36 military net-zero housing units open at CFB Edmonton as national shortage persists

CFB Edmonton unveiled 36 net-zero-emission-ready apartments Tuesday — the first such military housing in Canada — in a bid to ease a severe shortage affecting Canada's largest army base by population.

Lieutenant Colonel John Southen, base commander, said the base is facing waitlists exceeding a week for soldiers needing immediate housing, especially those with families and short-notice postings. "When moves are disruptive, stressful, and uncertain, they exact a toll not only on our members and their families, but on the operational readiness and long-term capability of Canada's national defence," he said.

The six new apartment buildings address roughly 10 per cent of current demand. There are already 350 people on the waitlist for these units. An estimated 2,000 service members posted to the Garrison at public expense need housing, plus another 2,000 across the country living on the economy who would like defence housing access.

The homes are highly efficient with modern cooling and heating systems. They're designed for net-zero performance and can accommodate EV charging and solar panels in the future — though panels haven't been installed yet. "If we were to add renewable energy, they would be net zero. At this point, they do not have solar panels. They don't produce their own energy, but they're very highly efficient," said Paola Zurro, CEO of the Canadian Forces Housing Agency.

The Canadian Armed Forces Housing Agency, part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's $82-billion military investment, announced 18 months ago a national home-construction program — the largest military housing campaign since post-Second World War. In Edmonton alone, the agency plans to double its housing portfolio in coming years. Another 36 units at the Garrison will be posted later this summer, and phase one construction is underway at nine priority bases nationally.

Eleanor Olszewski, the Liberal MP for Edmonton Centre and minister responsible for prairies and economic development, noted the federal government is investing in 1,100 new military homes across Alberta bases by the mid-2030s. "Supporting military families isn't separate from supporting our women and men in uniform, it's fundamental to it," she said.