Saskatoon, Regina swiftly amend bylaws as they compete for federal housing funds
The changes are needed to meet requirements set by Ottawa to become eligible
Saskatoon and Regina are quickly amending bylaws in their drive to receive millions in federal housing money.
Announced during the 2021 election campaign and introduced in the 2022 federal budget, Canada's $4 billion Housing Accelerator Fund is meant to increase the construction of homes in cities — the goal being 100,000 units more than there would have been without it.
In Saskatchewan, that means bylaw and zoning changes to meet requirements set by Ottawa, and the city councils in both Regina and Saskatoon are following suit in order to build more apartment units and multiplexes in places that include more people per square kilometre rather than continuing to build the city outward.
The goal is to make the cities more accessible to more people.
"If we are just building single-family dwellings in our community, then we're not opening it up to the possibility of having different types of households moving into those areas," said Vanessa Mathews, an associate professor at the University of Regina.
"I think it's important to think about spaces that are more affordable, and those are often smaller units."
Mathews, who has been following Regina's intensification since she moved to the city about a decade ago, says the city hasn't been able to achieve the density it needs in its core areas.
She understands some people are apprehensive about seeing new multi-unit buildings appear in their neighbourhoods, but believes it's better for the city.
Mathews was among others — including the Saskatchewan Realtors Association, National Affordable Housing Corp. and some developers — hoping councillors would vote in favour of allowing builders to make new and existing residential buildings more dense.
Regina council approved the motion Wednesday, helping clear the way to secure up to $36.2 million from the housing fund and drive 1,100 more housing permit approvals than usual in the city over the next three years.
In the Bridge City
The next day, Saskatoon city council voted in favour of developing amendments to zoning bylaws to improve its chances of its application being approved.
But before that, Mayor Charlie Clark spoke with CBC's Saskatoon Morning about his own city, believing more density around transit corridors could make it more affordable and sustainable.
Some Saskatoon councillors were hesitant to pass the motion so quickly. One councillor called it the biggest change in his 13 years on council, comparing it to a corridor review that had been in the works for years.
But, the city's director of planning and development, Lesley Anderson, said her understanding was if the city waited too long, it would be a part of a larger, more competitive pool of applicants.
"We have seen, across the country, cities moving very, very quickly on this," she told councillors.
The process is unconventional, according to Clark, and the lack of public engagement hasn't been ideal.
"We do need more housing supply … my goal is to still make sure that we can do it in a manageable way so that it respects the integrity of neighbourhoods and the character and the infrastructure demands we have," he said.
Clark said the amendments are supposed to address housing for "the missing middle" or, more specifically, students, single families and seniors.
The changes are also supposed to make the city more accessible. Recent Statistics Canada census data shows about one in 10 people in Saskatoon either walk, bike or bus to work.
Lesley Anderson, the city's director of planning and development, hopes it will make housing more affordable.
She also expects that the bylaw amendments will open up opportunities for housing design and, over the long-term, lead to changes on every block in the city.
Saskatoon architect Bertrand Bartake expects people won't see sweeping changes for at least a couple of decades, but believes it will benefit the city.
"If others and myself are worried about a more affordable city and less impact on property taxes then you've got to embrace more neighbours," he said.
Anderson said the city calculates it would receive about $45 million if accepted.
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With files from Saskatoon Morning and Blue Sky