Calgary Innovate Council

The City of Airdrie's affordable housing program is award worthy because it delivers a fully integrated, evidence-based, and measurable impactful municipal housing system - something few Canadian cities have achieved. The city pairs bold regulatory reform with long-term financial commitment, creating a model that is both innovative and scalable. Airdrie has modernized zoning and land-use policies to enable a wider range of housing types across new and established neighborhoods, directly increasing supply diversity. The city’s 2024 to 2030 Affordable Housing Principled Action Plan unifies all municipal departments under a shared mandate to expand below-market housing, defining clear roles as funder, partner and regulator. - a whole-of-municipality approach, rarely seen in Canada. Airdrie strategy is grounded in rigorous data, with demand for affordable housing units projected to rise from to 2,100 within a decade. The city has created a “Made in Airdrie” plan designed to be self financing and sustainable. By combining regulatory innovation, financial tools, and measurable outcomes, Airdrie offers and nationally relevant blueprint for municipal leadership in housing.  The Airdrie Affordable Housing Plan - pdf 

 Erin Chrusch, Leader of Business & Local Economy for The City of Calgary, is being recognized with the Innovate Challenge award for her outstanding leadership in making Calgary a more innovative and entrepreneur friendly city.
Through initiatives such as the City’s Support Local efforts, digital adoption programming for small businesses, and partnerships that turn Calgary into a testbed for new ideas, she has helped create a more streamlined, responsive
environment where local businesses can start, grow, and compete in a rapidly changing economy.
Under Erin’s guidance, the Business and Local Economy team has worked collaboratively with community and ecosystem partners to reduce barriers, modernize how the City serves entrepreneurs, and open new opportunities for experimentation and growth. By championing innovation inside City Hall while building strong external partnerships, Erin exemplifies the kind of cross-sector, community scale leadership that the Innovate Challenge is designed to celebrate: visible change, shared benefit, and a clear “before and after” story for Calgary’s business community.