Calgary Minute: Approval Ratings, Newcomer Funding, and Transport Feasibility Studies

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

This Week In Calgary:

• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a meeting of the Executive Committee. The Committee will discuss new guiding principles for updates to the User Fees and Subsidies Policy, as well as the City Manager’s Quarterly Report. A briefing will also be provided on the City’s pension plans and activities.
  
  
• The Audit Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am. On the agenda are the City Manager’s Principal Corporate Risk Update, the ENMAX Corporation 2022 Annual Report, and the City Auditor's Office 2nd Quarter 2023 Report, among others. On Thursday, at 1:00 pm, the Calgary Planning Commission will meet. Several land use amendments are on the agenda.
  
  
• Today is the last day of advance voting for the Calgary-Heritage byelection. Those in the riding who wish to vote in the advance polls can do so until 9:00 pm tonight at Saint Andrews Presbyterian Church, located at 703 Heritage Drive SW. The official election day is July 24th.

Last Week In Calgary:

• Recent polling has suggested that Calgarians are unhappy with their Mayor and Council. Only 10% of survey respondents strongly approve of Mayor Jyoti Gondek, while 40% indicated that they strongly oppose her. Councillors’ ratings have gone up slightly since a similar poll was conducted in November, but they still only sit at 42% approval. The pollster suggested that housing affordability, crime, and declaring a climate emergency may have contributed to poorer ratings. According to said pollster, Gondek needs to score wins on things that are important to voters if she wants to see a second term. Yep, that’s generally how it works…
  
  
• The Province announced $3 million in funding to conduct a Calgary Airport Rail Connection Study and look into the potential of a train connection between the city centre and Calgary International Airport. If the project does go ahead, it would make Calgary only the third major Canadian city, other than Toronto and Vancouver, to have a direct train connection from its airport to its downtown core. Premier Danielle Smith also tasked her Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors, Devin Dreeshen, with examining the feasibility of commuter rail lines between Calgary, Okotoks, and Airdrie.
  
  
• Uncertainty about federal funding has led to Calgary’s Centre for Newcomers laying off 65 staff members. Immigrants who were supposed to attend language classes have been turned away, and waves of newcomers are arriving every day. With the continuing influx of immigrants, federal contracts had been increased in response, but those contract amendments ended with no word from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada as to the continuation of funding.

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