CREB launches YYC Votes 2025: the housing issues it wants on the ballot

On July 22, 2025, the Calgary Real Estate Board launched YYC Votes 2025, a campaign to highlight the municipal housing issues it considers most important for the October 20 general election.

CREB said the issues are based on its resale market data and the experience of its 8,700 REALTOR® members.

CREB’s positions

• Planned growth: intentional, sustainable community growth that protects affordability.
• Blanket rezoning: CREB favours a community-focused, grassroots approach to planning over citywide rezoning.
• Barriers to homeownership: fair taxation, less red tape and efficient use of City resources.
• Property tax: CREB opposes further tax hikes and supports responsible City spending.
• Digital energy labelling: CREB supports EnerGuide labels for new homes but opposes making them mandatory for existing homes.

CREB will host a forum for mayoral candidates in September. Christian Twomey, chair of CREB’s Government Relations Standing Committee, said the next council will need to address “affordability, making homeownership achievable, and community-focused planning and zoning.”

Why it matters: the future of the 2024 citywide rezoning is likely to be a key election issue for homeowners and builders.

Why CREB is weighing in

CREB said its campaign is centred on increasing affordability, removing barriers to homeownership, and planning that meets the City’s long-term needs while preserving the local character of individual neighbourhoods. Twomey said civic elections are when Calgarians “have the loudest voice in determining how the City will address those needs,” and that “Calgary has changed since the last election.” He said every Calgarian should have safe, affordable housing, whether a single person starting out, a family raising children or seniors on fixed incomes.

The rezoning background

Calgary council approved citywide rezoning on May 14, 2024, after a 15-day public hearing in which 736 Calgarians spoke and 6,101 submitted written statements, the largest and longest public hearing in the City’s history. Since August 6, 2024, semi-detached homes, rowhouses and townhouses have been allowed on most low-density residential lots, alongside single detached houses. CREB opposed the proposal before the hearing and still favours a community-focused, grassroots approach, which it calls the most effective way to preserve neighbourhood uniqueness and maintain affordability.

The property tax background

Taxes are the other pocketbook issue. For a typical single-family home assessed at $697,000, the City said the 2025 municipal tax rose by $134 a year and the provincial education tax by $218, for a total of $352 more. CREB says year-after-year increases make homeownership less affordable and wants responsible City spending to reduce the need for further hikes.

2025 property tax increase for a typical $697,000 Calgary home, $ a year

Energy labelling

On energy labelling, CREB supports EnerGuide labels for new homes but argues that requiring them for existing homes would add pressure on homeowners, particularly low-income families, at a time of rising household costs.

What it means for buyers and sellers

Municipal decisions shape what can be built on a lot, what owners pay each year and what it costs to sell. A buyer looking at an older home on a large lot should check its zoning and what neighbours may build. Sellers in areas where builders are active should understand how zoning affects the value of their land. Everyone can compare candidates’ positions on these issues before October 20.

Local angle

This is the first general election since citywide rezoning took effect, so the next council could revisit it. CREB’s mayoral forum in September will be one of the places where candidates set out their plans.

How to use the campaign

CREB says its five issues come from its own resale market data and from what its members see with clients every day. Voters do not have to agree with every position to find the list useful: it is a checklist of the decisions on zoning, taxes, permits and energy rules that council makes and that affect the cost of owning a home in Calgary.