Edmonton and Calgary have been offered access to direct federal funding to tackle homelessness after the provincial government failed to respond to the offer.
Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities of Canada Sean Fraser said that an offer detailing the funding and its aims was shared with the province on September 18, 2024.
According to the statement, Alberta was offered a portion of the $250 million budget allocated to help find shelter for those experiencing homelessness or living in encampments.
Provinces that chose to forego a partnership with the federal government would be able to select the communities and municipalities that received the funding.
Fraser said there is no longer time to wait for a response to the offer since the weather is getting colder and quick action is needed to find homes for those in need.
Calgary and Edmonton will be two of the first cities directly approached by the federal government, alongside Toronto, Regina, and Saskatoon, whose provincial governments also failed to respond to the offer. The cities were chosen based on their readiness to act quickly on the issues.
“No one level of government can tackle the housing crisis, or support those in need, alone. I am disappointed that these provincial governments are not willing to partner with us, as it means we cannot support as many communities as we would have been able to had they come to the table with funding and solutions,” said Fraser in the statement.
“But, let me be clear: we will no longer wait for them to muster the political will to act as winter gets closer and lives are put at risk.”
Alberta’s Minister of Seniors, Community, and Social Services Jason Nixon issued a statement responding to the decision of the federal government.
“The province has not received, nor has the province declined, an offer on encampment funding. It is disappointing to see that the federal government is playing politics with vulnerable Albertans,” said Nixon.
“We did receive a letter from federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities Sean Fraser that initiated planning for federal encampment funding. However, there was no offer of encampment funding and at no point was a deadline provided to the province to finalize an agreement.”
Nixon shared that the province is open to partnering with the federal government on these issues but is also willing to continue its work on decreasing homelessness independently.
“While Alberta is open to federal partnership on these issues, we are not interested in playing politics with the federal government. Alberta will continue investing in this life-changing work, with or without the federal government,” he said.