{"id":899966,"date":"2026-09-18T03:38:29","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T03:38:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/899966\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T03:38:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T03:38:29","slug":"protesters-and-counter-protesters-clash-at-mill-woods-affordable-housing-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/899966\/","title":{"rendered":"Protesters and counter-protesters clash at Mill Woods affordable housing site"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 68-unit housing development drew a small crowd of protesters this week upset over a lack of communication, despite the developer’s best efforts.<\/p>\n

Approximately 30 people, including former Edmonton-Manning MLA Peter Sandhu and social media critic Jesse Watson, came out to protest the Kiniski Gardens affordable housing development in Mill Woods on Thursday.<\/p>\n

More than 800 residents have signed a petition expressing concerns about the project, saying the city didn’t adequately consult residents and suggesting the scope of the project changed from a senior’s housing development to an affordable housing development. Protesters called for a pause to the project.<\/p>\n

“We always knew it was going to be senior’s housing. Somewhere along that changed to affordable housing,” said resident David Benson. “None of us are opposed to affordable housing. What we’re upset about is how did it go from one to the other? There are two totally different types of people.<\/p>\n

“The last communication we had was a meeting a year ago where 27 people showed up.”<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A group of protesters, including former Edmonton-Manning MLA Peter Sandhu on the left, gather near the construction site of a new affordable housing development next to Julia Kiniski School in Mill Woods on Thursday, Sept. 17,, 2026. The protesters say they were not informed the scope of the project had changed from senior\u2019s housing to affordable housing, but the proponent said the idea of putting a senior\u2019s lodge on site was abandoned long before the current project came into being.<\/p>\n

Right at Home Housing Society executive director Marisa Redmond said her organization never intended to build a senior’s housing development. That was a previous proposal for the land which never materialized.<\/p>\n

She added she has been personally phoning anyone who reached out to the organization with concerns. During the protest, she gave a stack of business cards to Benson.<\/p>\n

“We understand change is hard,” she said. “Give me a time, let’s chat, I’ll answer all your questions.”<\/p>\n

After speaking with Redmond, Benson said he would be pushing back on the city for more information.<\/p>\n

“It would have been great to know some of these things she’s talking about, but none of that’s been there,” he said. “I think that goes back to the city. I don’t think my attitude has changed in regards to this facility.<\/p>\n

“We’re not against affordable housing \u2014 there hasn’t been any transparency for what this is going to be. Communication has not been given to the residents.”<\/p>\n

\"Jackson<\/p>\n

Jackson Heights and Kiniski Gardens resident David Benson speaks to Right at Home Housing Society executive director Marisa Redmond during a protest on Sept. 17 at the Kiniski Gardens affordable housing construction site. Redmond said anyone with concerns about the project should reach out to her and promised she would personally speak to anyone concerned.<\/p>\n

But not everyone in the area feels the city dropped the ball on communicating.<\/p>\n

A lone counter-protester, Dan Gallant, said he’s been following the development and there’s been plenty of consultation.<\/p>\n

“I was at the consultation at Burnewood Community League \u2014 we’ve already had all these concerns aired out,” he said. “I’ve been cleaning up this neighbourhood for 30 years of my life. As a person living here, I want these neighbours to know they’re welcome here when these buildings are built.”<\/p>\n

Redmond expressed her own concerns that negative publicity toward the project could discourage people who need affordable housing from applying.<\/p>\n

“We really like the first folks who move into our sites to be connected with the community,” she said. “When people get worked up, people who want to live there tend to fall back into the shadows.<\/p>\n

“We work really hard to make our housing a safe place, so to have this bad publicity is pushing away the very people we want to live in our housing.”<\/p>\n

Noting the plans for a senior’s housing facility were shelved in 2012, Edmonton Housing Team communications manager Hamdi Issawi detailed the city’s communications related to the site.<\/p>\n

“First, the 2012 rezoning process included a public hearing that provided an opportunity for feedback,” he said. “In 2023, the City of Edmonton notified community leagues that a proposal to update the policy for surplus school sites was being discussed at an executive committee meeting.<\/p>\n

“In 2024, the city notified the Burnewood Community League, which represents the Kiniski Gardens neighbourhood, and residents within 120 metres of the site that the land would be prepared and subsequently listed for affordable housing development. Residents were also encouraged to join a city mailing list for project updates. Copies of all letters sent to neighbours can be found on the affordable housing webpage under the Kiniski Gardens section. The city also announced the listings publicly in a November 2024 news release.<\/p>\n

“In January 2025, the city notified the community league and residences within 120 metres of the site that the land had been listed for sale. The notice included details about a proposal to sell or lease the sites for below-market cost that would be discussed at executive committee, and how residents could follow or participate in the proceedings. City council or committee approval is required for below-market land sales or funding. The public can share their views with council at, or before, these public meetings.<\/p>\n

“Right at Home Housing Society was selected as the developer through a competitive process, and was required to conduct engagement as a condition of the sale. A developer webpage on the project indicates that community members attended an open house on Sept. 9, 2025. Participants completed a survey, and the feedback was compiled in a what we heard report.”<\/p>\n

ebowling@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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