Solving Canada’s housing crisis was a pillar of former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s time in office.
The federal Liberals offered tax incentives and funding in an effort to build more housing as rent prices soared and supply disappeared across the country.
While the future of the Liberal housing plan is up in the air with a new prime minister and pending election, other levels of government took the crisis into their own hands, adding to the federal plan.
“We were a barrier to housing being built, and now we’ve removed that barrier,” says Calgary Ward 8 city councillor Courtney Walcott.
“Since (citywide rezoning) came into effect, we’ve seen new applications… we saw pent-up demand and more people moving toward building permits to actually put a roof over someone’s head.”
The City of Calgary approved citywide rezoning in May 2025 as part of his housing strategy. The vote, following the longest public hearing in Calgary’s history, changed low-density residential zoning allowing for semi-detached, rowhouses and townhouses to be built on lots zoned for single-family homes.
It was a move the city, and the federal government, believed was essential for tackling the housing crisis, but for many Calgarians it was not the solution they’d hoped for.
“We’ve seen quite a few new developments coming in,” explains Angie Roorda, a Bowness resident in northwest Calgary.
“We have one beside our property that’s going in, it was supposed to be a double infill — now it’s going to be an eight-plex.”
Bowness is an older neighbourhood with a strong sense of community.
Residents are concerned the change in housing types will impact traffic flow, parking, and demand on city services. Others say privacy is a big concern in a community full of bungalows, with eight-unit developments going up next door.
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“It’s a little bit intimidating,” says Darin Grift, who has lived in Bowness for more than 20 years.
“When there is a 30-foot building right next to mine that engulfs the entire lot, coming back here in my little bungalow, everybody that’s on this side of the property can see directly into my backyard.”
Those residents say they also don’t understand how the units being built will create more affordable housing in the city, given infill developers have to purchase old properties, demolish them, and then construct new homes.
“The houses that are going up are well over $750,000,” says Roorda.
“I don’t know how people can afford that with the way wages are right now.”
But a new report by Rentals.ca suggests Calgary experience the biggest rent price decline across major Canadian cities, falling 7.5 per cent since this time last year for a one-bedroom unit.
Officials in favour of the city and federal housing strategies say this proves the plans are working.
“If you build enough housing, demand will be met, scarcity will be reduced and we’re going to find ourselves in a more stable market, so this is an intended outcome,” argues Walcott.
Despite his optimism, Walcott is quick to point out without long-term plans, this is a short-term result, saying it’s important to make sure developers continue to build even when there is supply in the market. Which is where new technology companies hope to step in.
“They’re essentially just submitting their blueprint,” says Ramtin Attar, co-founder and CEO of Promise Robotics. “We get a PDF, and they get a fully locked-up house, fully framed with windows and doors in return.”
Promise Robotics is giving robots, something long used in manufacturing, a toolbelt to reimagine how AI can be used in homebuilding. The demand for their services growing so quickly the company is planning on opening a warehouse in Calgary this summer to meet the growing need for new homes.
A single-family home, traditionally built in a month or more, can now be move-in ready in three to four days with the use of the new technology, speeding up the process and cutting back on the impact to neighbours.
“These things arrive all produced,” explains Attar. “They come as a kit of parts that can be put together rapidly. There’s no messiness, there’s no waste bin and that’s an incredible advantage for neighbours.”
Last week, Trudeau’s Liberals unveiled a catalogue of standardized housing designs, including several tailored specifically to Alberta’s climate and building codes.
And while many still oppose the city and federal housing plans, advocates, like Walcott, hope they will be able to see past the visual makeup of a community.
“The hardest part is asking people to imagine the opportunity, what makes our communities great isn’t the structures that are in them, it’s the people.”
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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