Alberta’s auditor general says the province isn’t demonstrating how it’s ensuring its affordable housing is safe.
An audit tabled in the legislature found the Seniors, Community and Social Services department doesn’t have current information about the state of its 2,800 facilities worth over $2.3 billion.
It says the government also doesn’t clearly show how it prioritizes maintenance projects requested by operators of facilities representing the 27,000 affordable housing units the government is responsible for maintaining.
Auditor general Doug Wylie says without effective processes to manage the condition of provincially owned housing, vulnerable Albertans may be living in deteriorating units with potential health and safety problems.
The report looks at government processes in place between April 2021 and March 2023.
The latest annual report from the ministry, published in June, says it’s working on a maintenance and redevelopment plan.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 18, 2024.