Boyle Street redevelopment moves forward with $250K grant from Alberta government

Boyle Street Community Services is one step closer to fulfilling its dream of redevelopment.

In December 2015, the organization announced a multi-million dollar redevelopment plan in downtown Edmonton. It wants to build a mixed use development on 101 Street and 105 Avenue that would house the city’s homeless and working poor. The current building is at full capacity; a new building would allow it to provide services that it currently cannot as well as include collaborations with government providers and other non-profits.

READ MORE: Boyle Street Community Services announces $60M redevelopment plan in downtown Edmonton

After the province tabled its budget on Thursday, executive director Julian Daly learned Boyle Street Community Services had received a $250,000 grant.

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“To take the planning and the design of the building redevelopment forward. There was also, my understanding in the budget, an indication that once that planning had been done and that work was complete, the government was open to funding the redevelopment then,” Daly said.

“In fairness, the government can’t fund it now because we don’t have a complete business case. It’s much more responsible and fiscally responsible to wait until we do know and then see if we can secure the funding at that stage.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "In fairness, the government can't fund it now because we don't have a complete business case. It's much more responsible and fiscally responsible to wait until we do know and then see if we can secure the funding at that stage."

The project was initially estimated at $60 million dollars but Daly said it may now be closer to $40-50 million, though an exact figure will be calculated after planning. He admits money from the various levels of government will be the lion’s share of funding for the redevelopment.

Daly is already looking ahead and said he is “optimistic” the money for redevelopment will be included in the NDP’s spring 2019 budget.

“The fact they’ve supported us in the planning and design stage says to us that they understand the value and importance of what we’re trying to do with the building redevelopment,” he said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "The fact they've supported us in the planning and design stage says to us that they understand the value and importance of what we're trying to do with the building redevelopment," he said.

Boyle Street Community Services is a non-profit agency which assists individuals and families challenged by homelessness and poverty.

-with files from Caley Ramsay