(Calgary) At today’s Regular Meeting of Council, City councillors with Communities First (CF) will immediately move to refer Mayor Jyoti Gondek’s Notice of Motion—proposing $20 million in capital spending—to the November 2025 budget deliberations. They note the motion is, at best, vague and outside the proper budget process, and at worst, an act of electioneering.
CF councillors support the sentiment of Gondek’s motion, but express concerns about its lack of detail and budget rigour.
Mayoral candidate and current Ward 1 Councillor Sonya Sharp noted, “I love wading pools, splash pads, and recreation centres – who doesn’t? But when it comes to spending $20 million, I also love having a request considered in the context of our other unfunded parks and recreation capital priorities. It doesn’t make much sense to do this in isolation without seeing the targeted projects on the list and where they sit in our unfunded priority list overall. And concerning the Federation of Calgary Communities proposal, I’m supportive in principle, but it was just released this spring. I’d like our administration to work with the federation on a more fulsome and detailed capital request in November’s budget deliberations.”
Beyond the lack of detail in the mayor’s Notice of Motion, CF councillors are concerned about a $20 million spend occurring outside the established budget process. CF Ward 10 candidate (and sitting councillor) Andre Chabot said, “C.D. Howe just gave Calgary a ‘D’ for our budgeting practices. This is the mayor’s budget process – she’s the one who introduced this poorly rated system – and now she’s ignoring her own protocols. It’s like she’s trying to get The City an ‘F’ on next year’s C.D. Howe report.”
CF councillors also question the timing of Gondek’s Notice of Motion, given the municipal election is now only 176 days away. CF candidate for Ward 13 and sitting Councillor Dan McLean noted, “We’ve seen this movie more than once. Funding gets allocated for pet projects mid-year, then at budget time we’ll be told we don’t have enough money for police cars, fire trucks and C-Train cars, so we have to raise taxes. This is $20 million of electioneering, plain and simple. You have an unpopular mayor trying to sprinkle public money around to garner some goodwill before the election. In concept, I’m not opposed to anything on Jyoti’s list, but November budget deliberations are where these decisions should be made.”
The Notice of Motion in question is on the regular Council agenda for April 29, and CF councillors will move a referral motion as soon as it is introduced.
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