Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said on a call-in radio show Saturday that federal interference prompted her government to roll back some Edmonton housing rules.
Smith said the province reversed zoning bylaw changes this week that Edmonton made in 2024 because Ottawa influenced the city’s rules.
She said the federal government at the time offered Edmonton millions in funding in exchange for the zoning changes that made it easier to build multi-unit complexes in older, established neighbourhoods.
She called Ottawa’s funding a bribe and said it disrupted the integrity of the home building process in Edmonton.
“In Edmonton, … they didn’t start seeing what it meant until the bulldozers showed up, took down a single family home and put up a (multi-family building) so 16 units go up beside them with no parking,” Smith said on Your Province, Your Premier on CHED and CHQR.
“So I would say that the overreach happened when the federal government came in and and bribed city councils.”
Edmonton has been given three months to reverse the 2024 changes.
A statement released in February 2024 from former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s government said a Housing Accelerator Fund would fast-track over 5,200 new housing units in Edmonton over the next three years.
“As part of the agreement, the city will streamline zoning bylaw approvals, build more homes around public transit, and use city-owned land to build hundreds of new homes.”
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It said Edmonton would shorten project approval timelines.
Edmonton implemented new zoning changes the same year in order to build higher-density neighbourhoods and make room for intense population growth.
But Smith said this week alone, she received hundreds of letters from people asking her to do something on the infill issue.
“We’re undoing some bad federal policy,” she said.
The mayors of Alberta’s two major cities have pushed back on the reversal by Smith’s United Conservative Party government, with Calgary’s Jeromy Farkas saying the province was threatening local democracy.
While the latest reversal will leave Calgary unaffected, Farkas said it sets a dangerous precedent for the province working to influence city councillors in the future.
Calgary repealed its blanket rezoning rules earlier this year following a public hearing over a span of two weeks, with more than 400 public speakers and nearly 3,300 written submissions.
Smith directed Calgary maintain its rollback this week.
The issue of federal interference is being tested in the upcoming referendum in Alberta.
Albertans are set to vote in person Oct. 19 on 10 questions. The 10th and most debated question will ask whether they want to stay in Canada or have a second, binding referendum on leaving Confederation.
The first nine ask if the government should have more authority to push for Constitutional reform and impose limitations and financial guardrails around some newcomers.
In a booklet about the referendum that the province distributed to homes this month, the government gave its reasoning for each question and urged voters to give it a mandate on them.
Under a question about the Constitution, it said it’s time for Alberta to gain more control from Ottawa over its provincial affairs.
“Often, the federal government will seek to control provincial affairs by offering federal funding in return for allowing them to interfere with a province’s laws and policies,” it said.
“Over time, this has allowed Ottawa to gain more and more power over provincial affairs.”
On Saturday, Smith said that in her travels around the province, she has heard people say “they want more autonomy from Ottawa.”
On the separation question, she said, as she has repeatedly said, that she plans to vote to stay in Canada.
she is playing the treason card.its right out of the eby hand book ,i cant think of any other insult because i am like a chimp
this is a direct attempt at influencing the separatist vote by fomenting anti ottawa anger. i am so angry i want to cry for mommy
she is a card carrying separatist, no two ways about it
Premier Smith is pretty !
The feds did bypass the province so yes she is spot on with her comment! We are not Hong Kong we have room here in Edmonotn!
she is playing the treason card.
this is a direct attempt at influencing the separatist vote by fomenting anti ottawa anger.
she is a card carrying separatist, no two ways about it
Why did she bring this up just before the referendum and not when it was brought in before? Seems like political grandstanding to promote her separatist ideology even though she flops and says she wants to stay in Canada but under her rules and not the majority of Albertans.
Surprised she does not end her conversations with Thank you for attention to this matter!
Come on Alberta send this Wildrose Premier a message during this complete waste of money referendum that we all need to vote on.
As a person that has voted conservative in every election I have not been more disappointed than I am now.
All this is going to hopefully not but give the NDP momentum for the next election and that would be at worse than what we have now as their Narcissistic leader. He would be way worse than what we have now!
Will definitely be looking at other options to earn my votes for any upcoming elections.
Blames mayors.
Blames feds.
Lady needs to get lost.