City Council is preparing to set the 2023-2026 budget
Beginning on November 21, Calgary City Council will set the budget for the next four years and determine how over $4-billion per year in public funds will be spent. Unfortunately, some Councillors may press to shift public dollars away from existing communities to fund costly infrastructure and services for new sprawl developments. New developments that will increase Calgary’s already oversized risk exposure to climate change. We can’t let that happen.
Some City Councillors are pushing to divert public funds to fund costly new sprawl developments that threaten to undermine Calgary’s ability to fight climate change.
Help us tell City Council to keep public dollars in existing communities
Help us remind City Council that Calgary already has enough new communities to meet projected growth for the next 15-21 years - enough to accommodate an estimated 318,000 new people!
We need Council to keep public dollars invested in our existing communities to support key services and infrastructure, including:
1) Restoring Calgary Transit service to pre-pandemic levels
Calgary Transit has fallen into a state of neglect, with infrequent and unreliable transit service that isn’t even planned to reach pre-pandemic levels of service until the end of 2023. Tell City Council to properly fund our public transit to be reliable and frequent to meet and exceed pre-pandemic service levels, with 10 minute minimum frequency on all BRT and LRT routes.
2) Building over 100km of new bike lanes and pathways
All communities in Calgary should have access to safe cycling and active mobility infrastructure. For less than the cost of two new interchanges for new sprawl communities, the City of Edmonton is planning to build over 100km of bike lanes over the next four years. Calgararians shouldn’t be left behind. We support Climate Hub’s plan for the City to fund at least 100 km of new bike lanes, which are Always Available for All Ages and Abilities (5A).
3) Revitalizing 10 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 approved $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.
4) Building more affordable housing
Affordable housing is critical to tackling poverty and making Calgary a safe place to live for all citizens.
TAKE ACTION: We need your help to tell City Council to keep public funds in existing communities!
📨 1) Sign up for Project Calgary email updates on the 2023-2026 City budget
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