💸City Council to consider budget adjustments, including massive spending on four more new sprawl communities

Starting November 18th, Calgary City Council will be deciding budget adjustments for 2025 and beyond, including whether to divert public funds from existing communities to build four more new suburban sprawl communities costing an additional $51.7-million in operating costs and $508-million in capital expenses. 

City of Calgary Mid-Cycle 2023-2026 Budget Adjustments (C2024-1097) Figure 2 shows the locations of the four new proposed sprawl communities and the massive capital costs required if City Council decides to approve funding these new sprawl communities this November. Markups in red by Project Calgary.

City of Calgary Mid-Cycle 2023-2026 Budget Adjustments (C2024-1097) Table 5 shows $51.7M in potential operating expenses and Table 8 shows $508M in capital expenses if Council decides to approve four new suburban sprawl communities this November. 

💰Do Calgary taxpayers need to subsidize more sprawl communities for wealthy suburban developers?

In a short answer, no. According to City of Calgary reports from May 2024, Calgary already has enough approved and serviced land to build 75,982 new homes. Furthermore, the City of Calgary has a backlog of new sprawl developments for 51,408 new homes that require a further $1.8-billion in funding to fully service with major utilities, fire and mobility infrastructure.

City of Calgary Report (IP2024-0568 Attachment 3) shows Calgary's Citywide land supply context indicating enough.

⚠️City Administration warns Council of the costs of approving four more new sprawl communities 

In the report, City Administration warns council that the decision to fund the short-term costs of the four more new sprawl communities would lock the city into substantial long-term spending commitments for these communities as shown in the tables above.

"The decision to approve new community growth is a long-term commitment that starts with relatively low costs but accelerates as the population grows and services such as transit are introduced. It is critical to understand the future impacts of the decision to move forward with these recommendations." 

-City Administration (C2024-1097, page 9)

 

💰Councillors push austerity for taxpayers and corporate welfare for billionaires

Unfortunately, City Councillors Sonya Sharp and Dan "Gone Golfin" McLean, who both infamously spearheaded giving $831-million in public subsidies to build a new arena for one of the richest billionaires in Canada (who now lives in Switzerland), can't be trusted to keep public dollars from being diverted to wealthy suburban developers while they push harsh austerity cuts on Calgarians.

Councillor Sharp, chair of City Council's Arena Committee, championed over $831-million in public subsidies to build a new arena for the billionaire Flames owners.  (Image sources: The Sprawl, City News)

In 2023, Councillors Sonya Sharp and Dan McLean voted to:

❌ Cut $8M funding to the Green Line expansion north (McLean)

❌ Cut $4M for the secondary suite incentive program (McLean)

❌ Cut $3M for transit fare cap for adults (McLean)

❌ Cut $6M for mental health and addictions strategy (McLean, Sharp)

❌ Cut free transit for youth 12 and under (McLean, Sharp)

❌ Cut funding for peace officers to ticket noisy vehicles (McLean, Sharp) 

⛳️McLean found in violation of Code of Conduct for golfing with suburban developers during Council meeting

Image of Councillor Dan McLean's Microsoft Teams video feed while skipping a public Council meeting to golf with suburban developers on July 26th, 2023. (Source: Jeremy Appel)

The City's Integrity Commissioner found Councillor Dan McLean in violation of sections 9, 10, and 11, and in breach of sections 16 and 18 of the Code of Conduct for Elected Officials for attending and participating in the Shane Homes Golf Tournament during a public meeting of City Council.

📣Help us tell City Council to re-invest public dollars back in existing communities, not four more new sprawl communities

1) 🚃 Make Calgary Transit funding a priority, not an afterthought 

Calgary Transit has fallen into a state of neglect, with infrequent and unreliable transit service. Tell City Council to properly fund our public transit to be reliable and frequent with 10 minute minimum frequency on all BRT and LRT routes and finally introduce a Night Bus Network. Necessary investments include:

• Low Income Transit Pass sustainment for 2025 and onwards
• Calgary Transit Night Bus Network ($10M) establishing a 24-hour transit network through the creation of a network of night bus services with essential crosstown routes.
• North Central BRT - Max 301
• Blue Line extension and to 88 Ave NE and the airport

2) ❄️ Finally start citywide sidewalk snow clearing

Calgary is notorious for its treacherous sidewalks in the winter months. Unlike most other major Canadian cities, the City of Calgary clears only 4% of its sidewalks while Toronto, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Edmonton have robust sidewalk snow clearing programs. Icy and snow covered sidewalks make Calgary less accessible for the elderly, parents, and people with physical disabilities. According to cost estimates from other Canadian cities, the City could clear the entire 5,658 kms of sidewalks of snow citywide for $20M-$30M.

Meanwhile the City Administration is proposing to spend a whopping $40M to widen just 1.4km of suburban road.

3) 🚲🛴  Get serious about adding more protected pathways

All communities in Calgary should have access to safe cycling and active mobility infrastructure. Unfortunately, the City is still not adequately funding protected cycle tracks or pedestrian safety improvements - instead making only tiny, isolated piecemeal improvements.

Meanwhile, the City of Edmonton is planning to build over 100km of bike lanes over the next four years. Other winter cities like Montreal are making even more ambitious investments with plans to add 200-km of protected bike paths.

City Council needs to get with the times and make measurable progress on Calgary's safe pathway network with a commitment of at least 100km in the next four years.

4) 🏘️ Build more affordable housing and expedite transit oriented developments

Affordable housing is critical to tackling poverty and making Calgary a safe place to live for all citizens. Instead of costly new sprawl communities, City Council should be working on rapidly developing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) sites for a more balanced approach between established community and new sprawl development by activating under-utilized lands while increasing population density and diversifying housing, employment, and business opportunities. Promoting sustainable development and healthy lifestyles through improved walkability to C-Train stations are additional benefits.

5) 🏬 Revitalize more mainstreets and downtown

Calgary’s mainstreets support local businesses and their surrounding communities. But underinvestment in these streets has resulted in most of the planned revitalization projects for our mainstreets sitting on the shelf while Council approves $100M’s for new communities on the city’s fringe. City Council must fund the 10 approved mainstreets that have been sitting on the shelf unfunded since 2018.

📣TAKE ACTION: Help us tell City Council to re-invest public dollars back in existing communities, not four more new sprawl communities

💬 1) Speak at the City Council public budget hearings

Sign up to speak at the City Council budget public hearings starting on Monday, November 18th. Language translation services are available if needed. 

📨 2) Sign up for Project Calgary email updates on the 2025 budget adjustments

Stay connected on the latest news and advocacy on the budget adjustments.