FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2025
(Calgary) On June 17, Communities First councillors are bringing a Notice of Motion to Executive Committee to reinforce a fundamental principle of good governance: staying in your lane.
The Notice of Motion, brought forward by Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Dan McLean, and Terry Wong, calls for a clear, public breakdown of which services are a municipal responsibility, and which ones belong to the province or federal government. They’re also calling for all City reports to clearly label which order of government is responsible, and for regular, transparent updates showing how many Council reports are focused on municipal issues versus provincial or federal ones.
“It’s time for City Hall to get back to basics and focus on what’s actually within our jurisdiction,” said CF Mayoral Candidate and current Ward 1 Councillor Sonya Sharp. “Are we delivering the service? Supporting it? Or advocating to another order of government? Right now, The City of Calgary is spending over $135 million each year on municipal tax-funded services that aren’t even our job. That’s like a family dipping into their mortgage payments to buy groceries for the entire block — well-intentioned, but unsustainable. If we’re serious about fixing our budget and delivering core services properly, Council needs to stay in its lane.”
Sharp emphasized that there are existing mechanisms to advocate for Calgary at the provincial level — we just aren’t using them effectively. “Instead of taking everything on ourselves, we need to make better use of advocacy tools like Alberta Municipalities and other intergovernmental channels to advocate for the funding and support Calgarians need.”
CF Ward 10 candidate and sitting Councillor Andre Chabot says it’s time for a reset. “Too often we’re debating things that belong to the province or federal government, and yet we’re footing the bill. That kind of mission creep is a huge part of why your property taxes keep going up while core services don’t improve. This motion will put those conversations in black and white so we can stop wasting time and taxpayer dollars.”
Examples of initiatives that should fall under the provincial and federal governments include spending on income supports, the ill-fated bag bylaw, and mental health and addictions programs.
“Instead of focusing on improving public safety, roads, or core infrastructure, we spend hours debating programs that fall well outside The City’s mandate,” said CF Ward 7 candidate and sitting Councillor Terry Wong. “That’s not leadership. It’s political posturing, and Calgarians are paying the price for it.”
The problem goes beyond process; it’s about priorities. CF Ward 13 candidate and sitting Councillor Dan McLean didn’t hold back.
“There are candidates out here chasing headlines and trying to be everything to everyone,” said McLean. “Meanwhile, Calgarians are still waiting for potholes to be filled, snow cleared regularly, and streets to feel safe again. This motion is about saying: enough. Let’s get back to basics and do our actual jobs.”
The motion directs Administration to create and publish a clear chart showing which government is responsible for what, including infrastructure, income support, healthcare, education, affordable housing, and more. It will clearly label when The City is primarily responsible for a service, supports it with another order of government, or plays an advocacy role. It also calls for each Council report to include a jurisdictional label starting in Q4 2025.
If the motion passes technical review at Executive Committee on Tuesday, it will move on to the Regular Meeting of Council for debate and approval on June 24.
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