- A Releven symposium heard that 144 of Edmonton’s 476 faith buildings operate at a deficit
- St Paul’s Lutheran has created 11 homes plus community space
- Westmount Presbyterian has built 16 townhouses for newcomer families
- Researchers call faith communities Canada’s second-largest landholders
Faith buildings in Edmonton are under financial strain but could help address the city’s housing shortage, the Edmonton Journal reported in November 2025, from a symposium hosted by Releven, a national charity that helps faith groups repurpose property.
Releven’s research found that 144 of Edmonton’s 476 faith buildings operate at a deficit. “Faith communities are the second largest landholders in Canada,” said Mike Wood Daly, Releven’s director of research. “We need cities to see them as assets rather than relics.”
Edmonton already has examples. St Paul’s Lutheran Church has created 11 homes along with community space, and Westmount Presbyterian Church has built 16 townhouses for newcomer families.
The symposium brought together church leaders, developers and housing officials, including Dave Harder of Releven, Rev Annabelle Wallace, Devin Tu of Affordable360, architect Tai Ziola of DIALOG and Sandie Price, a specialist at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. “Faith-based development is pretty sexy right now,” said Price.
The Edmonton figures show that many congregations are asset-rich but cash-poor, running deficits on buildings that sit on valuable land. The same is true for many churches in Jamaica. Mapping which buildings lose money and which sites could hold homes is the first step. Canadian cities are now doing that research and inviting housing agencies to the table, a model Jamaican denominations and planners could follow.
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