Fix City Planning

Effort to Let Residents Decide – A Notice of Motion was presented by five Council colleagues and I to bring the blanket rezoning policy to a 'Vote of Electors' during the next municipal election. This would have allowed more comprehensive debate and for residents to have their say on the issue. Defeated 8-6 at a Special Meeting of Council on March 13, 2024.

Strong Opposition to Blanket Rezoning – 88% of written submissions opposed Rezoning for Housing during the Public Hearing.

Broken Trust for Participants – After a record turnout of speakers at the Public Hearing (mostly in opposition), nine of my Council colleagues voted in favour of this policy, totally disregarding the will of the residents of Calgary.

Bad Planning and Bad Policy – The rezoning for housing policy is overly broad and is lazy planning. Better policy would be to expedite approvals for new subdivisions and development permits. Focus density in new communities where it can be planned for and prioritize Transit-Oriented Development where density makes the most sense.

Restoring Trust – We need to heal the wounds and divisions created between the City of Calgary and residents over this controversial policy. I will present a motion to overturn the Rezoning for Housing policy at the earliest opportunity after the next election.

After hearing from numerous residents and communities concerned about the proposed blanket rezoning policy, five of my Council colleagues and I decided to present a Notice of Motion requesting that the issue be brought to a ‘Vote of Electors’ during the next municipal election. I believe this would have facilitated a more comprehensive debate on the subject and ensured that Calgary residents could express their wishes to City Council and Administration. If successful, this motion would have postponed the public hearing on the matter until after a plebiscite was held. Unfortunately, this motion was defeated 8-6 at a Special Meeting of Council on Wednesday, March 13, 2024.

We received significant opposition to the Rezoning for Housing policy during the public hearing process, and I was dismayed to see nine of my council colleagues vote in favour of the policy despite the widespread dissent. Therefore, I plan to introduce a motion at the earliest opportunity following the next election to repeal the blanket rezoning policy.

This policy is overly broad and is lazy planning. We need to concentrate density in areas where it is sensible and where adequate infrastructure is already in place to support it. Specifically, we should expedite approvals for new communities designed with built-in density, as well as prioritize Transit-Oriented Development to address the rapidly increasing housing demands in our city. I believe that reversing this misguided decision will significantly help restore trust among residents who felt overlooked and disrespected during the passing and implementation of this policy. Restoring trust with residents is my number one priority over the next term.