Welcome to the roommate capital of Alberta

Life with seven roommates is quieter than you might think, at least according to Andrii Tkachenko. 

Tkachenko, who works as a line cook in Banff, Alta., says the group is a mellow bunch. They work a variety of different shifts and aren't typically home at the same time. 

So far, he said, he likes his living situation, though he wouldn't mind a bit more space. He shares his bedroom with one other person and sleeps on a single bed; at roughly six-foot-six, it doesn't leave much extra head room. 

"In my opinion, [the room] can be bigger," said Tkachenko, 33, who moved to Canada from Ukraine through the emergency travel program for evacuees.

Life with this many roommates might be unusual in some parts of the country but is par for the course in Banff. 

In fact, the mountain town has the highest concentration of roommate households in the province, and the third-highest in Canada, according to Statistics Canada data. 

As of 2021, 12.3 per cent of private households in Banff were made up of roommates, defined as two or more people living together who don't form a census family. 

That's nearly triple the national rate of 4.4 per cent, and puts it just behind Wolfville, N.S., (13.3 per cent) and Whistler, B.C. (12.8 per cent). 

(The number of roommate households is likely even higher, as this data doesn't include people who live in staff residences, or who live with both a census family member and with a roommate, such as a couple who shares an apartment with another person.)

'Not viable' to live alone

So what makes these communities such roommate hot spots? 

Young people. 

"Wherever there are more young adults present, it's more likely that we'll see more roommates in a given community," said Nora Galbraith, a senior analyst with Statistics Canada.

That means the highest concentration of roommates tend to be found in tourist towns (such as in Banff and Whistler, B.C.), college towns (Wolfville) and the downtowns of large urban cities. 

The price and the availability of local housing are also factors. And in Banff, which is in the midst of a housing crisis, living with others is often the only option. 

"It's not viable to be living by yourself," said Jessica Walsh, 24. "It's way too expensive."

Walsh has been in the Rocky Mountains for about two years, working summers in Jasper and the rest of the time in Banff. She's always had roommates, both in staff accommodation and outside of it. 

Currently, she and her partner share a three-bedroom house with another couple and one single roommate. 

As an extrovert, Walsh says she likes living with a group. Having roommates means having more people to chat with, to make dinner with and to play Mario Kart with. It also means more community support: if she runs out of milk, she can ask one of her roommates to borrow a cup. 

Still, there can be a downside. Having a personal conversation or a phone interview often means staying in her room. And even then, "the walls are not very thick," she said.

Building more housing

Even with roommates, housing is tough to come by in Banff.

And while group living has always been a feature of life in the mountain town, Banff's manager of housing sustainability acknowledges there's a real problem with supply these days. 

Sharon Oakley estimates the town is short about 700 to 1,000 units. Building more is a challenge, given that Banff has a land boundary of about four square kilometres. 

"There isn't any more land, so we have to figure out, what does the densification look like? How are we building more properties?" said Oakley, who pointed to an under-construction affordable development as one example of what the town is trying to achieve.

As for Tkachenko and Walsh, both say they're happy with their current situations but aren't sure the roommate life is forever. 

Despite splitting the rent with four other people, Walsh says the cost of living in the Bow Valley is still so high that once her lease runs out, she'll have to think about whether to renew it.

"[My partner and I] might end up moving on just because, as we get older, we're not able to put away money," she said.