New poll shows strong early approval for Calgary’s mayor, council
Posted May 27, 2026 3:12 pm.
Last Updated May 27, 2026 7:10 pm.
A new snapshot of public opinion suggests Calgarians are feeling upbeat about their local government.
A Probe Research survey finds Mayor Jeromy Farkas and city council earning high marks from residents across the city, regardless of political leanings.
Six months into his first term, Calgary’s new mayor is receiving broad support with 80 per cent of respondents strongly or somewhat approving of Farkas’ performance. Nearly three‑quarters say the same about their local councillor, and about 70 per cent approve of council as a whole.
Support for the mayor is especially strong in the northwest and among older residents.
The poll also finds Calgarians optimistic about the city’s direction. Nearly 60 per cent believe Calgary is moving the right way, which is a far more positive outlook than their views of Alberta, Canada, or global trends.
“We kind of have this little island of optimism in Calgary amid this sea of pessimism about how things are going everywhere else,” said Robson Fletcher, a data analyst with Probe Research.
The optimism cuts across partisan lines. Whether respondents identified more with the UCP or the NDP, both groups were equally likely to say Calgary is headed in the right direction.
Fletcher says that kind of cross‑partisan agreement is increasingly rare.
“On a wide range of issues you’ll often find UCP supporters have one opinion and NDP supporters have another,” he says. “When it comes to Calgary city council and the mayor of Calgary in particular, we do see this cross‑partisan support.”
More than a quarter of respondents cite the cost of living as the city’s top issue, followed by housing costs (13 per cent), crime and public safety (13 per cent), and poverty and homelessness (12 per cent). Infrastructure, unemployment, and taxes also rank as notable concerns.
The survey was conducted using an online panel of 595 adults and weighted to reflect Alberta’s demographics. It was conducted between April 27 and May 6.
