Affordable housing, halfway covered: City of Calgary to pitch in $53.5M for Bridgeland Place redevelopment
Affordable housing, halfway covered: City of Calgary to pitch in $53.5M for Bridgeland Place redevelopment
The city says the building has heating issues, high operating costs, poor environmental and energy performance and is not delivering social value for tenants.
The City of Calgary will fund nearly half the estimated cost of its planned Bridgeland Place affordable housing redevelopment.
Council announced Monday it has approved $53.5 million for the project as part of its 2023-26 service plans and budget deliberations, or 49 per cent.
Total estimated costs to redevelop the site at 736 McDougall Ct. N.E. sits at $109 million.
In Monday's announcement, the city said it would look to other funding sources and levels of government to come up with the rest of the money.
Bo Jiang, acting director of Calgary Housing and acting president of Calgary Housing Company, called the approval an exciting step.
"This is an affirmation of the city’s commitment to affordable housing, and we look forward to working with the province and federal government to confirm their support," Jiang said.
In Monday's announcement, the city reiterated its high hopes for the project.
It is planned to provide 222 homes, with "precedent-setting energy strategies that increase energy efficiency, reduce emissions and utility costs, improve indoor air quality and contribute to long-term affordability."
"With one-in-five Calgary households struggling to pay for housing costs, this redevelopment will help ensure that low- and moderate-income Calgarians have a safe, stable place to call home," Jiang said.
"We are proud to be able to continue providing high-quality, energy-efficient, affordable housing to Calgarians in the beautiful Bridgeland community for generations to come."
Preparation for the redevelopment is scheduled to begin mid-2023, the city said in its announcement.
The city also said it will continue to engage the Bridgeland community as the project moves forward.
In March 2021, the city said Bridgeland Place had issues with heating and water supply, energy performance and high operating costs, and that the building is still habitable but requires significant work.
The current, 210-unit structure has been in operation for roughly 50 years.
The facility was to be gradually closed down over the next two years.
Officials said at the time vacancies were not being filled as tenants moved out and that there would be a focus on a smooth transition for current residents to find alternative housing.
In Monday's announcement, the city said that ongoing support has included help locating new accommodations, financial assistance for moving, referrals to relevant agencies and regular communication.
The federal government is seeking to delay the extension of assisted dying eligibility to people whose sole condition is a mental disorder until March 17, 2024. Justice Minister David Lametti introduced a bill seeking the extension in the House of Commons on Thursday.
Nestle Canada says it is winding down its frozen meals and pizza business in Canada over the next six months. The four brands that will no longer be sold in the freezer aisle at Canadian grocery stores are Delissio, Stouffer's, Lean Cuisine and Life Cuisine.
Will we see six more weeks of winter, or an early spring? Here’s what some of the groundhogs (and one human) have predicted so far, from coast-to-coast.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
The United States has answered President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's plea for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the nearly year-long conflict with Russia. Now Russian forces will need to adapt or face potentially catastrophic losses.
Canada's justice minister accused Pierre Poilievre's Conservatives Thursday of using tragedies such as the killing of a young Ontario Provincial Police officer 'to try to score political points.'
Australia is removing the monarchy from its bank notes. The nation's new $5 bill will feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
Three people have been charged after more than $400,000 in drugs and cash were seized from two homes and a vehicle after a seven-month-long investigation in Edmonton.
Athabasca University's board of governors has replaced the president who resisted the government's demand to double the distance-learning school's number of employees who live in Athabasca.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
On the day that Shubenacadie Sam predicted six more weeks of winter, there are warnings and statements cautioning that the coldest air of the season is about to arrive in the Maritimes.
A pair of provincial parks are being considered in the B.C. government's treaty negotiations with the T’Sou-ke and Songhees nations on Vancouver Island.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Ontario has released a new 'connected' and 'convenient' health-care plan aimed at shortening wait times and localizing access to care across the province.
Three Richmond Hill residents have been arrested after police seized $500,000 in fake gift cards from a “sophisticated forgery lab” while searching multiple local properties last month.
A polar vortex is descending over Ontario this week and some of the coldest weather is still to come. Wind chills will also reach dangerous levels, increasing the risk of frostbite.
The next few nights are expected to be frigid in Montreal, with wind chill factors dropping to -30. In order to prevent anyone experiencing homelessness from ending up outdoors, the City of Montreal is announcing the opening of two emergency shelters.
For the first time in 2023, the Quebec director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, will provide an update on the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious respiratory diseases in Quebec.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall theft.
Ottawa ranks 45th out of 62 cities across Canada and the United States in a study on downtown recovery, with activity levels at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
Ontario has released a new 'connected' and 'convenient' health-care plan aimed at shortening wait times and localizing access to care across the province.
Wiarton Willie made his prediction his spring prediction Thursday morning at 8:07 a.m. The groundhog did not see his shadow, meaning we could get an early spring.
The Nishnawbe Aski Police Service is investigating after a handwritten note containing a violent threat at an Attawapiskat arena was found during a hockey tournament prompting an armed response by officers.
Highway 11 in northern Ontario is closed Thursday morning from Highway 66 near Kenogami Lake to Matheson after a collision involving several vehicles, police say.
Paramedic logs from 2022 are highlighting some of the pressures Regina EMS workers have been facing for months including one instance where a patient died following offload delays at the hospital, the documents indicate.
The city says the building has heating issues, high operating costs, poor environmental and energy performance and is not delivering social value for tenants.
