$1.2B affordable housing plan stretched two more years

A much-vaunted affordable housing investment by government has quietly had its timeline extended by two years.

The provincial government announced in June 2016 it was throwing $1.2 billion at affordable housing builds in Alberta over five years.

But Seniors and Housing Minister Lori Sigurdson told a legislative committee Wednesday in Edmonton that the timeline has been extended by two years.

When asked by Postmedia why the plan won’t meet its deadline, Sigurdson cited “inevitable delays” due to the complexity of projects.

Alberta Party house leader Greg Clark told Postmedia he was shocked to hear about the delay.

In committee, he peppered the minister with questions.

“For the minister to simply say, ‘Well, it’s complicated,’ is not good enough. The job of the government is to live up to their promises. They promised $1.2 billion over five years for affordable housing, and they’re not delivering,” Clark said in an interview.

Sigurdson said the $1.2-billion investment remains and the units will be built — it will just happen over a longer time period.

Plus, she said, the cash is more than has been invested in affordable housing for years in Alberta.

Governments sometimes delay things, she said: “This isn’t an extraordinary thing.”

According to her ministry, the projects delayed are ones that are yet to be approved. Sigurdson’s press secretary, Jennifer Burgess, said the 4,100 units promised under the scheme will be delivered.

“There’s no danger of us missing that target,” Burgess said.

As of June 2017, more than 15,000 Alberta families were on the wait list for affordable housing.

Clark said the government has all the resources it needs to properly plan projects, so Albertans feel “rightly cynical” when a timeline isn’t met.