Calgary Minute: Arena Dispute, Overtime Pay, and a Drink In The Park

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

This Week In Calgary:

• On Tuesday at 8:30 am, there will be a meeting of the Audit Committee, which will receive several presentations from officers, administrators, and various committees regarding numerous annual financial reports. The other half of the meeting will also be about various audit documents but will be held in secret, so not much to report there.
  
  
• On Wednesday at 9:30 am there will be a Standing Policy Committee on Transportation and Transit that will discuss mobility trends, mobile tickets, e-scooters, and more, followed by a 1:00 pm meeting of the Business Advisory Committee that will receive a report on Industrial Stakeholders.
  
  
• On Thursday at 1:00 pm, there will be a meeting of the Calgary Planning Commission which will hear numerous Land Use and Policy Use amendments.

Last Week In Calgary:

• The arena deal between the City and the Flames owners has been "paused" thanks to disputes over budget and usage plans. Of course, huge parts of the original deal were kept secret, as are all the details of this latest dispute, so we don't know exactly what the dispute is, but multiple media companies are reporting that the Flames owners have asked for an additional $70 million, and more free land around the stadium. We hate to say we told you so, but Calgary taxpayers couldn't afford to pay for the original bad deal, never mind to pay for even more. At the very least, Council must now be fully transparent with Calgarians about exactly what is going on with this deal.
  
  
• Speaking of things taxpayers can't afford, while most Calgarians are struggling just to keep their jobs or hours intact, one City employee cashed in big during the COVID pandemic. One City employee apparently worked nearly 714 hours of overtime last year, costing taxpayers $94,818, on top of their regular salary! Are we sure this is the only case of this happening at City Hall?
  
  
• Finally, you might be able to crack open a cold one at your favourite City park this summer, according to a plan being proposed as part of the City's COVID-19 response plan. We've supported this idea for years, even pre-COVID, so we hope this idea goes ahead and becomes permanent too. The City's plan would also require individuals to book a picnic table, which seems pretty bureaucratic, so there's some room for improvement too.

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