Calgary debates growing trend of illegal suites

City staff estimate Calgary has as many as 50,000 illegal suites, a number that surprises both affordable housing advocates and homeowners worried about their property values.

The city's estimate drew a gasp Thursday night from the 80 people at a town hall meeting on illegal suites at Southwood Community Centre.

The meeting was set up by Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart, who was concerned over the number of complaints she has received about illegal suites.

Participants at Thursday's meeting seemed divided on the issues.

Diane Christensen said illegal suites in her neighbourhood of Huntington Hills could bring down property values.

"I have chosen to purchase a home in a zoned single-family residential area. I don't want multi-family where I'm living," she said.

Others said Calgary should relax building codes to allow secondary suites in single-family homes.

Landlord Garth Chapman said that would be the best way to help people find affordable housing.

"They're either in their cars or they're in the street, and that tells me we have a housing crisis," he said.

"We either regulate it, control it, and make it safe and make it affordable, or we don't and we lose all control over all of that."

Mary Philbert, who rents out property in the northeast end of the city, said there is a dire need for suites in Calgary because vacancy rates are so low and affordable housing is so hard to find.

Colley-Urquhart, who would prefer legalizing the suites, said she wants to address the issue when city council deals with an amended land-use bylaw this summer.

• FROM JUNE 14, 2006: Alberta real estate boom continues

At the end of 2005, the vacancy rate in Calgary had shrunk to 1.2 per cent from 4.3 per cent the year before, according to Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.

Meanwhile, housing prices are skyrocketing, with the average home resale in Calgary $358,214 in May, up 43.6 per cent from the same month a year ago.