Provincial parties clash over how best to improve Alberta's affordable housing stock

Increasing Alberta's housing stock and expanding seniors' lodges are among the ways Premier Danielle Smith wants her social services minister to combat an increasingly costly housing market.

In a Thursday mandate letter to Seniors, Community and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon, Smith asks him to incentivize new home construction and create more financing options for prospective homeowners.

"Overcoming this challenge will require a multi-ministry effort and a willingness to be creative and innovative while avoiding simplistic knee-jerk policies, such as rent control, that will only deepen the crisis by driving out investment in new builds," Smith wrote in her letter.

That sentiment echoes Nixon's comments earlier this week that the United Conservative Party government won't cap rent increases in the province.

Smith instructed Nixon to continue the government's existing housing strategy, which calls for the divestment of some of the province's stock of social housing.

Lori Sigurdson, the Opposition NDP's critic for seniors' issues, continuing care and home care, says the mandate lacks key measures that could curtail some of the difficulties people have in finding comfortable, safe places to live.

Sigurdson says she hears from people who have to move suddenly or become homeless because landlords impose dramatic rent increases.

A rent supplement program would immediately provide some relief, she said. 

If government plans to stimulate the construction of affordable housing, Sigurdson said it must ink long-term agreements that won't see buildings resold to private owners who will later jack up the rent.

"We need affordable housing in perpetuity," she said. "Forever. We don't just need it for a short period of time."

Long wait times for disability aid

Nixon's letter also says he should ensure people with "severe disabilities" have seamless help from diagnosis into adulthood.

Trish Bowman, CEO of Inclusion Alberta, said although that's a good sentiment, she questions how the premier defines a severe disability.

Bowman was disappointed the letter neglects to mention the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) program or the Family Support for Children with Disabilities (FSCD) program.

PDD funds supports and services that help nearly 13,000 disabled adults to live as independently as possible in their community, according to the ministry's annual report.

FSCD helps more than 15,000 families pay for some of the extra therapy and help children with disabilities need to thrive. The annual report says the government saw a 36 per cent jump in FSCD applications in 2022-23 compared to the previous year.

Bowman says the province is not keeping up with the demand or increasing population, and support is eroding.

The last time she received an update, Bowman said there were 1,400 intellectually disabled adults and 3,000 disabled children's families who had been approved for support in principle, but receiving no money as they negotiated coverage and agreements with government agents.

Bowman has heard of people waiting from six to 18 months to get support agreements in place.

Meanwhile, caregiver parents may burn out, have to quit their jobs, or develop mental health problems, she said. And adults with disabilities can be prevented from working or moving out of their parents' homes without this assistance.

"There's no timeline. Just this sense of limbo," she said. "Not having any hope to pursue some of your goals and dreams is a pretty dismal place to be for lots of people."

Nixon declined an interview request on Friday. His office also refused to answer specific questions about the letter and concerns about programs, instead providing a short statement.

"It is an honour to receive this mandate letter from Premier Danielle Smith, and I am ready to get to work to strengthen Alberta's systems of support," it said.