Calgary Minute: Issue 363

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

📅 This Week In Calgary: 📅

• The Executive Committee will meet on Tuesday at 9:30 am. There will be two Notices of Motion brought forward regarding the climate emergency declaration. The first, from Councillor Chabot, seeks to rescind Calgary’s 2021 climate emergency declaration and launch a comprehensive audit of all climate-related spending. The motion argues the declaration has led to widespread and fragmented spending across departments without clear accountability or measurable outcomes, citing tens of millions in operating and capital expenditures and over $200 million in planned climate-related capital spending. It also notes that one of the original justifications - accessing federal funding - has been undermined by provincial legislation restricting such agreements. If approved, Administration would be directed to conduct a value-for-money audit, identify inefficiencies, and report publicly on whether spending aligns with core municipal priorities and financial sustainability. A related motion from Councillors Johnston and Chabot calls for formally rescinding the declaration altogether and removing all references to it from city documents and policies. That motion frames the declaration as largely symbolic and emphasizes a shift toward evidence-based environmental policy without reliance on emergency framing.
  
  
• Mayor Jeromy Farkas and 10 Councillors have signed a Notice of Motion directing Administration to prepare a Feasibility and Options Report for a permanent downtown police station, due by Q4 2026. Calgary has been without a downtown station since November 20th, 2017, when Victoria Park Station closed, making it the only major Canadian city without one. The Calgary Police Service's 2025 Annual Statistical Report confirms that violent crime is disproportionately concentrated in the downtown core. Not all of Council is behind the motion: Councillors Nathaniel Schmidt, Myke Atkinson, and Jennifer Wyness have publicly argued it undermines the authority of the Calgary Police Commission, and that the existing downtown community counter could be enhanced rather than a new facility built. 
  
  
• Also at the Executive Committee meeting, Ward 14 Councillor Landon Johnston will bring forward a Notice of Motion to remove a mandatory endorsement statement that members of the public are currently required to sign before registering to speak at a Calgary Public Hearing. The statement, in place since 2021, requires registrants to endorse the City's commitments to "anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion" as a condition of participation. When Council first directed Administration to develop the process, Administration's own legal team explicitly advised against it - warning the statement may amount to government-compelled expression, could have a chilling effect on public participation, and that the potential infringement of participation rights outweighed any benefits. Council proceeded with implementation anyway. Johnston's motion would direct Administration to remove the mandatory statement and checkbox from all Public Hearing registration forms within 30 days. 
  
  
• Another Notice of Motion from Councillor Johnston at Tuesday's meeting would restore bottled water to Council and Committee chambers, reversing a 2019 ban originally proposed by then-Councillor Jeromy Farkas, now the Mayor. Johnston characterizes the original policy as "performative," noting the City stocks beverages in municipal facilities elsewhere but bans them specifically in chambers where cameras are present. He argues that plastic bottles are recyclable and that the restriction accomplishes little beyond appearances. Farkas opposes reversing his earlier motion, saying Council "should not be spending our time on bringing in fancy water bottle service for city councillors."
  
  
• Council voted 11-4 to approve a confidential resolution related to the departure of Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth, who will leave his position on December 1st, 2026 - 8 months early - and collect 16 months of severance. Chief Operating Officer Stuart Dagleish is also departing, retiring in June after 37 years with the City. The departures follow the second Bearspaw South Feedermain failure in under 2 years and an independent review panel's finding of systemic infrastructure management failures dating back 2 decades. Ward 12 Councillor Mike Jamieson noted that "a majority" of Council supported new leadership, citing the mandate for change that came with last fall's election of 10 new Councillors and a new Mayor. Voting against the resolution: Councillors Landon Johnston, Nathaniel Schmidt, Raj Dhaliwal, and Myke Atkinson. Recruitment for a new CAO will begin immediately.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

As we finally start to shake off the winter and head into spring, our team is working hard to make sure our community’s future is just as bright as the season.

Right now, Council is making critical decisions that will affect the City’s budget for the next four years.

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🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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