Calgary Minute: Merry Christmas, Olympic Bricks, and Rental Regulations Approved

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

This Week In Calgary:

• It’s Christmas on Wednesday. Thank you to every single one of our readers and supporters who reached out, donated, volunteered, or shared our content this year. We appreciate every single one of you and hope you have a wonderful holiday season filled with friends and family. Merry Christmas!
  
  
• We don’t often use these weekly emails to explicitly ask for support, but we’re in the middle of our year-end fundraiser, and we’ve set a goal to raise $20,000 by December 31st. This is a critical time for non-profits, and reaching our goal will ensure we can continue the important work we do. If you value what we bring to the table and want to see us keep going, please consider making a donation today. Every bit helps, and we’re deeply grateful for your support. You can contribute by clicking here. Thank you!
  
  
• There are no Council or Committee meetings this week, as Council is on break. Meetings at City Hall will resume on January 8th.

Last Week In Calgary:

• Over 5,000 people have registered to retrieve inscribed bricks from Calgary’s Olympic Plaza before its reconstruction begins next month. These bricks, which commemorate the 1988 Winter Olympics, have sentimental value, but many are damaged or illegible, making recovery challenging. Registrants will be notified by early January if their bricks were successfully salvaged and provided details for collection. Public outcry prompted the City to reverse its initial stance of destroying all 33,000 bricks.
  
  
• Calgary City Council narrowly approved a motion to explore the potential reinstatement of the Resilient Roofing Rebate Program, which previously offered $3,000 rebates for hail-resistant roofing materials. Proposed by Ward 5 Councillor Raj Dhaliwal, the motion aims to review the program's effectiveness and equity after its cancellation in 2022 due to oversubscription and limited funding. Dhaliwal emphasized this initiative is a fact-finding step, not an immediate reintroduction of the program, which initially aided over 1,600 households. The findings and recommendations are expected in mid-2025.
  
  
• Council has approved new rules regulating short-term rentals, including higher licensing fees and a moratorium on new licenses for non-primary residences when the city's rental vacancy rate falls below 2.5%. The new fees, set to begin in 2025, range from $172 for primary residences to $510 for non-primary ones, with short-term rental companies like Airbnb facing a $3,000 annual fee. The rules also restrict short-term rentals in affordable housing and include a freeze on licensing during low vacancy periods. Industry representatives argue the changes will negatively impact the local economy and tourism sector. The rules are set to take effect in April 2025, though the moratorium on licenses may not apply immediately.

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