CALGARY — There is an ideological divide between people speaking for or against repealing blanket upzoning at Calgary city council’s public hearing this week.
Those supporting a full repeal speak about neighbourhoods being destroyed by monstrous townhouse developments squeezed between single-family homes.
They speak about the inconveniences of lack of parking, additional garbage and recycling bins on the streets. They speak about losing their privacy because new neighbours in three-storey townhomes are staring down into their homes and backyards.
They speak of months of construction equipment blocking, even closing, streets and portable toilets on the streets. They speak about a city council that, two years ago, defied the wishes of Calgarians and implemented blanket upzoning.
Those against repealing talk about the need for more housing in the city; they argue about the need for more affordable housing; they speak about the ‘attitude’ of single-family homeowners, ‘thinking they are better than others.’
The group against includes a variety of affordable housing agencies that benefit from housing grants from the city; grants that include a lot of tax money from single-family homeowners. Regardless, the agencies also argue single-family homes stand in the way of affordability.
The only reason these agencies could possibly have for speaking to council is to get exposure and promote themselves to the public.
One speaker talked about the challenges of the homeless and how blanket upzoning reduces those challenges.
Blanket upzoning does not create homes for people who are down on their luck. There are agencies in Calgary to support these people. See above.
They speak of a red-hot housing crisis that will be cooled by homes created by blanket upzoning.
The housing market has cooled substantially, as was proven in chambers on Tuesday which former Calgary councillor Courtney Walcott inadvertently demonstrated, producing a graph showing house prices in the city have dropped, saying it was because of blanket upzoning.
Blanket upzoning is not the reason prices have declined; it’s happening in markets across Canada.
People who support repealing blanket upzoning are speaking about the new, disruptive realities of their lives in their communities. They prove it by bringing photos of the disruptions in their presentations.
The most disturbing thing about those opposed to repeal is that too many speakers are not familiar with the true effects of blanket upzoning.
They include a variety of facts and figures in their presentations, without providing proof to support the facts and figures, the most common being blanket upzoning is producing affordable housing.
It is not.
Single-family homes in Calgary are selling on average between $650,000 and $750,000 and are being replaced by townhouse developments with upwards of six homes per development.
Each of those townhomes is selling in the range of $750,000 to $850,000.
Supporters of blanket upzoning also claim it is adding significantly to housing supply in Calgary.
It is not.
An AI search of development permits enabled by the bylaw showed it was a total of 478 permits issued to the end of December 2025. Those 478 development permits produced 1,904 homes.
By comparison, more than 25,000 building permits were issued in Calgary in 2025.
At the end of the day, it’s about city council getting back the trust of Calgarians and this group of new councillors must keep this in mind.
They didn’t get voted onto council because Calgarians trust them; they got elected because Calgarians got rid of people they didn’t trust and current councillors are still very much in the stages of earning trust.
Earning that trust includes following through with election promises to repeal blanket upzoning.
