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CMHC Sets Conditions as Calgary Weighs Repeal of Citywide Rezoning

A March 23 public hearing comes before the next Housing Accelerator Fund installment due by the end of March.

Overview

  • City administration warned that a full repeal could see Calgary deemed non‑compliant with its HAF agreement, risking remaining payments and other grants the report tallied at up to $861 million.
  • CMHC’s letter says revised rules must not restore single‑family‑only zoning, must allow at least four units per lot citywide without extra approvals, and must avoid new barriers to development.
  • Calgary’s HAF award totals $251.3 million with $122.9 million allocated so far, leaving more than $129 million in two remaining installments including one scheduled for this month.
  • Mayor Jeromy Farkas and councillors Dan McLean and Andre Chabot argue the agreement is outcomes‑based rather than a mandate for blanket upzoning, as CMHC signals it will work on compliance options.
  • Advocacy group Calgarians for Thoughtful Growth circulated a legal memo asserting the contract does not require four‑units‑by‑right and noting city reports of exceeding housing targets, a view at odds with CMHC’s correspondence.