‘Another version of equalization:’ Calgary reacts to provincial budget

Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas is expressing his displeasure with the Alberta government’s education property tax requisition for 2026.

Farkas spoke to reporters Thursday after the UCP government tabled its budget and again Friday morning.

The mayor says with the province set to request an increase of about $500 million this year, Calgary, based on previous years, is expected to shoulder about a third of that.

It means, on average, a Calgary homeowner could see an increase of about $340 this year tacked onto their property tax bill thanks to the province.

“I want to make sure that if Calgarians are seeing a property tax increase on the provincial portion, that the province shows their work about investment coming back here to Calgary,” Farkas said.

The hike comes as Calgary is set to see a $6 million reduction in funding from the Local Government Fiscal Framework a fund that helps with infrastructure needs, due to lower provincial revenues.

“If property taxes are being jacked up for Calgarians and that money is being spent elsewhere in other municipalities, we are just seeing another version of equalization,” the mayor added.

He says this budget is not good for Calgarians.

“This biggest tax increase in Calgary’s history being pushed down Calgarians throats by our provincial government, this is going to trigger an extreme affordability crisis in our city and we cannot abide by that,” Farkas said.

But when it comes to spending, the budget includes billions of dollars for Calgarians in areas like education, healthcare and transit, some of which have already been announced.

Investments include 14 new school projects in Calgary and over $1 billion over three years to expand the city’s LRT network.

While those investments are welcomed in the budget, there are still challenges that lie ahead.

“It doesn’t solve the problem of long-term revenue and so we really need to have a longer-term approach in the coming years knowing that our resource revenue is going to continue to be a challenge that Alberta faces,” said Ruhee Ismail-Teja, Vice President, Policy and External Affairs, Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

Lower-than-expected oil prices and changing geopolitical conditions are among the reasons for the massive deficit cited in this year’s budget.

Farkas says a planned deficit costing billions over the next three years is evidence the model of the provincial budget relying on the price of oil is untenable.

“There should be zero linkage to what the current rates of various resource royalties are — how much money is coming in from energy production — compared to what money is being available for essential infrastructure,” he said.

“What we are seeing are some proposed changes to the income support expected to work program as an example… Savings on the backs of people living in poverty aren’t necessarily the right way to meet the tough needs of a budget year,” said Michelle James, Director of Policy, Vibrant Communities Calgary.