If you get the Calgary Herald, you would have seen a familiar face in the paper this weekend’s issue.
Mayor Sean Krausert shared an op-ed about the impact of the Livability Tax Program for making housing more affordable and accessible for our residents.
Meeting someone who was born and raised in Canmore—and still lives here—is often called finding a “unicorn.” Well, we’d like to make unicorns a little less rare. Starting in 2026, the Livability Tax Program will help fund new affordable housing options, while incentivizing our neighbours to join us full-time. It will provide opportunities for those who want to put down roots and build a life in Canmore to make this place a hometown for generations to come.
Read the full article below:
Building Today for a Fair Canmore
Canmore is a tourist destination, but that’s not what built us, nor does it define us today. From the Three Sisters to the winding Bow River, the natural beauty in which the Town of Canmore is nestled is awe-inspiring, but the vibrancy in our downtown hasn’t happened accidentally.
Whether they know it or not, people flock to Canmore because of our community. From Hockey Day in Canada to our vibrant arts and cultural scene, or just a cup of coffee at a local café, that warm feeling you get is from the people who live here. Our residents are passionate, exude a welcoming spirit and playful love of life, and care deeply about their neighbours.
When I ran for mayor, I wanted to protect and nurture this spirit. But when I hear the stories of people living in cars, or parents like me seeing their children start families elsewhere because they can’t afford even the most modest of homes, I know that we’re at risk of losing what makes Canmore so special.
It is abundantly clear that the Town of Canmore is at a fork in the road. We can either follow the example of other tourist towns and surrender community and affordability for short-term investment, or we could do everything we can to maintain a thriving, dynamic, diverse community that sets its own course.
The biggest driver of housing unaffordability in Canmore is our limited footprint combined with high demand from around the globe. This has resulted in approximately 25 per cent of all homes in Canmore not being occupied by permanent residents, a number that will only grow if we do nothing.
There are also economic repercussions of having a lot of second homeowners. While researching this issue, Deloitte found that permanent residential households in 2022 spent $821 million in retail in Canmore, visitors spent $226 million, and those owning the 25 per cent of homes where seasonal, non-permanent residents live only spent $25 million. It became clear that the more permanent residents we had, the stronger our economy, especially for those small businesses that make our downtown feel so alive, which is exactly what attracts visitors.
The problem, then, was clear, and so to solve it, we created the Livability Task Force to understand our housing market, the potential futures we faced, and, critically, find ways to protect our community. Out of this came the Livability Tax Program.
To ensure adequate housing for those building our community, we’re introducing fairness into our taxation system. Non-permanent residents will now pay rates equal to those who run tourist homes, which are properties that may operate as short-term vacation rentals.
And perhaps, most importantly, 100 per cent of the revenue from this program is allocated to helping the Town build approximately 2,000 new non-market homes to help individuals and families access housing that meets their needs and income.
Our decision to introduce this new tax level is focused on providing a fair opportunity for those who want to put down roots and build a life in Canmore while safeguarding the rich, vibrant community fabric that will make this place a hometown for generations to come.
We were heartened last week when a Court of King’s Bench judge agreed that our Livability Tax Program was legal under the Municipal Government Act. We are not discriminating against those with vacation homes; we are incentivizing those who love our community as much as we do to join us, permanently.
In Canmore, we’re building a community that can care for itself. We’ll always welcome visitors—we know how important they are to our economy—but we also know that what really keeps them coming back is our community character. We’re taking steps to protect this and finding unique ways to invest in our future, so the Canmore spirit isn’t just something you feel, but something we continue building together.
Learn more about our work to take action on the housing crisis
