(CALGARY) If a majority of Communities First (CF) candidates are elected in the upcoming municipal election, Calgary’s controversial “blanket rezoning” will be repealed, and The City’s Planning department will be directed to undertake significant reforms in its operation.
In its first major policy commitment of the municipal campaign, Communities First candidates are supporting an expedited repeal of blanket rezoning, restoring the Land Use classifications and process in place before the May 2024 Public Hearing instituted RCG-base zoning. CF candidates are also endorsing a host of process improvements in Calgary’s City Planning Department to improve efficiency and expedite the review of lower-density land-use application reviews.
“The wholesale blanket rezoning of Calgary’s established neighbourhoods last year by the majority of this Council was not only contrary to the public will but also profoundly bad planning,” said CF Ward 10 candidate Andre Chabot. “It has created tremendous ill will in these communities and frustrates The City’s infrastructure planning. It’s a bad policy. It needs to go, and, if re-elected, I intend to introduce a motion to repeal it at our first Regular Meeting of Council.”
One of the most controversial elements of blanket rezoning is the elimination of Public Hearings in consideration of these applications, which are now vetted and approved by the Planning Department as Development Permit applications rather than Land Use. “That’s what I hear most at the doors in my community,” said CF Ward 11 candidate Rob Ward. “Most people aren’t opposed to redevelopment that is respectful to community character, but not being able to voice concerns if you have them, before your elected members of Council, seems decidedly out of keeping with local government. People want to be able to have their say before Council and have their elected officials be the ones who make these decisions, not some nameless, faceless bureaucrats.”
CF candidate Sonya Sharp noted that she brought forward proposals for streamlining RCG applications on two separate occasions in this term, only to have them rejected by a majority of the current Council. “There is an abundance of red tape in how The City’s Planning department operates. I brought forward proposals to cut it – twice – and both times, the mayor and this Council’s majority rejected them because they were hellbent on bringing in blanket rezoning. Cutting the public out of these decisions isn’t ‘cutting red tape;’ it’s bad government.” If elected, Sharp plans to re-introduce these measures as part of CF’s plan.
“Blanket rezoning, keep it or toss it, will be a major election issue this October. Our Communities First candidates offer a clear and unambiguous position on it, and I would challenge any of our opponents in the election to do the same. Voters have a right to know where you stand on this before you ask them for your support,” added Sharp.
-30-
