Urban Policy Trends: Little Housing, Big Rent on the Prairie

Prairie cities have experienced some of the fastest population growth in Canada over the last decade, but the impact on rental costs has varied widely. In Calgary, rents have surged relative to incomes since 2021, while cities like Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Regina have seen much smaller increases. The analysis compares rent-to-income ratios across these cities, showing that housing affordability pressures have not been evenly distributed.  

The divergence is linked less to demand and more to supply. Edmonton, for example, expanded its housing stock far more aggressively than Calgary, with 214,000 units added between 2015 and 2024 compared to Calgary’s 131,000. Saskatoon and Regina also adopted policies to encourage housing supply, from densification to land banking. The report argues that responsive municipal policy—particularly around zoning and construction—can buffer residents, especially lower-income households, from the affordability challenges tied to rapid population growth.