Calgary Minute: Issue 387

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

📅 This Week In Calgary: 📅

• The Calgary Police Service is asking Council for a 73% increase in its capital budget, to $191.9 million for 2027-2030. Deputy Chief Asif Rashid said the service fell short in the last two budget cycles, leaving buildings in disrepair and aging infrastructure unreplaced. Rashid said upwards of 75% of the request is for replacing aging infrastructure and vehicles, including a request to cover growth of 160 vehicles. The request also includes $55.2 million for information technology, including AI, virtual policing, and dispatch and records systems. The request includes no funding for a new police facility, though Mayor Jeromy Farkas has called a downtown police station a priority. Farkas said most Calgarians would be disappointed to see a significant increase in police support and taxation without visible improvements such as a downtown station. Council will debate the request during budget deliberations in late November.
  
  
• Calgary Councillors are raising concerns that the City may not receive the fourth and final payment from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund, worth about $63.7 million. The federal Housing Minister wrote to Council that the payment depends on the City having zoning in place that allows at least four units on a significant majority of lots by the October 27th contract end date. The Province recently mandated that Calgary and Edmonton return to their pre-2024 land-use bylaws. Ward 2 Councillor Jennifer Wyness said the City is about to find out whether it will get the payment after repealing blanket rezoning. Ward 9 Councillor Harrison Clark said he was most concerned that Council has no recourse, warning the City could be "alone at the table" on housing projects counting on the money. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation says Calgary's annual progress report will be reviewed before any decision on further funding. Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he does not answer to either the federal or provincial government.
  
  
• Two east Calgary Councillors are calling for a "fair share" approach to where supportive housing and social service facilities are located in the city. The issue arose after the Calgary Planning Commission voted 5-2 on September 24th to recommend redesignating City-owned light industrial land in Meridian for a 60-unit, high-complexity supportive housing facility, and selling the land to the provider for $1.32 million. The recommendations now go to a Council public hearing. Commissioner Shawn Small, who voted against, objected to disposing of park space in the area without replacing it. Ward 10 Councillor Andre Chabot said there appears to be a proliferation of these uses in the Greater Forest Lawn area and is considering asking for work on how much a community can reasonably take on. Ward 9 Councillor Harrison Clark is preparing a motion to examine the equitable distribution of social housing across Calgary's communities. City permit data shows Forest Lawn and Albert Park/Radisson Heights host 12 of 21 such sites in the area, about 8 per 10,000 residents, compared with a citywide ratio of 2.2.
  
  
• A new City of Calgary report on the use and condition of sports fields finds demand for cricket pitches is far outpacing supply. Booked cricket pitches are used about 93% of the time, compared with 40% for baseball diamonds and 15% for soccer fields. The Calgary and District Cricket League says this season was the first in its nearly 120-year history that it had to turn away new teams for lack of space. The report notes cricket pitches are land-intensive, needing nearly two hectares each. Mayor Jeromy Farkas said the low use of soccer fields reflects their poor condition, arguing the City has not adequately maintained what it has and should build more multi-use facilities.
  
  
• The City of Calgary is recruiting 12 transit riders for a new advisory group called the Transit Champions Network. Mayor Jeromy Farkas has described the group as a "tiger team" that will provide feedback and ideas on improving Calgary Transit. Farkas said applicants do not need to be experts, only people who ride transit, care about its future, and are willing to speak up. Applications are being accepted through Calgary Transit's website.

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Alberta’s referendum is taking place today, with voters weighing in on nine questions about immigration and the Constitution, as well as a tenth on whether the province should explore separation from Canada.

You must cast your ballot at your assigned voting place in your electoral district, so click below to find your voting location and check what identification you need to bring:

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

This week's sponsor is you! We don't have big corporate backers, so if you like what you're reading, please consider making a donation or signing up as a monthly member.

Having said that, if you are a local business and are interested in being a sponsor, send us an email and we'll talk!