Calgary mayor blasts feds for joining hands with Toronto on municipal funding gap

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek took part in an economic outlook event Wednesday at the TELUS Convention Centre, discussing forecasts for the city and province’s economy in 2024.

However, it was an announcement from the east that had Gondek a little perplexed.

She told reporters the federal government is in talks with the City of Toronto to help with their municipal funding gap.

“Sadly, we do not have an equal partnership from the federal government,” Gondek said. “We are starting to make inroads with the provincial government, but hearing an announcement today that the federal government is interested in working with the City of Toronto to address their municipal funding gap was a little bit jarring for the rest of us in this country.”

According to Gondek, mayors across the country have been raising alarm bells for some time, trying to solicit the help of the federal government to fill the financial gap so desperately needed.

“As a group of big-city mayors and municipalities across Canada, we have raised the alarm bells for years that we need a new funding and financing model,” she said. “It’s fascinating that the feds have gone to Toronto to make that happen.

“I’m waiting for our invitation.”

Gondek said Calgary has made its data on the subject widely available and it’s not going to stop advocating for the co-operation it needs.

“In the meantime, there is an opportunity for the municipal government to interact effectively with the federal government and lay out the struggles they have — it’s a good sign,” she said. “I would offer that the City of Calgary put out a municipal gap report. We have shared it with other orders of government. We have not been quiet about this.”

Still, she is struggling with the Trudeau government’s choice to move ahead with Toronto on an initiative needed across the country.

“So, choosing who you’re going to engage with first without set criteria is a problem for the rest of us,” Gondek said.