Canmore to debate employee housing in industrial areas as busy summer tourism season looms

As the Town of Canmore deals with a severe housing crisis, debate is underway about whether businesses should be allowed to build employee housing in light industrial areas.

Gareth Kunz moved to Canmore a few months ago to work as the restaurant general manager at MTN House by Basecamp Resorts.

However, his search for a place to live has been far from easy.

"It makes me feel really anxious … beggars can't be choosers at this point," Kunz said.

"This rollercoaster of just ongoing searching and searching and searching for a new place doesn't seem to end."

He says his first place fell through and became an Airbnb, now the home he currently lives in is being sold.

"I feel like a lot of homeowners in town are just trying to fill the spaces in the wintertime so that they can maximize revenues in the summertime, and that's not fair to the people who are trying to move to the mountains and trying to experience Canmore."

The company has five boutique hotels in Canmore and three others in the area.

It employs nearly 200 people in the Bow Valley but often struggles to recruit workers.

"There's nowhere to live, it's so expensive … people are living in squalor, everything is dirty, it's old. There could be 10 people sharing one bathroom, like it's crazy," said Sky McLean, founder and CEO of Basecamp Resorts.

So, McLean applied to build second-floor employee housing in a light industrial area at 100 Alpine Meadows.

It would create 12 employee housing units on the upper level of the 13 industrial commercial bays for different local businesses to own.

Sky McLean, founder and CEO of Basecamp Resorts applied to build second-floor employee housing in a light industrial area at 100 Alpine Meadows. That request was refused by town administration. (Image courtesy: Basecamp Resorts)

However, that request was refused by town administration due to the size of the proposed conversion and because it did not line up with the town's plan to protect industrial land for industrial activity since there is limited land available for industrial use.

Basecamp Resorts appealed that decision to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB) but was denied.

McLean says other properties like this already exist, including at her company's head office in Canmore.

Two other employee housing locations were also previously approved by the SDAB and the Canmore Planning Commission.

"One project gets approved, now one project doesn't," she said.

"There's no consistency and that's really doing a disservice, not only to the community, but to the businesses in the community and the staff that work there.”

McLean adds that it isn't a typical industrial area, citing nearby residential townhouses, cafés, breweries and hiking trails.

Town administration is now recommending council prohibit employee housing in industrial areas altogether.

"I'm really hoping they see this as a huge mistake. Not allowing employee housing anywhere that we can get it at this point would be a colossal error, in my opinion," McLean said.

Several local businesses, including Ashton Construction Services, submitted letters in support of Basecamp's proposal, citing the same concern about a lack of affordable housing for their workers.

"I have tons of staff that commute every day from Calgary to Canmore, that I have in company vehicles that I have to pay. The staff that are here, the living wage is like $40 an hour, so I'm paying carpenters, labourers, construction workers $10 to $15 more an hour," said Steve Ashton, the owner of Ashton Construction Services.

Ian O'Donnell, executive director of the Bow Valley Builders and Developers Association, echoes the need for consistency and clarity in the town's land-use bylaw.

"We need to make sure that we're using these lands to their highest and best use," he said.

"We also need to look at more creative ways that are nimble and able to deliver housing in areas maybe that aren't traditionally used for it, in a way that's responsible and respectful to those that are going to be staying there, working there and living there."

The Town of Canmore just approved a new housing action plan to combat the ongoing housing crisis, including phasing out tourist homes to open up vacancies for permanent and long-term residents.

Council is set to review administration's proposed amendments to rules around employee housing in industrial areas on July 4.