OLDS — A two-year secondary suite compliance incentive program has been so successful in Olds that the municipality's council has extended it until Feb. 28 next year.
Council made that decision during its July 14 meeting. The program was set to expire this month.
A secondary suite is a self-contained living space. It can be located in a single-family home or duplex or be an entirely separate unit, located in the back yard or above a garage, for example.
The purpose of the incentive program is to spur the development of secondary suites as well as make existing illegal ones legal.
Incentives offered under the program include waiving of development fees for existing secondary suites, relaxation of parking requirements for such suites and relaxation of square footage requirements for them.
A Town of Olds news release says the extension gives property owners additional time to bring their suites up to code under "simplified requirements."
"This is a significant opportunity for anyone with a non-compliant secondary suite to legalize it with fewer barriers—supporting safer, more affordable housing in our community," the release says.
According to the town's documentation, more than 20 suites have been approved in last two years.
Planning and infrastructure manager James Crozier told council that staff are in talks with several people about secondary suites.
“Extending it to February 2026 will allow those approvals to be made and then give them time to complete construction throughout the summer of next year,” he said.
“We have actually already started reaching out to homeowners where we know there are existing illegal suites to work with them to bring those into compliance or stop renting them,” Crozier added.
“We plan to continue that in the upcoming months, to make sure that we're providing safe housing for renters.”
“I'm very happy to see that there's this such a success story for these incentives,” mayor Judy Dahl said.
Deputy mayor Dan Daley asked how the process works.
“We hear about these suites through various methods,” Crozier said.
He said when municipal officials learn of an allegedly illegal suite, the building inspector and a safety codes officer will inspect the premises and determine if it is, in fact, an illegal suite that needs to be brought in compliance.
The owner is told the steps that need to happen and given a time frame to either reach out to the planning development group or cease renting the suite out “and that kind of kicks off the process.”
Daley asked how the municipality deals with a property owner who refuses to comply with secondary suite rules.
“At the end of the day, we can issue a stop work order,” Crozier said. “There's lots of things we can do in the meantime though, to try to get compliance.”
“Alright, so you do still push for compliance, even though they're not allowing access,” Daley said.
“Absolutely, yeah,” said Crozier.
He said the building inspector and safety codes officer have “quite a few powers” that they can use to get access to a suite.
“If they're refused, they have powers that they can use to issue fines or demand access through other ways. So it's hard to say no, I guess is what I would say,” he added.
“You wouldn't put a tenant out of residence if something like that happens,” Daley asked.
“No, absolutely not,” Crozier said.
He said any time his office issues anything regarding getting a suite up to snuff they always work with the property owner to ensure that the tenant can remain while that work goes on.
“If they've ceased renting, we've always given them at least 90 days to vacate the suite, so it gives plenty of time for them to find alternate housing situations.”
Coun. Darren Wilson wondered if a directory of approved secondary suites has been created.
“We have generated it, we have a map,” Crozier said. “We just haven't made it public yet. If any of this exemption is approved as part of that, we will make that list public as well.”
“Once again, I like the success of these incentives, and you've done something with it that's so positive,” Dahl said.
