Calgary Minute: Issue 350

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

📅 This Week In Calgary: 📅

• This is our 350th edition of Calgary Minute, marking 350 weeks of tracking City Council meetings and summarizing key details for residents! This newsletter was created to make local politics accessible, cutting through lengthy reports, jargon, and marathon meetings so more residents can stay informed and hold leaders accountable. We have covered debates on spending, taxes, and City priorities, highlighted good and bad decisions, exposed waste, and shown when core services are neglected. Funded entirely by readers, Common Sense Calgary relies on donations to continue its work, so if you appreciate our work to improve City Hall accountability and ensure citizens stay informed, please consider making a donation to keep this newsletter and our other important municipal work going!
  
  
• On Monday, at 9:30 am, the Executive Committee will meet. On the agenda is a Notice of Motion from Councillor Pantazopoulos and Mayor Farkas that would direct Administration to develop a new funding mechanism for infrastructure. The motion asks for a proposal by June 2026 that could include an infrastructure improvement fee, levy, or other funding mechanism to address what the motion describes as the City's "immediate infrastructure funding deficit." The motion cites recent failures on the Bearspaw South Feeder Main as highlighting the risks of deferring renewal on aging, high-consequence assets. It notes that infrastructure challenges extend beyond water utilities to mobility networks, transit, civic facilities, parks, recreation amenities, and IT equipment. If approved, this motion sets the stage for Council to consider a new dedicated revenue source for infrastructure by mid-year.
  
  
• Calgary Councillors Chabot and Wyness will bring forward a Notice of Motion to create a “Shoplifting Under $100” offence under the Community Standards Bylaw. The motion is aimed at addressing a significant rise in low-value thefts. Since 2023, over 23,000 calls for service have been made, yet only about 17% result in Criminal Code charges, with most incidents resolved through discretionary release. The new bylaw would provide a proportionate enforcement option, allowing police to issue fines - potentially $250 - or alternatives like community service, while preserving discretion to pursue standard Criminal Code charges when necessary. Administration will be tasked with drafting the bylaw, recommending fines, analyzing impacts on police and court resources, and ensuring alignment with municipal, provincial, and federal law, with a report expected by Q3 2026.
  
  
• Also on the agenda is a Notice of Motion from Councillors Johnston and Jamieson that would direct Administration to create a City of Calgary Employee Compensation Transparency Policy. The motion notes that Alberta's Public Sector Compensation Transparency Act, enacted in December 2015, set a disclosure threshold of $133,813 for provincial employees. The proposed City policy would set a minimum threshold of $140,000 in total compensation, which would capture employees at the Director level and above. This would bring the City roughly in line with the provincial government's disclosure requirements. Administration would return with a framework for the policy by the April 14th, 2026 Executive Committee meeting. 
  
  
• Council has scheduled a public hearing starting March 23rd to consider repealing the citywide blanket rezoning policy for housing. The week-long hearing will allow residents to provide input on targeted approaches to meet housing goals, following the controversial 2024 rezoning that made residential grade-oriented infill the default zoning. Mayor Farkas expects strong public turnout, noting the previous hearing was one of the most attended in Calgary’s history, with most participants opposing the original policy. The repeal passed council 13-2 in December, but public input is required because the change involves amendments to the City’s land-use bylaw.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

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