Edmonton has selected affordable housing providers to build roughly 1,300 new homes on 10 former surplus school sites, Mayor Andrew Knack announced. About 70 per cent of the units—around 925 homes—will fall within the city’s affordable housing spectrum, including supportive, social, and below-market rental or ownership options. The developments will be built within the original school footprints, preserving surrounding green space. The sites were originally reserved for schools in neighbourhoods built between the 1970s and 1990s, returned to the city in 2009, and designated for affordable housing in 2015.
The province and federal government will contribute $200 million through the Affordable Housing Partnership Program to expand affordable housing across Alberta, aiming for units ready by the end of next year. Edmonton says core housing needs remain high, affecting one in eight homeowners, one in four renters, and one in three Indigenous renter households.
A range of Indigenous, non-profit, and community partners—including Civida, the Confederacy of Treaty No. 6 First Nations, Métis Capital Housing, IslamicFamily, and Win House—will lead projects across the 10 sites. Win House plans 64 units for women, non-binary people, and children fleeing violence, helping ease pressure on shelters. The city is also leveraging $192 million from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund to support rapid development of diverse housing types, including non-market units.
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