Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has doubled down on her government's decision to reverse Edmonton's 2024 housing zoning reforms, claiming Ottawa used financial incentives to push the controversial changes on the city.
Speaking on a Saturday radio call-in show on CHED and CHQR, Smith characterized the federal Housing Accelerator Fund—which promised Edmonton millions in funding—as a "bribe" that compromised local decision-making and disrupted neighbourhoods.
"When the bulldozers showed up, took down a single family home and put up a multi-family building with 16 units and no parking beside established homes, that's when residents realized what this policy meant," Smith said on Your Province, Your Premier.
The Premier said her office received hundreds of letters from concerned Albertans about infill development in their communities, prompting the reversal. Edmonton now has three months to undo the zoning bylaws that had been implemented to support higher-density housing and accelerate development around transit corridors.
Federal Housing Push Meets Local Resistance
The original Housing Accelerator Fund agreement, announced in February 2024 under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government, had pledged to fast-track over 5,200 new housing units in Edmonton within three years. As part of the deal, the city agreed to streamline zoning approvals, prioritize development near public transit, and leverage city-owned land for new construction.
Edmonton's 2024 zoning changes were designed to enable multi-unit complexes in older, established neighbourhoods—a strategy to address Alberta's tight housing market and rapid population growth.
Smith framed the provincial intervention as undoing "bad federal policy" and reasserting Alberta's jurisdiction over housing decisions.
Major Cities Push Back
The move has triggered pushback from Alberta's largest cities. Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas, while noting that Calgary remains unaffected by the reversal, warned that the decision sets a troubling precedent for provincial interference in municipal governance.
"This threatens local democracy," Farkas said, expressing concern that the province may increasingly attempt to influence city councillors on housing and other policy matters.
Edmonton has not yet formally responded to the three-month timeline for compliance, though the reversal represents a significant policy shift for a city that had spent months implementing the new zoning framework.
This article is based on reporting by Global Calgary. Read the original story at Global News.