The University of Alberta Students’ Union (UASU) welcomes the announcement of the Downtown Student Housing Incentive by the City of Edmonton, which allocates up to $15 million from the Federal Housing Accelerator Fund towards the development of student housing in downtown Edmonton. As one of the first programs of its kind in Canada, this is a meaningful step toward addressing the student housing crisis while contributing to downtown revitalization.

The UASU extends our sincere thanks to the Mayor, the City Council, and the Administration for recognizing the severity of the issue and for their work on it. The proposal is currently before the Executive Committee and City Council, and the UASU looks forward to its approval.

“For years, students have been struggling to find safe and affordable housing in Edmonton,” said UASU President Pedro Almeida. “With rents up hundreds of dollars in the past few years and housing insecurity on the rise, this incentive will bring a much-needed relief. Students have been calling for action and this program is a welcome response.”

The program is expected to help create around 500 new student units, with a focus on affordability, walkability and access to transit. The need is pressing; recent UASU surveys show that 31% of students don’t live in preferred housing, 12% struggle to find any housing at all, and up to 30% of precariously housed students have faced eviction or been forced to leave. Rent increases have resulted in a sharp rise in food insecurity, with over a quarter of students skipping meals.

"This program reflects over a year of direct advocacy from the UASU and the Edmonton Student Alliance," said UASU Vice President (External) Abdul Abbasi. "We have consistently brought forward the urgent need for student-focused housing investments, and the recently conducted housing survey, in partnership with the City of Edmonton, has provided key data that helped shape this program."

The UASU will continue to advocate for measures that address affordability, including investment in student housing, from all levels of government.

About the University of Alberta Students’ Union

The UASU is the official representative of 36,000 undergraduate students at the University of Alberta. It advocates for students’ needs and priorities to the University of Alberta and at all levels of government. For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact externalrelations@uasu.ca