Calgary councillors look to boost police funding in wake of budget shortfall

A group of city councillors are looking to boost Calgary police funding in the wake of news the force is facing a multi-million dollar shortfall.

On Tuesday, city council’s executive committee passed a technical review for a notice of motion to address police financing that was proposed by a group of four councillors.

Police Chief Mark Neufeld has said the force will be out $28 million after the UCP government restricted automated traffic enforcement.

The notice of motion put forward by Couns. Sonya Sharp, Jennifer Wyness, Terry Wong, and Andre Chabot is asking the province to reconsider. It will be voted on at a future council meeting.

“I think the province needed to understand a little bit more about how these tools in Calgary were being used,” says Sharp.

The notice of motion includes a list of demands relating to the city’s police funding: for administration to create a report with funding options for the commission by March 18, for administration to advocate to the provincial government for a reassessment of strict photo radar policies and for administration to request exemptions for photo radar in high-collision areas.

The group is also asking for a report on the city’s speed and traffic calming measures — including annual costs and comparisons — to be brought to council by March 18.

They also want more information about the commission’s proposal to cut ties between fine revenue and the police budget, which would mean a committment to long-term police funding reform.

Sharp, Wyness, Wong, and Chabot say the “cash cow” narrative put forward by the province is a “myth” and that traffic enforcement should always be about safety and not funding.

“I hope that they are seeing the unfortunate realities of some of the fatalities we’ve had on the streets of Calgary, and how important it is for us to have as many tools to enforce and keep Calgarians and Albertans safe on our roads,” says Coun. Wyness, who also sits on the police commission.

Chabot adds the goal of the motion is to ensure public safety isn’t left in limbo due to funding uncertainty.

Police chief says budget shortfall due to photo radar cuts

Last week, Neufeld sent an internal memo to CPS members informing them of the drastic drop in funding which he blamed on the province’s cuts to photo radar.

“We are examining strategies to maintain core services to address public safety but recognize there will be impacts across the organization,” CPS said in a statement on Feb. 6. “We will continue to evaluate and monitor to determine the full scope of how this will impact our service to Calgarians.”

Alberta has said repeatedly it believes photo radar was being used as a cash grab, not to promote public safety.

The Calgary Police Commission now says it is of a similar opinion, highlighting a position taken last year that advocated for fine revenue to be removed from future police budgets to ensure safety was the only focus of enforcement.

In 2024, photo radar generated $171 million in revenue for the province.

According to the Commission, the province shares 40 per cent of the revenue from traffic fines with municipalities, and Calgary council has historically used that money to lower the funding needed to pay for policing.

Calgary’s share of revenue in 2024 — prior to the discontinuation of most photo enforcement locations -was around $15 million less than expected, and that gap was only expected to increase.

The Commission says it, CPS, council, and the province need to work together to manage the financial implications of lower traffic enforcement.

However, it says the financial impact initiated by the end of photo radar are not nearly as concerning as the potential community safety implications.

“Our Commission is grateful for council’s willingness to work closely with us to ensure that Calgary’s police are properly resourced,” the Commission said in a statement. “Public safety is a top priority for Calgarians and we are all committed to delivering the policing services that Calgarians expect.”