Ground has been broken on a new low-income housing unit in Prince Albert. If the population is to grow, more projects like this will be needed. (Rob Mahon/paNOW)

By Rob Mahon

More Housing Needed

More housing needed if population to grow in Prince Albert

Jun 23, 2023 | 12:00 PM

An expansion to the hospital, a brand new district springing up in the south end of the city, and new businesses on the way including hotels and restaurants means the population of Prince Albert will soon be on the rise if city officials have their way. The question is, does the city have enough housing for the population to expand?

Local housing organizations are facing more demand for housing than they’re able to meet. A recently started build by Prince Albert Community Housing Society Inc has already had people calling to inquire about it.

“Right now, we operate at capacity, we don’t have very many vacancies at all,” said Cathi Wilson, general manager of Prince Albert Community Housing Society Inc. “Any vacancies that come open are quickly filled by the next month. We are in the process of building some new builds that will help. We’re going to be adding just over 20 units to the market ourselves.”

READ MORE: P.A. in need of more housing as population grows alongside economic boom

P.G. Broad Investment is working on several new apartment complexes not far from Victoria Hospital, which will help house both new hospital employees and students at First Nations University’s new campus close by. Ironically, the idea for new apartments came because they had difficulty finding accommodations for their crews who were already working on a new hotel.

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According to numbers provided by the Saskatchewan Housing Corporation, there are about 940 social housing units in Prince Albert managed by the Prince Albert Housing Authority. Of these, about 140 are vacant, but only 20 are rent ready. The remainder are out of service either due to renovation or tenant turnover.

“I know that a lot of our tenants and people inquiring are having difficulty finding housing,” said Wilson. “I think it will depend on the nature of the economy overall. I would say we do have a shortage of good-quality housing in Prince Albert right now. We’re just meeting the need, so if there’s an increase in people, we’ll definitely have a shortage.”

Renters aren’t the only ones facing financial challenges either. While Wilson said they aren’t increasing their rents at the moment, property maintenance costs are on the rise, hitting landlords and property owners.

“The costs for landlords and property owners are going up to maintain their properties and look after them,” Wilson said. “We’re also having increased activity in houses that might require more maintenance with the increase in crime and homelessness in Prince Albert and other social issues we’re struggling with.”

Wilson added that social and economic issues walk hand in hand and addressing only one won’t solve the problems in the Prince Albert area. She advocated “attacking the problem at both ends”.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP