2022 Summer Newsletter

/in , /by

Welcome to the summer edition of our quarterly newsletter! In this edition, we’re excited to share that the Foundation:

Read the Newsletter

We share our funding opportunities and how our investments are strengthening Alberta’s communities. Subscribe to our seasonal newsletter.

Seeking an External Committee Member to Join our Governance Committee

/in /by

Created through the Alberta Real Estate Act, the Alberta Real Estate Foundation (the Foundation) is a non-profit organization that oversees, supports, and advances the real estate industry, and protects the public interest. We do this by funding real estate-related education initiatives, law reform, research, and industry and community innovation activities. We connect people and share knowledge in collaboration with real estate industry and public stakeholders.

As set out in the Alberta Real Estate Act Regulations, the Foundation’s volunteer Board of Governors is comprised of industry and public representation. The Governance Committee is composed of a minimum of three to four Members of the Board of Governors, one of whom is the Chair of the Committee. The Committee Chair may appoint up to three external members in order to support the Committee’s ability to deliver on its mandate.

The Foundation is seeking a candidate to fill the volunteer position of External Committee Member on the Governance Committee. Preference will be given to a candidate who brings the following:

  • Governance and Board experience with a non-profit, corporate, or other organization.
  • Understanding of the Alberta real estate industry (residential, commercial, property and condo management, property finance/mortgage).
  • Awareness of good grantmaking and community investment practices.

The Foundation’s Governors and External Committee Members are responsible for overseeing and delivering the Foundation’s mandate through a Strategic Plan and oversight of the organization.

The deadline to apply is July 15, 2022. Interested individuals are asked to submit a one-page cover letter and resume outlining their experience and interest.

Please indicate External Governance Committee Member in the subject line.

To learn more about this volunteer opportunity or to submit your application, please contact the Foundation directly:

Patti Morris, Executive Director at pmorris@aref.ab.ca or 403 228 4786.

Download the Position Description

Responding to Community Opposition to Affordable Housing

/in /by

By Civida

Despite the known benefits of affordable housing and the negative aspects of housing inequality, the supply of social and affordable housing in Canada is lacking. One challenge to increasing the supply of affordable housing is community opposition, often described as NIMBYism or Not in My Backyard opposition. While most people support affordable housing in principle, local community members are often concerned about the potential impacts of affordable housing developments on their neighbourhoods.

To better understand why communities are opposed to affordable housing and how providers can understand and respond to opposition, Civida conducted an applied research project, with the support of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation, on affordable housing and neighbourhoods, exploring the questions:

  • What does the existing research show as emerging strategies for responding to community opposition to affordable housing? Are there different considerations for rural and small-town communities?
  • What does the existing research show about the impacts of affordable housing on neighbourhoods, with a focus on property values?
  • What are the impacts of affordable housing developments in Alberta on neighbourhoods, with a focus on property values?

From the research, Civida highlighted four emerging strategies to respond to community opposition:
(1) educate and inform early
(2) engage early
(3) mobilize community leaders
(4) avoid the term NIMBY

Further, from the literature review and from their empirical analysis of five Alberta case study sites, there is no evidence that affordable housing has intrinsic negative impacts on neighbourhoods. In fact, there is more evidence that affordable housing has positive impacts on families and communities.

The results of this research are two full reports titled Exploring the Impacts of Affordable Housing on Neighbourhood Property Values – A Literature Review and Five Alberta Case Studies and Strategies for Responding to Community Opposition for Affordable Housing Providers. Civida also created a toolkit of eight factsheets that summarize and highlight aspects of the research.

You can find these resources at civida.ca/AHFacts and on the Foundation website.

Who is this for? This toolkit of resources is designed for housing providers, developers, housing agencies, and the public.

How can you use these resources? Download these resources for your use in community engagement, public campaigns, or for your own research. All we ask is that you mention
Civida as your source.

Where can you find more information? On the webpage with the toolkit, Civida also posted links to further external resources with more information about these topics. The
full reports also cite over 20 different publications used in our research.

 

The Foundation is proud to support this project through our grants program.

2022 June Investment Grants

/in /by

The Board of Governors of the Alberta Real Estate Foundation approved $423,000 in our second round of Investment Grants of the year.

The Alberta Real Estate Foundation invests in real estate policy, research, practices, and education that strengthen Alberta’s communities. Under the Real Estate Act, whenever a consumer deposits money in trust through a real estate broker, property manager, or commercial broker, the interest earned on the deposit is accumulated and forwarded to the Foundation for reinvestment into Alberta’s communities. Individually, it is nickels and dimes, but across the province it all adds up! Since 1991, the Foundation has invested over $26.5 million in grants to over 665 initiatives across Alberta.

Join us in celebrating the Investment Grant projects approved at the June meeting that support and advance education, research, law reform, and other activities related to real estate in Real Estate Leadership, the Built Environment, and Land:

Condo Management Licensing & You: A Resource for Condo Owners & Boards
By the Alberta Condominium Management Education Consortium
The Alberta Condominium Management Education Consortium will create and offer a free-to-access webinar series and companion resources that will provide tailored information to condominium corporations, including self-managed corporations about the implementation of condominium manager licensing will mean for them. This includes: what does it mean to be a licensed professional; practical & financial considerations for condominium corporations; licensed activity – things to know for self-managed condominiums; and, the disciplinary process.

Enhancing Alberta Condominiums & Apartments through Electric Vehicle Charging
By the Pembina Institute
This initiative will equip the real estate industry as well as other stakeholders with the information and tools needed to address a growing need in the condominium and apartment building stock for Electric Vehicle (EV) charging. This is a key pathway for making EVs more accessible to Albertans. In a 2022 poll by KPMG, 56% of Albertans shared that their next vehicle purchase within the next 1-5 years will be hybrid or fully electric. Alberta’s current building stock in the condo and apartment category falls very short of being prepared for this demand, both in the chargers currently available to residents and in the owners’ and developers’ plans to provide this infrastructure.

Housing Law Information Project
By the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta
The Housing Law Information Project from the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta (CPLEA) will be the best source of easy-to-understand, accessible, and accurate legal information in Alberta about being a landlord or a tenant; buying, selling, or owning a condominium, including being on a condo board; and buying, selling, and owning a home.

REET Institute Improvement & Expansion Project
By the REET Institute
This project will focus on improving and expanding the REET Institute’s current program directed at training BIPOC youth in commercial real estate by developing the infrastructure required to meet the industry demand. They will also add a certificate program for mentors/commercial real estate executives who will be working with participants of the REET Institute. It is imperative that there is education and training provided to these executives to ensure that they are creating a psychologically safe environment to foster inclusion and engagement within their organizations.

 

Explore our Projects page for more Foundation-funded initiatives.