Stop Council's $87 Billion Climate Calamity
Last year, immediately after getting elected, Mayor Jyoti Gondek announced that her first order of business at the helm of the City would be to declare a climate emergency.
If you think you missed that in her campaign platform, you didn’t - it simply wasn’t there.
But Mayor Gondek doesn't just intend to make a declaration and move on.
No, Gondek is attempting to push through an aggressive plan that would literally transform society.
She intends on legislating Calgarians’ every move to ensure her carbon goals come to fruition.
This week, we finally discovered the real cost of her hidden agenda.
“Calgary Climate Strategy - Pathways to 2050” was presented to the Community Development Committee and it contains a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
The 99-page strategy lays out the changes needed to create a climate-resilient city with net-zero emissions.
Some of the goals include ensuring 100% of all vehicles registered in Calgary are zero-emissions vehicles, all new buildings are built to a net-zero standard, and 60% of all trips taken are done by walking, wheeling, or transit.
Rooftop solar installations to offset the demand for residential electricity, public electric vehicle charging stations, and building retrofits are just a few more of the items on an extensive list that the strategy recommends implementing.
Now, don't get us wrong, some of those things seem alright - everyone would like to have higher quality homes and lower electricity bills.
The problem is the cost.
The City's own bureaucrats estimate the cost of this plan to be $87 billion.
Yes, you read that right - $87 billion.
Not $87 million, $87 billion.
That's eighty-seven thousand millions.
I'm going to repeat it again, because it is an absolutely ludicrous amount of money.
Seriously, $87 billion is about $175,000 per Calgary household.
That's $175,000 per family!
So, how exactly does the City intend to pay for this?
Well, that's where you come in!
Here's just a few of the "funding sources" the City is considering using to "raise" $175,000 from every Calgary family:
- Higher property taxes
- Franchise fees
- Fees and surcharges
- A Municipal Climate Tax
- Off-site levies
- Climate bonds
- Community Levies
The City also says they're gonna get the provincial and the federal government to pay for some of this.
But, other levels of government aren't about to only pay for one City to do this, are they?
They're going to want every City to do this.
And because Calgary and Alberta subsidize the rest of the country, you'll be paying for cities in Ontario and Quebec to do this as well!
When you add up your municipal, provincial, and federal taxes, your household will likely end up paying much more than $175,000.
Remember, municipal, provincial, and federal governments all like to talk about getting other levels of government to pay for things, but who is funding those other levels of government?
As the saying goes, there's only one taxpayer and - guess what - it's you!
The strategy describes climate change mitigation as an investment, rather than a cost.
But the City isn't planning to take your money, invest it, pay you interest, and give you back your money if you decide you'd prefer to invest it elsewhere.
No, they're planning to take your money, "invest" it in whatever they see fit, and then - poof - it's gone.
Maybe the things they buy with your money will be "worth it", maybe they won't - that will be up to them.
If someone asked you to give them $175,000 to "invest" in something like that, you'd call it a scam.
But the City of Calgary isn't planning on asking you, they're planning on forcing you.
“The City can use its jurisdictional powers to require emissions reductions and climate adaptation measures.”
The City is also considering “attributing responsibility for historical emissions” - whatever that means.
But the City can’t even manage to build a functional transit system without massive cost overruns and delays.
If the City's net-zero plan goes over budget in the same way the Green Line did, Calgary families could pay more in climate taxes than they paid for their entire house!
Unfortunately, the Committee voted to move the climate strategy ahead to the next full Council meeting, which means it is one step closer to becoming reality.
A huge, looming cost that Calgarians did not vote for will be in front of Council soon.
Council could vote on Mayor Gondek's proposal as early as next week, which means we have very little time to oppose this expensive strategy.
We need to say no to Council's Climate Calamity.
If you don’t want Council to spend $87 billion (or more!) on this “plan” please sign our petition now.
Then share the petition with your friends, family, co-workers, and every Calgarian, so they can make their voices heard too.
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