calgary has initiated more than 80 per cent of the nearly 100 actions in our Home is Here: Housing Strategy 2024-30. We are making good progress, such as year-over-year increases in secondary suites and 11 office-to-residential building conversions underway in downtown. The city is working together with our amazing industry partners on a foundation of systematic improvements over the past decade to achieve these successes.