Election 2025: Campaign Roundup - Day 17

Welcome to Day 17 of our Calgary 2025 Campaign Roundup!

With the 2025 municipal election underway, we'll be bringing you daily updates on all the policy proclamations, platform promises, and political point-scoring from the campaign trail.

As always, our work is entirely funded by donations from residents just like you, so if you appreciate the updates, please consider making a one-off donation or signing up as a supporter for just $10 a month - that's just 36 cents per email!

Campaign Roundup - Day 17:

• Calgary faces a $7.7 billion infrastructure gap after years of underfunding and poor coordination, highlighted by last year’s catastrophic water main break and deteriorating roads. Mayoral candidates are proposing various solutions, from better coordination and public accountability to targeted repair programs and stronger financial oversight. The Calgary Construction Association warns that without a long-term, bipartisan plan to systematically address infrastructure needs, the City risks repeating past failures.
  
  
• Mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas has accused opponents of “dirty tricks,” including fake polls, misleading letters, and sign vandalism, claiming these tactics target his lead in the race. Rival candidates, including Sonya Sharp (Communities First), Brian Thiessen (Calgary Party), Jeff Davison (independent), and incumbent Jyoti Gondek (independent), dismissed the allegations.
  
  
• Farkas also criticized Sonya Sharp’s shift from fully repealing blanket rezoning to an optional, opt-in model, calling it “a betrayal of voters’ trust.” He criticized her plan for placing the burden on homeowners to restore their original zoning, calling it chaotic, inequitable, and costly. Farkas reaffirmed his position to fully repeal blanket rezoning and implement a community-informed housing strategy that focuses new density near activity centres and transit corridors.
  
  
• Mayoral candidate Jeff Davison announced a pledge to implement a four-year municipal tax freeze without cutting core services, emphasizing fiscal discipline and affordability for Calgarians. He criticized opponents for promising costly, unfunded plans or reversing past positions, arguing City Hall should operate efficiently like a business. Davison highlighted the City’s $220 million mid-year surplus as evidence that a tax freeze is feasible while maintaining essential services like police, fire, transit, and roads.
  
  
• Mayoral candidates are proposing various measures to improve transit safety and accessibility. Sonya Sharp plans to pilot turnstiles at three CTrain stations to reduce fare evasion and enhance platform safety, while Jyoti Gondek aims to install protective barriers for bus drivers, form a transit safety committee, and explore expanding the free fare zone through corporate partnerships. Jeromy Farkas emphasized a comprehensive approach including prevention, enforcement, improved station lighting, and design changes to make transit safer and more reliable for riders.

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