Calgary Minute: Issue 369

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

📅 This Week In Calgary: 📅

• Council will hold a Strategic Meeting tomorrow at 9:30 am devoted to the draft Calgary Plan, a new planning document that would replace the 2009 Municipal Development Plan and absorb the Calgary Transportation Plan as the City approaches two million residents. The meeting is Council's first opportunity to dig into the draft, which Administration claims cuts the number of policies by more than half by merging the two documents into one. The plan sets out a 30-year vision and would guide Local Area Plans, infrastructure priorities, annual budgets, and a proposed new Zoning Bylaw that would replace the current Land Use Bylaw. More than 47,900 Calgarians have helped shape the draft since 2023, according to Administration, identifying priorities such as neighbourhood context, natural areas and parks, affordability, and growth around transit. The discussion is organized around four themes: housing and mobility; infrastructure; nature, parks and recreation; and economy and downtown. Administration is recommending that Council direct a sixth phase of public engagement focused on finalizing the Calgary Plan and the new Zoning Bylaw, and that the plan come to a public hearing no later than January 2027, with budget requests to finalize and implement both documents to be included in the 2027-2030 budget.
  
  
• Court documents have revealed new details about the RCMP investigation into allegations of corruption at City Hall. According to an affidavit filed by the lead investigator, police are investigating an allegation that David White, the principal of CivicWorks, a consulting firm that helps developers navigate City processes, offered Councillors campaign donations exceeding the legal maximum in exchange for tabling a reconsideration motion. The investigation centers on a July 16th, 2025, Council vote on a proposed land-use change in the Bankview neighbourhood, which initially failed in a 6-6 tie and then passed 8-5 on a second vote. The affidavit alleges that then-Mayor Gondek provided guidance to White on a tactic to approach another councillor to request a redo of the vote, which Councillor Sean Chu eventually requested. Potential offences under investigation include municipal corruption, obstruction of justice, and fabrication of evidence, and search warrants have been executed at the homes of Gondek, Chu, and sitting Councillor Andre Chabot. A judge has denied Gondek's bid to block police from keeping her seized cellphone longer, and the parties are due back in court later this month and again in July. No charges have been laid, and none of the allegations have been proven in court.
  
  
• Meanwhile, Mayor Jeromy Farkas says he is working with other Councillors on a motion to create a municipal lobbyist registry that would track who is seeking to influence decisions at City Hall. Farkas announced the effort one day after the new details of the corruption probe became public, though he said neither Council nor Administration has information about the investigation beyond what has been publicly reported. He argued that Calgarians deserve to know who is seeking to influence public policy and on whose behalf, and noted that Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal already track lobbyists. The Alberta government plans to introduce a universal Code of Conduct for municipalities by the end of the year, and Farkas said he wants to ensure Calgary's registry does not conflict with the provincial legislation. Ward 2 Councillor Jennifer Wyness called the proposal a "headline-grabber false flag", arguing a registry would not have caught the conduct the RCMP is investigating and that Councillors already disclose who they meet with. Wyness also warned against making policy decisions before the police investigation concludes.
  
  
• Council voted on June 9th to direct Administration to present alternative downtown routes by September for the Green Line LRT, the $6.25-billion project that is the largest infrastructure investment in Calgary's history. The current plan, proposed by the provincial government, is an elevated track running along 10th Avenue and Second Street Southwest, but public engagement found that the majority of people who live and work nearby oppose the design. Critics of the elevated track cited its potential to hurt property values, create noise, and dampen downtown vibrancy, and Mayor Jeromy Farkas said proceeding with an option that could "sterilize the downtown" is a significant concern. The alternatives could include other elevated routes, ground-level paths, or underground alignments, though Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen says a downtown tunnel is not on the table, arguing the elevated alignment delivers five more stations and boosts commuter ridership by 60%. Construction on the southeast portion of the Green Line broke ground last June, running from Shepard to the new arena near Victoria Park. City officials claim the new direction does not delay the goal of bringing forward a downtown alignment plan by the end of the year, with the City still eyeing a 2031 opening date.
  
  
• Speaking of infrastructure, Administration is suggesting a new property tax levy as one option to help close Calgary's infrastructure funding gap, after an earlier City report found that at least $49 billion in capital spending is needed over the next decade on aging water pipes, roads, transit, and parks. The proposed infrastructure renewal levy, which does not yet have a specific dollar figure attached, is one of several options laid out in a new report on the funding gap, an issue that has dogged Council since last winter's water main break. Other options include increasing the existing portion of property taxes dedicated to infrastructure, pursuing more funding from other levels of government, selling municipal assets, taking on tax-supported debt, or redirecting reserve balances. Ward 6 Councillor John Pantazopoulos said Calgarians have told him they can accept tax hikes if Council clearly shows the outcomes, while Ward 4 Councillor DJ Kelly argued the gap is partly the result of underfunding by past councils and said at some point "somebody needs to pull out their pocketbook". Administration cautions that no single tool will be enough to close the gap, and Council is working on a 10-year capital plan, with key funding decisions expected in this fall's four-year budget. 

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Have you seen the draft Calgary Plan?

We'll be bringing you detailed analysis of the plan in the coming weeks and months, but in the meantime, you can take a look for yourself online:

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