Like other communities across Alberta and Canada, Red Deer is facing a housing crisis. At the same time, Red Deer is positioned for growth. We need to build more places for people to live.
Join the conversation about how we can grow in a way that meets future needs while reflecting our shared values.
What is the Housing Accelerator Fund?
Update: July 21, 2025
On July 21, 2025, an update on Red Deer’s Housing Accelerator Fund 2 (HAF2) project and public engagement was presented to City Council. The report outlined current progress, preliminary public feedback, and the federal funding conditions tied to the $12 million grant. Following this report City Council decided not to proceed with approving a blanket zoning change to enable four units as-of-right. Council also directed Administration to continue exploring opportunities to increase housing options in Red Deer in ways that better reflect community feedback and local housing needs.
You can read more about Council’s decision here:
- July 21, 2025 - City Council decides not to proceed with four units as-of-right
- July 17, 2025 - City provides update on HAF2 Project
What’s Next
- We remain committed to preparing a final “What We Heard” report that reflects all engagement, including the online survey results and community-led submissions.
- This report will be shared publicly and sent to all participants.
- City Council will advocate to the federal government to remove the federal requirement for Four Units As-of-Right, and Administration will advocate to the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) administration for the same.
Background
- The City of Red Deer was awarded the HAF2 grant by Canadian Housing and Mortgage Corporation.
- The Housing Accelerator Fund is a federal program administered by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC). It provides funding to municipalities that implement initiatives to increase housing supply and improve affordability.
- In total, The City of Red Deer would receive $12 million over three years to support a variety of housing developments to increase supply in our city.
- This money comes with conditions. One of those conditions is for City Council to adopt four-units-as-of-right into our zoning bylaw. This means no public consultation or re-zoning would be required for landowners to increase the number of units on their property, up to four units.
- Following City Council’s decision on July 21, 2025, The City will not proceed with four-units-as-of-right.
- Administration confirmed that, although Four Units As-of-Right will not proceed, other HAF2 projects will continue to focus on removing barriers, enabling diverse housing options, and accelerating supply.
- Housing Action Plan Initiatives: Although Four Units As-of-Right will not proceed, other HAF2 projects will continue to focus on removing barriers, enabling diverse housing options, and accelerating supply.
