Alberta was given the worst affordable housing grade among Canadian provinces in a new report by a group dedicated to tackling housing and climate concerns.
The Report Card on More and Better Housing released on Thursday gives Alberta a D+ score, the lowest single score given to any province. Quebec, P.E.I. and B.C. got the highest grades with C+. The federal government got a B
"While housing supply has been rapidly increasing in the province, that is largely due to reforms made by municipal governments, rather than the Government of Alberta," says the 56-page report commissioned by the Task Force for Housing and Climate.
"Alberta has done less to legalize family-friendly density than other provinces and is lagging on resiliency and energy efficiency."
The Alberta Government took issue with the report, calling it "baseless, politically-motivated".
"This is not a report on affordable housing 乌鸦传媒� as it claims to be 乌鸦传媒� but is instead a report by a climate activist group that ignores reality in an effort to push their green agenda," said Amber Edgerton, Press Secretary, Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services in an emailed statement.
"The fact that British Columbia, one of the least affordable housing markets on the planet, received the highest grade among provinces is a perfect example of how this report fails to recognize what is most important in housing: affordability.
If this were to be a legitimate report on affordable housing, it would highlight the fact that Alberta's strong, housing-forward policies have helped Alberta break records when it comes to housing starts in the province, and that our province led the country in housing starts per capita in 2024. This momentum has continued into 2025, with Alberta continuing to see historic growth in our housing starts through the first quarter of 2025. Despite making up less than 13 per cent of Canada乌鸦传媒檚 population, during Q1, Alberta built more than 25 per cent of all housing starts in the country."
The scorecard focuses on a number of areas related to housing supply.
It calls for boosting density in cities and communities where services are readily available by making it easier to build small apartments and four-plexes. Alberta got a C ranking for its efforts.
Red Deer is in the midst of overhauling its Land Use Bylaw and has introduced changes to encourage "gentle density" by allowing more backyard and garage suites and other housing options.
The city is also gathering feedback from residents on whether they support changes required to access a $12 million federal housing grant.
Under the terms of the grant, the city must update its Zoning Bylaw to allow up to four housing units on residential lots.
The four-unit-as-of-right requirement means that property owners could choose to build up to four residential units on eligible lots without needing rezoning approvals or public consultation. Options could include a four-plex, duplex with suites, or a main house with both basement and backyard suites.
The change would also eliminate an existing 15 per cent cap on the percentage of homes allowed to have secondary suites in neighbourhoods.
Other recommendations of the affordable housing task force is to allow more energy-efficient building options, accelerate the use of factory-built housing and avoid building in high-risk areas, such as flood plains. Alberta got two Ds and a D- (for factory-built housing) on those fronts.
"We reject any idea that Alberta is not building climate-resilient housing. Last year, Alberta乌鸦传媒檚 government introduced province-wide building code requirements that strengthen construction standards to protect against environmental conditions such as weather and climate. These changes allow for improved energy efficiency in housing and small buildings, while still emphasizing consumer affordability," said Edgerton in her statement.
"In addition, government initiatives such as the Affordable Housing Partnership Program take many factors into consideration, including sustainability, when funding new developments. Builders and homeowners can assess the risk that their property may face and build or upgrade their homes beyond the established code requirements.
"The report also fails to acknowledge the many strong steps Alberta's government has taken to mitigate the risks Albertans' homes and communities may face against floods. This includes completing the Springbank Reservoir to protect homeowners in Calgary and extensive flood mapping resources that municipalities can use to make decisions that will help reduce the risk of their residents being impacted by floods."
Provinces were also urged to fill in market gaps by finding ways to build more affordable, below-market-rate housing. Alberta was given a C.
NDP shadow minister for housing Janis Irwin criticized the UCP government for its "disastrous" ranking.
乌鸦传媒淭he report is alarming, but it confirms what Albertans already know 乌鸦传媒� we are in a housing crisis and the UCP is failing to act,乌鸦传媒� says Irwin in a statement.
乌鸦传媒淎 government that gets a D+ on building homes during a housing crisis is a government that is failing Albertans.乌鸦传媒�
Irwin says the report singles out the UCP government for its failure to build more social housing, reduce red tape, improve building codes, and regulate construction in disaster-prone areas.
Edgerton rejected this notion.
"Alberta's housing record speaks for itself, and we urge the rest of the country to follow our lead in adopting smart, housing-forward policies that deliver real results for Canadians," she noted in her statement.
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include comments from Alberta's Ministry of Assisted Living and Social Services.
