Village of GriesbachGovernments often tout building more housing as the solution to the housing crisis. But does it still count if you bulldoze houses to build more in the same place? Maybe, maybe not. However, bulldozing affordable housing units to make way to private housing isn’t a solution.
The Griesbach townhouses were constructed as military housing, and eventually were rented out to the public for below market price. It’s an old neighbourhood with old buildings, but not far away is the award-winning Village on Griesbach, where the average home price is $525,000.
More recently, Griesbach has become a project within the federal government’s plan to use federally owned land to build more housing. When the government announced this, using space that goes unused for housing seemed like a great idea. It could open up more space for housing development and the government could enforce requirements for affordable units.
But how the federal government chose the Griesbach townhouses dumbfounds me. Nowhere in the announcement for the federal government’s plans to get more housing built on public land did it mention tearing down affordable units to build new units. Yet, it’s happening.
The Canada Lands Company (CLC) said it will bulldoze the townhouses because its “reached its useful life.” But residents have said that although the units need updates, they aren’t beyond repair. And CLC isn’t clarifying what they have seen that the residents apparently haven’t.
And it’s not just the loss of affordable housing that is an issue here. The government is evicting residents of Griesbach without giving them a clear path forward. Many of the residents have been renting units in the neighbourhood for far below market prices. Now, they are being thrust into a rental market where prices seem to just keep on climbing. Some displaced residents are experiencing a lack of support in the transition.
At every turn, the government seems to miss another opportunity to provide clarity on the issue. Blake Desjarlais, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Edmonton-Griesbach, questioned Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about the evictions. Instead of addressing anything Desjarlais said, Trudeau praised his government and placed blame on provinces and the New Democratic Party (NDP).
It seems that Trudeau and the Liberal Party aren’t willing to listen to the concerns of Griesbach residents. Considering this project will impact them directly, the Liberals should’ve heard from them first.
There’s also a lack of details about who is going to build what on the land once the old units are cleared. Both private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations can apply to develop the land. The CLC has committed to replacing 518 units with “similarly” affordable or attainable units. But that’s not a guarantee. The Crown corporation claims to have enabled 600 affordable units in the area already. Yet that number has not been verified.
CLC is giving private developers the opportunity to participate in the redevelopment of Griesbach. This gives them the chance to profit off of other people’s losses. While 50 per cent of the new units have to be “affordable,” that leaves the other 50 per cent to be at whatever price the developer can dream of.
More than anything, this seems like a project that will hurt residents and benefit private developers. Building more housing doesn’t mean much if it might end up being too expensive for the people who need it the most. Evicting people and tearing down affordable units isn’t going to solve the housing crisis.
