Calgary budget talks underway; police and emergency services seek more funding

The City of Calgary started its council session on the proposed Calgary budget Monday including talks with the Calgary Fire Department and Calgary Police Service.

Police are asking for around $100 million in capital investments and additional funding. The service had a budget of $433 million for 2022, and this is projected to jump to $467 million by 2026.

CPS put forward a preview of its proposed budget which includes a nearly $34 million increase over the next four years, and $77 million in capital investments for equipment and new vehicles.

This would be used to help staff over 280 new positions, with 130 of those new police officers. Civilian positions would be around 157 positions.

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld says it would help alleviate burnout.

“It would reduce pressure on our employees, where there is a lot of pressure now,” he said. “We’ve seen our overtime and callout has gone up, and we’ve been living on that, which is not a good thing. That candle will burn bright but short.”

Neufeld claims this is a result of an increase in protests and demonstrations.

The capital budget request of $77 million is split between capital investments and reserves from CPS ($15 million).

The Calgary Fire Department is also proposing an additional $34 million in funding. Capital investments for fire trucks and new fire stations are going up from what was already approved by the city from $119 million to $193 million — an increase of $73 million.

Emergency management is asking for over $6 million more than the 2022 budget, from $33 million to nearly $40 million. It’s also asking for $69 million in additional capital investment from an already approved $9 million, going up to $78 million.

Council starts talks with the arts

The city started the day hearing from recreation, arts, culture, and tourism groups, with each group asking for additional funding to help Calgary make its mark as a “world-class city.”

A key aspect of the budget previews focused on downtown revitalization. Groups proposed the city further brand itself as a conference destination or a hub for technology.

The CEO of Calgary Tourism, Cindy Ady, says the city has the opportunity to establish its brand.

“There’s a perception of an old brand of Calgary, but the new Calgary actually is a very innovative, aggressive city,” she said.

“It’s probably the third most diverse city in the country. Very few people know that about us, but what we have is an immense amount of talent, young talent, aggressive talent, and Calgary is changing from what it was before. It was good before, but it is always a city that re-invents itself.”

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says she hears the message loud and clear.

“The message is pretty consistent, they have been hit by some hard times and we have also expected them to take on a lot over the past few years,” the mayor said.

“Obviously, they are all interested in experiencing a little bit of a bump to what they have been promised in this budget, and we shall see how those deliberations go.”

Gondek says the groups are “incredibly valuable” to the city’s revitalization.

Calgary’s budget could do more

While the city goes over the proposed budget, advocacy groups in the city are disappointed in a lack of funding for climate action.

Molly Bennett, president and CEO of Bike Calgary, says she’s disappointed that the city’s proposed budget doesn’t have specific funding allocated to fund active transportation.

The city declared a climate emergency and approved a climate strategy in July 2021.

“In order to reach those climate goals, their plans, their published plans rely heavily on a mode share shift of transportation from cars to active transportation, walking, wheeling and public transportation,” said Bennett.

“The City of Calgary is stating that those things are a critical part of reaching their declared climate emergency. But our ask as an organization is how they are going to do that without the requisite funding to do so.”

There is no active transportation funding program, but the budget under deliberation does include money that could build things like a bike path.

Under the proposed budget, Calgary Transit is earmarked to receive an investment of around $500 million. However, the cost to take the bus or train could rise by $4 one way for an adult by 2026.

Transit says the increase is necessary to replace old buses and trains, bring in on-demand service, and improve frequency.

Related Stories:

• Calgary budget: property taxes up an average of 3.7% over four years

• ‘Not good’: Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek approval rating plummets in first year

• Calgarians concerned about rising crime: ThinkHQ survey

The City of Calgary’s 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets, the total annual operating budget is expected to increase to $4.9 billion by 2026 from $4.6 billion.

However, the total amount of tax collected from existing properties is going to increase by an annual 3.7 per cent. Calgary homeowners could see a property tax hike of 5.2 per cent in 2023.

Roughly 65 per cent of the property taxes are intended for city services, while 34 per cent will go to the province.

-With files from Mark Strashok and Jillian Code