Calgarians are central to the health and growth of our city. So, when entire buildings sit empty downtown, you know something is wrong.
Calgary has three problems right now: a housing shortage, especially affordable housing; too many empty office towers downtown; and economic downturn from oil-and-gas changes and COVID-19.
I cofounded Peoplefirst to address all three problems at once. I don’t like to see my city empty, and I don’t like to see people struggling.
Peoplefirst is a development company focused on turning empty office towers into housing Calgarians can afford. We’re focused on big projects that will create real jobs and bring people back to Calgary’s Downtown Core, the heart of our city.
Our projects will bring hundreds of households to downtown. New communities mean new opportunities for our city. By transforming empty office towers into affordable residential spaces, we’re putting people where they matter most.
More people means more foot traffic for businesses. Stronger businesses mean more jobs. More jobs mean a stronger city.
To boost the local economy, our projects will, whenever possible, employ local firms and use local labour and materials. We’re also working with job placement and training programs to ensure our buildings create as may jobs as possible. We’re building green. We seek the highest certifications for green certification.
We want our buildings to be a model for other property developers in Calgary. We want other developers to join us in confronting the problems facing Calgary.
By transforming empty office towers into modern residential homes that Calgarians can afford, we can create a new Calgary for all Calgarians.