A recent report from 2025 by the Canada Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) underlines the crisis in housing in Alberta outside Edmonton and Calgary. Medium-sized cities continue to be undersupported by the provincial government for new social and affordable housing units, as well as maintenance and repair on existing housing.

“Everyone of our communities deserves better than the current reality, but in 2025, we witnessed small and medium-sized towns and cities, in particular,  fall behind due to government neglect, and for the first time in memory, more and more Albertans are seeing the signs of homelessness in their communities,” said Bradley Lafortune, Executive Director of Public Interest Alberta. “These communities are being left behind by Danielle Smith with fewer units and existing housing falling deeper and deeper into disrepair. 

According to the CMHC’s 2025 Social and Affordable Housing Survey Red Deer has just 614 total affordable and social housing units. According to the City of Red Deer’s most recent Housing Needs Assessment, the city will be short 857 affordable housing units by 2031. This is a 23% projected increase in the affordable housing deficit.

 The City of Lethbridge has 1,268 affordable housing units while 9.6% of the population is in core housing need, meaning they spend over the recommended % of their total income on housing, or they live in unhealthy or unsafe conditions. In addition, Lethrbidge’s homeless population has more than doubled between 2018-2022.

Meanwhile, of recent investments in Alberta, just ¼ of funding went to communities like Red Deer and Lethbridge as compared to the ¾ that went to Edmonton and Calgary. 

A recent report from the Auditor General of Alberta highlighted the provincial crisis in affordable housing maintenance. In the report, the Auditor found that the government doesn’t have accurate information about the condition of its affordable housing supply; that it doesn't have a schedule or strategy for maintenance; and that it doesn’t even monitor the completion of capital repairs and maintenance. Since that report’s release, zero of the recommendations have been implemented by Minister Nixon, and fewer than a quarter of applications for maintenance and repairs are being approved by his ministry.

“It’s clear that the UCP government is leaving cities like Red Deer and Lethbridge and their residents out in the cold,” said Lafortune. “Jason Nixon’s particular brand of ungoverning when it comes to housing is not acceptable. If I were in his shoes, I would work with Lethbridge and Red Deer, and all over communities outside our big cities, to invest in real affordability measures that would tackle the housing affordability crisis head on.”

Public Interest Alberta is a non-profit, non-partisan advocacy organization that works with municipalities and other organizations to advocate for solutions in the public interest. They advocate for dignified emergency shelter options, adequate investments in public affordable housing, and wraparound supports for all Albertans in need.