Bonnyville hopes new apartments & multiunit rentals will be built with new grant

The Town of Bonnyville is pulling more levers to try and create more housing options for residents.

With a low vacancy rate, council passed a new bylaw that will provide grant money for the development of new multiunit apartment building complexes in town.

The grant is $10,000 for each new dwelling unit constructed to a maximum of 50 units.

“We’ve got to take steps like this to spur on economic development or building of new homes, with regulation and the cost of supplies and labour, things are just getting more expensive,” said Mayor Elisa Brosseau on The Morning After. 

“Everybody can see we have not had a new home apartment building, or what has been built in many, many years? So how do we incentivize that? And so this is the one way that council’s can do.” 

Brosseau adds the stipulation that is important for developers.

A new apartment, or multiunit complex can’t be plopped down just anywhere. It must follow the Town’s area development plan.

Bonnyville will fund this grant up to half a million dollars. The timeline for completion of the project is 24 months from the date the
building/development permit has been issued.

“When we think of lack of rental space, whether it be apartment buildings, whether it be duplexes or townhomes, that’s what this bylaw is going to focus on,” said Brosseau. 

This new grant follows the momentum of another housing grant passed right before the end of 2024.

Called “Build Bonnyville – Housing Incentive Grant,” it targets new homes specifically, a program that would kick back some up to $25,000 for construction of a residential dwelling unit on vacant residential land.