CANMORELANDCommunity Land Trust
Bow Valley, Alberta
Canmoreland collage of a key, raised fist, homes, and Rocky Mountains

Space shapes who gets to stay.

THE REAL ESTATE MARKET SHAPES A COMMUNITY. WE CAN SHAPE IT BACK.

Canmoreland is a community land trust working to keep real estate accessible, affordable, and useful to the people who live, work, create, and raise families in the Bow Valley.

How a land trust works Find your way in ↓

01 — WHY CANMORELAND

“Community is the only thing that will save us all.”

The Bow Valley’s housing crisis dates back decades. But housing is only the tip of the iceberg. Affordable commercial space is disappearing. Makers and artists have nowhere to work. Young people need places to gather. Local businesses are being priced out. Land is scarce, and the market keeps choosing the highest financial return.

Canmoreland was created to choose a different return: lasting community benefit.

02 — THE TOOL

Land is a community asset.

A community land trust is a community-led, non-profit organization that acquires and holds property in the interest of its local community.

It is not a short-term program. It is a permanent piece of civic infrastructure.

01

Acquire

Property comes into the trust through purchase, donation, a long-term lease, or partnership.

02

Remove

The land is taken out of the speculative cycle. Canmoreland does not sell it for private profit.

03

Steward

Its use is protected for the long term: housing, work, culture, gathering, or another community priority.

04

Reinvest

Value stays local. One property can serve many people and purposes across generations.

03 — THE GAPS WE SEE

Not one big solution.
Many useful ones.

We are interested in the overlooked, the underused, the “too small,” and the ideas that do not fit neatly inside existing programs.

01
LIVE

Missing middle + missing little housing

Small units, employee housing, affordable family homes, seniors housing, suites, conversions, infill, live-work units, and gentle density.

⌂
02
MAKE

Space for small business + makers

Affordable workshops, studios, kitchens, micro-retail, light manufacturing, and a year-round indoor market.

✦
03
GATHER

Third places—especially for youth

Places beyond home, work, and school where people can meet informally, build relationships, and belong across social lines.

●
04
REBALANCE

Indigenous space + resonance

Opportunities for gathering, stewardship, culture, and commerce, developed through real relationships and concrete action.

↟

04 — WHAT GUIDES US

The power of community is not abstract.

It lives in how we make decisions, who is invited in, what we protect, and what we are willing to change.

●
01

Belonging

Everyone deserves to be valued, respected, and have access to inclusive, welcoming places within their community.

✊
02

Connection

Strong relationships, productive partnerships, and shared goals are the foundation of a mutually supportive community.

◎
03

Consideration

Fairness, cooperation, reciprocity, trust, and respect help restore balance and build a healthier circular economy.

⌁
04

Creativity

Rethinking the old turns barriers into opportunities—and creates room for perspectives, culture, beauty, and fun.

05 — HOW WE GOT HERE

Research became
a vehicle for action.

Canmoreland grew from a local working group looking for practical responses to real estate affordability and sustainability across the Bow Valley.

  1. Community research

    The Housing Affordability and Sustainability working group forms through Phase III of the Moving Mountains Initiative and receives a $3,000 micro-grant to test the CLT concept.

  2. Canmoreland incorporates

    A federal not-for-profit is established and registered to operate in Alberta, with bylaws and a conflict-of-interest policy.

  3. Joining the movement

    Canmoreland joins the Canadian Network of Community Land Trusts and completes CLT 101 and board training.

  4. From capacity to projects

    Grow the board, membership, funding, and partnerships; identify viable properties; build pro formas; and find the first community demonstration project.

HOUSING IS A RIGHT,
NOT A COMMODITY.

LAND OWNERSHIP
EMPOWERS COMMUNITIES.

DEMOCRATIC
GOVERNANCE.

DIVERSITY IS
OUR STRENGTH.

06 — PARTICIPATE

Start where you are.
Bring what you’ve got.

Time, property, expertise, introductions, a story, a lease, funding, or simply another person who should know about this work—it all matters.

Join the newsletterVolunteer a skillApply to the boardOffer spaceFund a projectDonate propertyTell a friend

A note about financial gifts: Canmoreland is a non-profit, not a registered charity. Contact us before contributing to confirm current tax-receipt or fiscal-agent arrangements.

LET’S CONNECTCOMMUNITY@CANMORELAND.CA

07 — QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

Go down the
CLT rabbit hole.

Explore the resource library
Is Canmoreland only about affordable housing?+

No. Housing is urgent, but Canmoreland was created to work across the real estate spectrum: housing, commercial and maker space, cultural amenities, third places, and other community assets.

What can a CLT own or steward?+

CLTs can hold many kinds of property: homes, apartment buildings, cooperative housing, shops, studios, community gardens, commercial buildings, and cultural or gathering spaces.

How is community benefit protected?+

Canmoreland retains the property rather than selling it for speculative profit. Long-term leases, agreements, governance, and project-specific covenants protect its intended use.

Can I donate property or access to space?+

Yes. A contribution can include a property, a below-market lease, temporary access, a rent subsidy, a future gift through an estate, or another creative arrangement. Start by contacting us.

Who governs Canmoreland?+

Canmoreland is a federal not-for-profit operated by a board of directors under bylaws and a conflict-of-interest policy. Its goal is to grow into a community-led board and membership base.