Could Alberta’s new infrastructure plan be a gamechanger for housing?
Alberta recorded a 4% year-over-year increase in for-sale housing starts in 2025, with Edmonton posting a 15% surge, according to Statistics Canada. The new agreement is intended to remove the servicing constraints, particularly in mid-sized cities where aging systems have acted as a ceiling on approvals, that have limited further progress.
Red Deer’s $9 million gap
The choice of Red Deer as the announcement venue was deliberate. The city previously lost a $12-million Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) grant after failing to meet federal zoning requirements, having received only $3 million before Ottawa cancelled the agreement.
Mayor Cindy Jefferies said she is optimistic the new framework will bridge that gap. “The prime minister’s office, as well as Minister Neudorf have indicated that this announcement today will help us move forward into a source of funds where we’ll be able to leverage more than the $9 million we’ve left on the table in the housing accelerator,” she said.
Chris Windrim, executive director of BILD Central Alberta, welcomed the announcement but said scale will determine impact. “When we talk about $3 million dollars in investment, that’s really not enough needed to really make any growth happen,” he said.
What the deal means for Alberta’s housing market
The Alberta agreement is the latest in a series of CHIF bilateral deals Carney has finalised with provinces, including British Columbia and Ontario. Across all provincial agreements, the federal government has committed $3.65 billion in local infrastructure nationally.
