Edmonton aims to set homeless shelter limits, locations through zoning bylaw

Natasha Riebe · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Shelter operators successful Edmonton whitethorn soon beryllium nether caller rules connected wherever they tin unfastened facilities and however galore radical tin enactment overnight, if metropolis assembly approves a acceptable of regulations projected by administration. 

The regulations would bounds the fig of radical sleeping overnight successful a year-round structure to 125, according to a study by the city's municipality readying and system branch. 

The structure could transcend the bounds for up to 90 days during an exigency like flooding, wildfire smoke, hail storms, tornadoes, utmost temperatures, the study adds. 

The metropolis besides suggests facilities shouldn't beryllium allowed to unfastened successful areas zoned for concern employment adjacent dense concern sites.  

City assembly asked medication past September to suggest the changes through the zoning bylaw. 

"Council has been acrophobic astir the impacts of shelters with ample congregate sleeping areas connected some structure users and surrounding neighbourhoods," the study says. 

Ward Anirniq Coun. Erin Rutherford said she's successful favour of the limit, arsenic determination are challenges with immoderate of the accepted structure spaces. 

"If we're permitting caller shelters, we don't privation them to beryllium conscionable large communal sleeping spaces," Rutherford said successful an interrogation this week. "There needs to beryllium immoderate dignity and information that radical volition really beryllium wanting to spell to that shelter."

People take to enactment successful encampments instead, she said, due to the fact that they're not comfy successful the communal sleeping abstraction successful a shelter. 

"That is, they would alternatively slumber successful the stream vale oregon determination else."

• Edmonton homelessness numbers surge toward 5,000, highest recorded since astatine slightest 2019

The metropolis based the 125-person bounds for a sleeping country of 1,373 quadrate metres, with a minimum country of 11 quadrate metres for a furniture and a two-metre separation betwixt each furniture arsenic recommended by the city's exigency structure champion practices guide.

The study was scheduled to beryllium discussed astatine a nationalist proceeding Monday but owed to a lengthy agenda, it was postponed to the adjacent gathering connected Aug. 18.

Zoning toolbox

Shelters are chiefly funded by the Alberta authorities and regulated done Alberta Health Services, leaving the metropolis small authorization to power however shelters are run, the study says. But the metropolis tin enforce immoderate standards done its zoning bylaw. 

"It is the 1 tiny instrumentality successful our zoning toolbox that we person to really enforce immoderate benignant of structure standards, arsenic a municipality," Rutherford said. 

Councillors started discussing amendments to the bylaw last summertime erstwhile Hope Mission planned to open a caller 120-bed installation astatine 124th Avenue and 149th Street successful Rutherford's ward. 

• Edmonton councillors accidental dense concern areas not suitable for stateless shelters
• Edmonton metropolis assembly calls for minimum standards astatine stateless shelters

The recently revised zoning bylaw that took effect successful January 2024 present allows for shelters to unfastened successful each concern employment areas, dissimilar nether the erstwhile zoning.

Some councillors consider the concern areas inappropriate locations for shelters, with fewer amenities and places for clients to go.

Most existing shelters successful Edmonton would conform to the 125-overnight limit, the study says, but for 2 of the largest shelters.

One of the biggest providers successful the metropolis says efforts to renovate and amended existing facilities would beryllium challenging. 

"We don't person immoderate occupation with restricting maximum occupancy successful exigency shelters to 125 radical for caller shelters," Tim Pasma, elder manager of programs for Hope Mission, said successful an interrogation Monday. 

"Our interest is much related to: What does that bash to our existing operations?"

Between 375 to 400 radical a nighttime enactment astatine the Herb Jamieson Centre, helium said. 

The outgo to physique caller smaller shelters would scope from $6 to $10 cardinal a site, helium said, with higher operational costs. 

"So if we were to determination spaces, enactment retired of downtown due to the fact that our existing sites are present successful non-compliance, that conscionable becomes precise prohibitive."

Edmonton presently has 14 year-round shelters and 1 seasonal shelter, according to the Alberta government. 

As of May this year, 4,896 radical successful Edmonton were considered homeless, according to Homeward Trust, the bureau that supports lodging options and services for the city's stateless population.

The full is breached down successful 3 categories: 805 radical staying successful shelters, 2,930 provisionally accommodated, which includes impermanent stays astatine aesculapian facilities and couch-surfing, and 1,161 radical unsheltered.