Thanks to the joint advocacy of hundreds of Calgarians like you, City Council has spared the 2024 budget from punishing austerity cuts to investments in everyday citizens.

Important investments made in transit, libraries, parks, community safety and affordable housing:

🏘️ City Council funded the Housing Strategy! This includes specific funding for Indigenous housing providers, a land and housing acquisition strategy, housing for equity-deserving communities, and more.

🚌🚸 Free Transit for children under 12 - continuing to fund a program that was originally put in place in January 2022. We're also capping transit fare increases to 3% (instead of 6%).

🚲 5A Network funding so we can build more protected cycle tracks. Unfortunately, new funding was halved from $31.4M to $16.4M and will only add an additional 7-8km of new network.

🙉 Reducing vehicle noise and improving traffic safety: FINALLY! This will fund a peace officer team to focus on vehicle noise (in spring/summer) and traffic safety in the off season (school zones, community safety).

NEXT: we need to work with City Council to finally ban gas powered leaf blowers👿

🦺 Funding the Transit Safety Strategy - integrated responses between CPS and Transit Peace Officers, increasing Transit Peace Officers on transit, improving station experiences for riders, and more.

🛝 Playground improvements! Community park upgrades, replacements, and new infrastructure such as shade structures, seating, playground equipment (including accessible playgrounds).

📚🏊 A new library and community amenities in Symons Valley / Sage Hill!

💚 Investing in the Green Line transit corridor, including introducing new bus services feeding the future Green Line.

🏪 Improving Calgary's competitiveness for small businesses, so that they can grow, re-invest, and plan for the future.

🏙️ Bridge funding for more office-to-residential conversions so we can built more housing sooner.

📋Here's a full list of the new investments:

(Source: City of Calgary, C2023-1148, Attachment 5, Table 2 - Investment Recommendations)

Arena subsidy boosters attempt to block investments in everyday citizens to hide arena tax

When the city announced the deal to commit $831-million in public funds to build a new arena for the billionaire Flames owners last April, Arena Committee Chair Coun. Sonya Sharp boldly proclaimed "No added taxes to taxpayers. There's the question, that's the answer."

But in the face of municipal tax increases this last week, the two councillors who spearheaded the use of public funds to subsidize the billionaire Flames owners, Coun. Sharp and Coun. McLean, pushed for "fiscal responsibility" and a punishing austerity agenda to block investments that would directly help everyday citizens.

Councillor Sonya Sharp, chair of City Council's Arena Committee, and Councillor Dan McLean spearheaded the billionaire bailout of $831-million in public funds to build a new arena for the Flames owners - now triggering tax increases. (Image sources: The Sprawl, City News)

👀 Summary of attempted cuts to investments for everyday citizens that don't own a hockey team

❌ Cut $8M funding to the Green Line expansion north (McLean, Wyness, Chu, Chabot)

❌ Cut $4M for the secondary suite incentive program (McLean, Wyness. Chu, Demong, Chabot)

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

❌ Cut $6M for mental health and addictions strategy (McLean, Wyness, Chu, Demong, Wong, Sharp, Chabot)

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

❌ Cut funding for peace officers to ticket noisy vehicles (McLean, Wyness, Chu, Wong, Sharp, Chabot) 

Dan McLean wants taxpayers to subsidize new sprawl interchanges for suburban developers 💸

❌ Asked if City could subsidize $260M for new sprawl interchanges at 194 & 210 Ave South (McLean)

$831-million arena subsidy drives 7.8% property tax increase 📈

University of Calgary economist Trevor Tombe has repeatedly confirmed that the arena subsidy impacts the taxpayer: “Those funds could have been used to either cushion the increase that we’re seeing or help offset some of the costs of different initiatives”.

💫 Support Project Calgary’s 2023 Funding Drive!

The 2023 Project Calgary Funding Drive is now live, running November 24th to December 1st. We need your help to keep going so we can continue to advocate for a better city for another year. Please consider chipping in!