Child Friendly Housing Coalition of Alberta Information

Founded in 2016, the Child Friendly Housing Coalition of Alberta (CFHCA) is a non-partisan coalition of people and organizations from across Alberta advocating for equal housing choices for all members of society, including parents with children under 18. Our primary goal is to eliminate discrimination against children and their parents in multi-family housing. The Alberta Human Rights Act currently does not include ‘age’ as a protected ground when it comes to tenancy. There are also currently no protections in the Alberta Human Rights Act for children specifically when it comes to tenancy and we believe this has led to the proliferation of adult-only condo and rental buildings across the province. In keeping with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, we believe that children have a right to housing, and that equal housing opportunity will result in stronger communities, more vibrant schools in mature neighbourhoods, more options for first time homebuyers, reduced dependence on cars and much more. We believe that age restrictions on condo and rental housing poses undo hardship on children, pregnant women, and caregivers in general. These restrictive parameters do not demonstrate reasonable accommodation. The courts recently ruled that the Government of Alberta (GOA) must amend the Human Rights Act to include ‘age’ as a protected ground in tenancy, and the CFHCA estimates the GOA will likely do so this fall. Given the tight timeline associated with this legislative change, our primary advocacy efforts are currently focussed on ensuring children’s rights are included in these amendments. We are asking that the Alberta Human Rights Act be amended to: • include protection in tenancy for children (0-18) • prohibit adult-only residential buildings and explicitly state that condominium corporations cannot discriminate • include NO exemptions other than for supportive housing serving vulnerable demographics with specialized needs (ex. PDD/seniors)