News

Common Sense Calgary is concerned that the incoming City Charters will provide the City with a vehicle for new taxation powers. Today, we launched a petition calling on you, the citizens of Calgary, to support a referendum that will allow you to vote on whether City Council should be given taxation powers through the City Charters. This petition is part of a broader coalition titled, "See Charter, Think Tax." 

December 14, 2016

See Charter Think Tax Coalition Calls Alberta Mayors’ Ask for New Tax Powers “Out of Touch”

CALGARY, AB: The See Charter, Think Tax coalition is calling for a reality check for the mayors of Calgary and Edmonton after they signed a letter asking for more tax powers on Tuesday.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson joined the mayors of Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver to ask their premiers for new tax powers. Reportedly, the mayors said they need to ask permission to “do the right thing” for residents. 

December 14, 2016 

CALGARY, AB: The See Charter, Think Tax coalition is calling for a reality check for the mayors of Calgary and Edmonton after they signed a letter asking for more tax powers on Tuesday.

Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson joined the mayors of Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver to ask their premiers for new tax powers. Reportedly, the mayors said they need to ask permission to “do the right thing” for residents.

Over the past 18 months, the City of Calgary has been piloting a 6.5 km network of cycle track in the downtown core which officially opened on June 18, 2015. To the City's credit, it has considered the effects of the track on all parties, and communicated early and often with stakeholders, conducting 24 engagement meetings, and 150 business visits. It even hired students as bike ambassadors to introduce the new lanes and correct cycling behaviour by handing out cycling guides. The City also has installed display boards as a thermometer to benchmark the cyclists, like a people counter, and in fact, has made 100 changes over the trial period to help improve traffic, cycling, parking and business relations. Recently, the Respecting Environment and People (REAP), hosted a presentation related to the centre city track network. What were the findings?

City Council just completed a three-day budget review for 2017. There were some very good presentations given by Public Safety, Information Technology and many other departments. These departments with managers and staff in tow carrying armloads of documents, presented a well-prepared self analysis of their progress and their plans for the future on a number of programs including how Calgarians dispose of their household waste.

I've always loved the happy book "Pollyanna." It has even given rise to the "Pollyanna Principle" that suggests that people tend to remember pleasant items more accurately than unpleasant things. I was having a Pollyanna moment the other day at Council as I started reading through the action plan "Mid-Cycle Adjustments: The City's Response to the Change in the Local Economy” booklet. The headlines caused flashbacks in my brain: "A well run city” "A prosperous city" "A city of inspiring neighbourhoods“ "A city that moves!” I was thinking, "Wow! Things are great, I'm optimistic! Times are wonderful!" Then reality hit, and I realized, "Wait a minute, this isn't 2013. It's 2016!" 

November 21, 2016, was the day that started the deliberations of Calgary's budget for 2017, which is actually year three of a four-year plan. It is an annual time allocation that gives Council the opportunity to review and revise the operating and capital budget plan for the coming year. To grasp the enormity of what it takes to keep the "big machine" and its needs addressed, the annual Capital Budget for 2014 - 2018 is set at $5.8 billion. According to the City of Calgary website, 48 percent of this spending is derived from taxes.  

It seems as though we are having a geographical shift in the relocation of businesses from the downtown core of Calgary to the suburbs. The oil and gas industry is slashing operating costs, vacating office space and shedding once highly valued yet now unaffordable employees. One would think engineers and other skilled professionals are flocking to the "burbs," but are they really?