Alberta mayors welcome more money for local housing infrastructure

Alberta mayors have welcomed a significant funding announcement aimed at bolstering local housing infrastructure, expressing optimism about future community development. The federal and provincial governments have partnered to launch a new program designed to accelerate home construction by providing crucial support for water and wastewater systems.

The Canada Housing Infrastructure Fund will see Ottawa contribute $510 million, with the province of Alberta matching a portion of eligible project costs, estimated at around $428 million. This investment is seen as vital for enabling the construction of new homes by ensuring the necessary foundational infrastructure is in place.

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Anytime we're investing in the base infrastructure that is required to support housing, that is fabulous.

Okotoks Mayor Tanya Thorn highlighted the importance of investing in base infrastructure, noting that her town of 33,000 people plans to seek reimbursement for a recently completed water line project. "Anytime we're investing in the base infrastructure that is required to support housing, that is fabulous," Thorn stated, adding that the town had financed about $50 million of the project itself.

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We didn’t actually receive federal funding or a substantial amount of federal funding for our water pipeline. So we just built a supplemental water pipeline to our community. So we will be going back on that looking for funding for that because we currently have debt financed about $50 million of that project.

Similarly, Airdrie Mayor Heather Spearman expressed enthusiasm for the funding, particularly as the city has major projects underway. "We are going to be fast tracking the build for a Southwest recreation facility for our community," Spearman said. She emphasized that while recreational facilities might not seem critical, the infrastructure to support them is essential for community growth and meeting residents' needs. Spearman also pointed out Airdrie's status as a large community in Western Canada without a hospital, underscoring the ongoing need for infrastructure development.

The announcement, made in Red Deer, also included a commitment from Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith to work together on increasing the pace of affordable housing construction. This collaborative approach across different levels of government has Spearman feeling positive about investments in Western Canada.

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We are going to be fast tracking the build for a Southwest recreation facility for our community. For many people that doesn’t sound like a critical piece of infrastructure, but having the infrastructure in place to support something like that is so important.