Is the cheque in the mail? Or will it be an e-transfer? Perhaps the Liberal’s Housing Minister Sean Fraser will present the dough in person, so the members of city council who voted in favour of blanket zoning can bow down and accept his grandiose ‘donation’ of $228 million of taxpayers’ money, ostensibly to solve the housing crisis in Calgary. The feds attached a caveat to the money: Exclusionary zoning in Calgary must be eliminated or there’s no dough. Those who bowed down to the Liberal’s bribe were Mayor Gondek and Cllrs. Penner, Walcott, Carra, Pootmans, Dhaliwal, Spencer, Mian and Wyness. Saying no to the dough were Cllrs. Sharp, Chabot, McLean, Chu, Wong, and Demong. So, democracy be damned. During two weeks of public hearings, council heard from and was watched by thousands of Calgarians, 75% of whom said “no” to blanket zoning. Nine councillors ignored them and voted "yes."After the vote, the city issued a press release that has more BS in it than a cattle ranch. “We heard clearly from Calgarians that they care about the state of housing citywide, and also about what gets built next door,” said Tim Keane, general manager of planning & development services. “Both of these matter to The City too. We are committed to enabling more homes and making sure they fit well into our communities.” And this from the mayor: “Before the public hearing began, it was clear that housing is the top issue on Calgarians' minds and is truly the problem of our time,” said Gondek. “The stories Calgarians shared over the past few weeks painted a stark picture of the housing challenges being faced in this city. Council's decision confirms our commitment to meet that problem with the tools and plan we have.” Nowhere in the press release does it acknowledge the 75% of Calgarians who were against “the tools and plan we have.” In the release, the city says it made amendments to the original proposal “in response to feedback from Calgarians.” Do Calgarians get to see the amendments and voice their opinions about them? If you feel like wasting a day or two, try and find the amendments on the city’s website. Or don’t, because it appears some members of council don’t listen to the voices of Calgarians anyway. The truth is blanket zoning, which comes into effect on August 6, will not solve Calgary’s housing crisis, let alone put a dent into it. The city says the new zoning will add 750 homes to Calgary every year. It won’t. It’s mathematically and physically impossible. There aren’t that many Calgary homeowners who are going to demolish their homes every year. There isn’t enough labour to add an extra 750 homes each year. It is, as they say, “a nothing burger.” Dan McLean is one of the councillors who ‘gets it.’ “We had 4,347 people submit public submissions (before the public hearing began,) 90% of those were opposed. We heard if blanket rezoning passes, housing prices will come down, everyone will get an affordable home, rents will be cheaper, but we know that’s not true,” said McLean in a council meeting. The zoning is no longer the issue. The issue is the members of council who don’t give a rat's ass about you or what you want. The same members who brought you the single-use bylaw. The single-use bylaw was repealed after Calgarians vented their frustrations and anger. So too can this council be ‘repealed’ at the next civic election in October 2025. But Calgarians need to turn out at the polls in greater numbers than in the past. The same motivation that resulted in the large showing at the blanket zoning public hearing is what is required to turn out to pasture the council members who voted in favour. McLean said the outcome “will become an election issue and I wish luck to all of you who choose to ignore the wishes of a vast majority of Calgarians.” “Can you imagine knocking on the door when three-quarters of the people don’t like what you just did,” he said. “Usually, people have short memories in municipal politics, but people were engaged, more than we've ever seen over this issue. This is important, this is their homes, communities, their investments, so I think they’re going to remember that.”
Is the cheque in the mail? Or will it be an e-transfer? Perhaps the Liberal’s Housing Minister Sean Fraser will present the dough in person, so the members of city council who voted in favour of blanket zoning can bow down and accept his grandiose ‘donation’ of $228 million of taxpayers’ money, ostensibly to solve the housing crisis in Calgary. The feds attached a caveat to the money: Exclusionary zoning in Calgary must be eliminated or there’s no dough. Those who bowed down to the Liberal’s bribe were Mayor Gondek and Cllrs. Penner, Walcott, Carra, Pootmans, Dhaliwal, Spencer, Mian and Wyness. Saying no to the dough were Cllrs. Sharp, Chabot, McLean, Chu, Wong, and Demong. So, democracy be damned. During two weeks of public hearings, council heard from and was watched by thousands of Calgarians, 75% of whom said “no” to blanket zoning. Nine councillors ignored them and voted "yes."After the vote, the city issued a press release that has more BS in it than a cattle ranch. “We heard clearly from Calgarians that they care about the state of housing citywide, and also about what gets built next door,” said Tim Keane, general manager of planning & development services. “Both of these matter to The City too. We are committed to enabling more homes and making sure they fit well into our communities.” And this from the mayor: “Before the public hearing began, it was clear that housing is the top issue on Calgarians' minds and is truly the problem of our time,” said Gondek. “The stories Calgarians shared over the past few weeks painted a stark picture of the housing challenges being faced in this city. Council's decision confirms our commitment to meet that problem with the tools and plan we have.” Nowhere in the press release does it acknowledge the 75% of Calgarians who were against “the tools and plan we have.” In the release, the city says it made amendments to the original proposal “in response to feedback from Calgarians.” Do Calgarians get to see the amendments and voice their opinions about them? If you feel like wasting a day or two, try and find the amendments on the city’s website. Or don’t, because it appears some members of council don’t listen to the voices of Calgarians anyway. The truth is blanket zoning, which comes into effect on August 6, will not solve Calgary’s housing crisis, let alone put a dent into it. The city says the new zoning will add 750 homes to Calgary every year. It won’t. It’s mathematically and physically impossible. There aren’t that many Calgary homeowners who are going to demolish their homes every year. There isn’t enough labour to add an extra 750 homes each year. It is, as they say, “a nothing burger.” Dan McLean is one of the councillors who ‘gets it.’ “We had 4,347 people submit public submissions (before the public hearing began,) 90% of those were opposed. We heard if blanket rezoning passes, housing prices will come down, everyone will get an affordable home, rents will be cheaper, but we know that’s not true,” said McLean in a council meeting. The zoning is no longer the issue. The issue is the members of council who don’t give a rat's ass about you or what you want. The same members who brought you the single-use bylaw. The single-use bylaw was repealed after Calgarians vented their frustrations and anger. So too can this council be ‘repealed’ at the next civic election in October 2025. But Calgarians need to turn out at the polls in greater numbers than in the past. The same motivation that resulted in the large showing at the blanket zoning public hearing is what is required to turn out to pasture the council members who voted in favour. McLean said the outcome “will become an election issue and I wish luck to all of you who choose to ignore the wishes of a vast majority of Calgarians.” “Can you imagine knocking on the door when three-quarters of the people don’t like what you just did,” he said. “Usually, people have short memories in municipal politics, but people were engaged, more than we've ever seen over this issue. This is important, this is their homes, communities, their investments, so I think they’re going to remember that.”
