Calgary Minute: Police Overtime, Indigenous Games, and an Equitable Access Amendment

Calgary Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Calgary politics

This Week In Calgary:

• There are no meetings at City Hall today, on account of the Family Day holiday. On Wednesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a meeting of the Infrastructure and Planning Committee. On the agenda are amendments to the Beltline Area Redevelopment Plan and Land Use Bylaw, as well as a discussion about the properties available in the 2024 Real Estate Public Auction. There is one item listed as Confidential. No further information is available other than the item’s title - “Proposed Amended and Restated Lease (Bridgeland/Riverside)”.
  
  
• The Calgary Planning Commission will meet on Thursday at 1:00 pm. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. The Ward Boundary Commission will meet on Friday at 1:00 pm. There is no agenda available for this meeting yet either.
  
  
• Speaking of the Family Day holiday, Calgary Transit will be operating on Sunday hours today. There are some free options for swimming and skating too. From 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm and 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, you can swim for free at Acadia Aquatic and Fitness Centre, Bob Bahan Aquatic and Fitness Centre, and Thornhill Aquatic and Recreation Centre. Free skating is available from 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm at Ernie Starr Arena, Frank McCool Arena, Murray Copot Arena, and Optimist Arenas.

Last Week In Calgary:

• The Executive Committee, in a 12-1 vote, decided to limit Councillors' virtual meeting participation to "on occasion," specifying that such participation should occur from an "appropriate and secure location" free of distractions, with cameras turned on and no digital backgrounds. Councillor Jasmine Mian introduced an amendment allowing for remote work if someone's situation falls within the protected grounds of the Alberta Human Rights Act, such as physical disability or familial status. Mian, who attended meetings remotely after giving birth, emphasized the need for equitable access to remote work.
  
  
• The Calgary Police Service overspent nearly double its overtime and call-out budget in 2023, allocating $11.4 million but ultimately spending $22.1 million. A total of $15.5 million was spent on call-outs (bringing in an officer to cover a shift to support minimum staffing levels or other policing needs) and $5.55 million was spent on overtime. An internal email termed the overspend "unfavourable" and attributed it to factors like protests, increased patrols for transit safety, and heightened security at places of worship and schools due to the Israel-Palestine war. The police force's total operating budget for 2023 was $563 million.
  
  
• The Tsuut'ina Nation Chief and Council expressed "significant concerns" with the governance of the 2027 North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) in Calgary, leading to a review of their involvement in the event. The City of Calgary secured the hosting rights for the 2027 Games last summer, with the Tsuut'ina Nation initially expressing enthusiasm about hosting events at their facilities. However, tensions have escalated between Tsuut'ina's leadership and the Indigenous Sports Council of Alberta, the body responsible for forming the host society for the 2027 Games. Chief Roy Whitney cited concerns about major sporting events having a history of exceeding their budgets, and said he was concerned that the Tsuut'ina Nation would not have a strong enough voice at the table to provide proper fiscal oversight. A review will be conducted in order to decide whether the Nation will pull out of the 2027 event.

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