Calgary, Alberta - Housing Budget Announced - Too Little or Too Much?
April 26th, 2007 posted by CrepehangerPremier Stelmach’s plan to improve the housing situation has two important components — incentives for homeowners to take on boarders and limiting rent increases to once a year. There is also a promise to create 11,000 affordable housing units in Alberta within the next five years.
There will be no cap on rent, but under the plan landlords will need to give tenants a one year notice of eviction due to renovations or a conversion to condos, this could be difficult to enforce. The creation of an arbitration association to help resolve disputes between landlords and tenants would be helpful in these cases, but the province wide program is not slated to be in place until 2010.
While it is a laudable effort to address the housing shortage, not everyone is happy with the plan. In fact, nobody seems happy with the plan. Landlords question losing control over decisions like “going condo” and rent increases. Renters worry the yearly rent increase will be inordinately high.
Mayor Bronconnier wonders what other aspects of the infrastructure will suffer. The Chamber of Commerce fears tax increases will be necessary. Members of the task force doubt the approved measures will be enough. Stelmach’s scheme may contain too many compromises to please anyone.
News Source – Calgary Herald and CBC News
Can Calgary’s infrastructure take another budget blow? Are you feeling the housing crunch? Are we spending too much or too little on the problem?
April 27th, 2007 at 1:48 pm
[…] utilities to cost more, but also plan to pay more for appliances, automobiles, and food. With the housing crunch and transit issues how much more can the average Calgarian take? Everyone wants a cleaner […]
April 30th, 2007 at 9:59 pm
[…] the strings attached to the funding very vocal. His primary concern is tying too much money up in housing and not enough in […]
May 16th, 2007 at 10:35 am
come on incentives for homeowners to take borders, what we need is rent control, and we need more houses built, put a freeze on tax increases, also wages need to be increased, if we had better wages we would have more reliable workers which gets production accomplished. I should run for mayor, lol.
May 17th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
you go girl Shelley
May 18th, 2007 at 8:11 pm
[…] Add a new fire hall to the mix and the convincing gets even tougher. Eau Claire residents are getting some new sirens, bells, and whistles – in the form of fire trucks – along with the low income housing. […]
May 25th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
[…] legislation addresses a one year notification with no allowed rent increases. But how about some rent control to protect Webb, Apps, and the other […]
May 28th, 2007 at 7:56 am
[…] also states that the shortage of affordable housing can be solved in a five year period. But that would require a commitment, a full commitment, from […]