Calgary city council sometimes gets involved in debates and legislation that are outside its jurisdiction, according to the Communities First municipal party. To that end, four sitting councillors and members of the party, are bringing a notice of motion to the executive meeting of council on Tuesday calling for more clarity on which services and legislation come under the guidance of the municipal, provincial and federal governments. The councillors, Sonya Sharp (Ward 1), Andre Chabot (Ward 10), Dan McLean (Ward 13) and Terry Wong (Ward 7) are also calling for all city reports to be labelled to identify the level of government to which each report pertains, as well as identifying how many reports coming to council are focused on municipal issues versus provincial or federal ones. “Right now, the City of Calgary is spending over $135 million a year on programs and services that aren’t even municipal responsibilities,” said Sharp in a release. “That’s $135 million of your property taxes being used to fund things that belong to the province or Ottawa.” “That’s like a family dipping into their mortgage payments to buy groceries for the entire block. Well-intentioned, but unsustainable. If we’re serious about fixing our budget and delivering core services properly, council needs to stay in its lane.” .Sharp added mechanisms exist to advocate for Calgary at the provincial level but aren’t being used effectively. “Instead of taking everything on ourselves, we need to make better use of advocacy tools like Alberta Municipalities and other intergovernmental channels to advocate for the funding and support Calgarians need,” she said. In the release, Chabot said the motion is basically calling for a reset. “Too often we’re debating things that belong to the province or federal government, and yet we’re footing the bill," he said. "That kind of mission creep is a huge part of why your property taxes keep going up while core services don’t improve. This motion will put those conversations in black and white so we can stop wasting time and taxpayer dollars.” Issues that have come to council that fall under the provincial or federal governments include spending on income supports, the ill-fated bag bylaw, and mental health and addictions programs, said the release. .“Instead of focusing on improving public safety, roads, or core infrastructure, we spend hours debating programs that fall well outside the city’s mandate,” said Wong. “That’s not leadership, it’s political posturing, and Calgarians are paying the price for it.” McLean said the problem goes beyond process and is about priorities. “There are candidates out here chasing headlines and trying to be everything to everyone,” said McLean. “Meanwhile, Calgarians are still waiting for potholes to be filled, snow cleared regularly and streets to feel safe again. This motion is about saying ‘enough’. Let’s get back to basics and do our actual jobs.” The notice of motion calls on city administration to create a chart that shows the responsibilities of each level of government including infrastructure, income support, healthcare, education, affordable housing, and more. “It will clearly label when the city is primarily responsible for a service, supports it with another order of government, or plays an advocacy role,” said Sharp. “It also calls for each council report to include a jurisdictional label starting in Q4 2025.” .If the motion passes technical review at council’s executive committee meeting on Tuesday, it will go onto the agenda of the regular meeting of council for debate and approval on June 24.
