Week in Review: December 19, 2025

Here’s a roundup of housing news and issues that we noticed this week:

From ECOHH’s social media

• Public Interest Alberta news release:

  • With emergency and transition shelters were at 94% and 88% capacity in Edmonton and Calgary, PIA is demanding the Government of Alberta immediately declare a housing and shelter emergency. In order to address the looming capacity crisis, inhumane standards, the crisis in frostbite and amputation rates, and the lack of proper staffing, PIA is calling for immediate emergency support and the opening of 1,000 appropriately staffed, new spaces in Edmonton and Calgary.

  • “Nobody wants to see Albertans freezing in subzero temperatures, but that’s exactly what is happening,” said Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta. “The only reason Albertans aren’t hearing more about the daily crisis in our shelter and housing system is because organizations are afraid to speak out and lose their funding from the Alberta Government.”

  • Former agency leaders and employees have reported to PIA on the condition of anonymity that Alberta’s shelter system desperately needs more funding, adequate and appropriate staffing standards, as well as substantive reductions in barriers in order to ease the crisis.

  • The Government of Alberta publishes emergency and transition shelter capacity data, which shows that Edmonton and Calgary are rapidly approaching capacity already this winter. Meanwhile, many unhoused Albertans report multiple barriers to accessing existing shelters, including pest infestations, unsafety, lack of access to personal possessions, and the inability to accommodate partners and families together. The current Government of Alberta “Shelter Accommodation Standards” do not follow international best practices, and health inspections only occur every two years.

  • “Every Albertan deserves a safe, warm, and dignified place to stay,” said Lafortune. “Right now, the patchwork approach from the UCP government has led to a deepening crisis, and they’re simply not prepared for this winter. I am afraid we will see a record number of amputations, injuries, and deaths due to government neglect and lack of leadership.”

  • “The minister can crow all he wants about record investments in support, but the numbers don’t lie: we are experiencing a government-made crisis,” said Lafortune. “What we need is evidence-based and immediate response to the the winter emergency, and that’s why we’re calling for the provincial government to immediately open 1,000 new spaces that are appropriately staffed with employees who can reverse an overdose, de-escalate conflict, and provide overall supports in a respectful, dignified manner.”

• Information about a petition to the federal government about homelessness

• The official opening of okimaw peyesew kamik (King Thunderbird Centre)

• National tenant organizing fund

Relevant housing news 

• Edmonton sees record increase in frostbite amputations, despite innovative treatment

• Housing crisis costing $2 billion per year in health-care costs: Quebec study

• Canada’s Big Banks are a ‘culprit’ driving housing prices out of control

• How does the rental office handle drug claims against tenants?

• New Brunswick strategy aims for ‘historic shift’ in homelessness by 2029

• Keith Gerein: Edmonton's effort against homelessness has a vital new venue, but why was it so difficult?

• 'This building will change lives': King Thunderbird Centre opens its doors

• More mental health supports needed as homeless crisis deepens, advocates warn

• New report urges action on Toronto’s youth homelessness ‘crisis’

• Winnipeg homeless support groups struggling to find housing as more encampments are cleared out

• Saskatoon woman demands better access to social supports for homeless community

• Families of adults with disabilities struggling to find supportive housing

• Milton Park residents seek class-action lawsuit over homeless population

• Council considers adding ‘Good Neighbour Clause’ to contracts funding homeless shelters

• Memorial service held to remember people who died homeless

• Winnipeg non-profits face challenges helping city's homeless amid blizzard

• Montreal to turn construction trailers into warming huts for homeless population

• Manitoba Housing waitlist soars to highest level in 5 years

• 'We need a little bit of help:' Floods put unhoused people in B.C.'s Fraser Valley at further risk

• Missing middle housing: is it working on the island?

• P.E.I.’s vacancy rate is up, but some say rental costs are still too high

• There are more apartments available for rent in Windsor — but experts say affordability is still a challenge

• ‘Inflationary spiral’: Rent hikes could be even higher next year as tenants pay for repairs, advocates warn 

• A former Yellowknifer is starting an affordable housing project in Whitehorse

• Timmins chosen remote homeless encampment site, draws fierce criticism

• Residents unconvinced by Vancouver’s plan to replace Downtown Eastside rooming houses

• Advocates call for gov’t support as social housing complex sits empty in North Central Regina

As always, we recommend checking out these sources for additional information on housing and homelessness

• Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) 

• Canadian Centre for Housing Rights

• Canadian Housing & Renewal Association (CHRA) 

• Federal Housing Advocate

• Homeless Hub (Canadian Observatory on Homelessness) 

• Homeward Trust 

• Housing Complex  

• Make the Shift   

• National Right to Housing Network (NRHN)  

• Social Housing & Human Rights (SHHR) 

• Women’s National Housing and Homelessness Network