By Maya Kambeitz, CPHR and Cynthia Mazereeuw. Maya is the Executive Director and Cynthia is the Communications Specialist at Norfolk Housing Association in the Sunnyside area of Calgary, Alberta.

Last month the Government of Alberta released their long awaited housing strategy to a group of housing stakeholders from all over the province. Their announcement includes plans to support housing providers and tenants by allowing greater flexibility via the mixed income model, housing supports, and renewal of existing housing. 

It is an exciting time in the province, to be sure, and one that comes with a lot of pressing need as we grasp our way out from under a deflated economy. 

By Dominika Krzeminska, Director, Programs and Strategic Initiatives, Canadian Housing and Renewal Association

On November 22, 2017 the federal government released the National Housing Strategy (NHS), a $40 billion plan with an aim to help ensure that all Canadians have access to housing that meets their needs and that they can afford.

Chapter 1 of the NHS, Housing Rights are Human Rights announced that the federal government is taking “additional steps to progressively implement the right of every Canadian to access adequate housing” – a long-awaited action years after Canada had signed onto multiple international treaties, including the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recognize housing as a human right.