In the heart of the Bow Valley, where the Rocky Mountain peaks and natural beauty draw visitors from around the world, a less picturesque reality has taken root. Canmore, once a tight-knit community where people could live and work locally, has become one of the most challenging housing markets in the country. To tackle this, the Town of Canmore recently partnered with Partners for Affordable Housing (Partners), launching a collaborative effort to address the housing crisis through a unique P4 model—a combination of public, private, philanthropic, and social profit resources.
Kris Mathieu, Executive Director of Canmore Community Housing, is all too familiar with the realities of the housing crisis. “Housing prices and rental rates in the Bow Valley are incredibly high. People with steady professional jobs—doctors, teachers, hospital staff—are struggling to live where they work. Many are commuting from outside the valley, but the longer this goes on, the fewer professionals we’ll have in Canmore.”
The partnership between Canmore and Partners signals a critical approach to partnering to create innovative solutions to stack and scale the capital needed to get units open. It opens the door to share resources and leverage the Government of Alberta’s support of the Palliser lands to attract grants and community support for capital development. Partners will not only guide funding applications but will also launch digital storytelling and community engagement efforts to attract new resources, amplifying the impact of this collaborative effort. The first site – the Palliser Lands project – will rise just off the Trans-Canada Highway, a highly visible reminder of Canmore’s commitment to affordable housing and community sustainability.
Kris explained that the project will break ground with 144 purpose-built rental units, with the goal of offering rents significantly below market rates. “For people who have been here for years, raising kids and building a life, an affordable option like this could mean the difference between staying in Canmore or uprooting their lives,” he shared. The Palliser Lands project will focus on one- and two-bedroom units, which are in high demand on Canmore’s waitlist of over 500 families and individuals. The first phase, scheduled to have shovels in the ground this spring, will serve as a foundation for future developments on this large parcel of land, potentially shaping the town’s housing landscape for years to come.
“Every dollar in grant funding or support we can bring in allows us to reduce the rents, sometimes by $50, $100, even $200 a month,” Kris added. “That’s a significant impact for people here.” Beyond affordability, the Palliser Lands project will include sustainable features, like rooftop solar panels, bike storage, and shared green spaces, designed to foster a true sense of home rather than temporary accommodation.
Canmore Mayor Sean Krausert and council members, like Councillor. Jeff Mah, recognize that the municipality and nonprofit providers cannot solve this challenge alone, and action-focused community partnerships are key to accelerating the progress needed to address housing shortages.
“People working here who are getting priced out are counting on this,” Kris said. “And they’re not just employees—they’re our neighbors, our friends, and our community. We want to give them a chance to stay in Canmore, to build a life here, to feel that they can belong.”
As Canmore moves forward, this partnership with Partners shows that the community is ready to make bold moves, ensuring it remains a place where all who call it home can continue to do so. This innovative collaboration exemplifies the Power of P4, harnessing collective resources to turn aspirations into tangible action—one affordable unit at a time.