The Calgary Plan was on city council’s agenda on Tuesday, with expectations it would be postponed, but it didn’t postpone it completely, but voting to postpone it until February 12, at which time it will be postponed until 2026, when it will be debated, still in its original form.
To clarify, Ward 1 Cllr. Sonya Sharp asked city administration, “As of today, we’re not postponing anything. The idea is you will come to the infrastructure planning committee meeting on February 12 and then look to a member of committee to postpone this?
“Yes,” came the answer from administration,
“If it doesn’t pass at that point, what will happen?” asked Sharp.
The answer was the same document that appeared on the agenda in December would reappear in 2026.
According to administration, the purpose of the plan is to fully integrate land use and transportation policy to support Calgary’s growth for the next 30 years.
“It’s intended to reduce complexity and simplify the Calgary Municipal development plan into a plain language document,” said administration.
Ward 13 Cllr. Dan Mclean is not a fan of the plan, in particular the language used in the plan.
In an exclusive interview with Western Standard, McLean did not hold back.
“Yeah, I don’t like it, I hate it,” he said. “Actually, I find it offensive. It’s just another far left leaning woke document.”
“Looking at planning documents from 15 years ago, they were upbeat, talking about how great the City of Calgary is, with a can-do attitude and entrepreneurship. The ‘Be Part of the Energy’ stuff and this plan, the whole thing just tells you how bad the city is. DEI and ESG, it’s front-loaded with that stuff.”
With large corporations backing away from wokeness and DEI, McLean says it’s still a major part of the culture at City Hall.
“Calgary Plan is all DEI and it’s not just that, it’s in every single thing we do here, it’s embedded into all city planning,” he said. “I heard from some people from City Hall and they say ‘we have to start off every morning with lectures about colonialism and DEI and white privilege. It's not a really good way to start your day. It’s killing morale.”
“And while other businesses are running away from DEI, because it’s divisive, offensive, and it costs a lot of money. (The City of Calgary) is a business (and) I’d like to know the dollars that have been spent to date on putting together this document.”
McLean said he would find out how much it costs and get back to Western Standard.
Since it was unveiled, the Calgary Plan has not been well-received all across the city, said McLean and it’s become a “hot potato.”
“It’s funny how this is something that (Ward 9 councillor) Carra and the mayor were pushing through but as soon as something turns into a hot potato, or public opinion is gone, she flips,” he said. “She goes whichever way the wind is blowing, she’s like a weather vane right now.”
“She was all about taking the pay raises and she shut me down trying to do a freeze. And now all of a sudden, she’s against it. She wants to do a freeze. And the Calgary Plan, she wants to do the same thing, she wants to defer it. She was all for it and now she wants to defer it.”
In an election year, no less, said Mclean.
“The Calgary Plan, they want it off their plate for the election, pushing it back to after the October municipal election,” he said, adding it should become a political issue at ballot boxes.
“Calgarians should have a say in how their city grows,” he said.
