The Calgary Stampede is gone for another year. Gone are the cowgirls and cowboys. Gone are the cattle, horses and chuckwagons. The midway is gone and soon to be gone are the big party tents downtown. What isn’t gone is the bull emanating from the ongoing three-ring circus better known as Calgary City Hall. Over the course of the last year, lawsuits have been launched against the city, because of decisions made in the planning department and the approval of those decisions by city council, or, in the vein of it being a circus, City Clowncil. A host of Calgarians joined a lawsuit against the city over last year’s blanket upzoning bylaw, which passed despite strong public opposition.A month ago, a group of businesses in the Marda Loop neighbourhood launched a $75-million lawsuit, claiming loss of business due to prolonged construction and poor communication from the city.Last week, more frustrated residents — this time in Richmond Knob Hill — filed suit, saying the city’s approval of high-density residential projects will hurt safety, traffic, infrastructure, green space and property values. They, too, cited a total lack of communication..Just prior to that, merchants on Calgary's downtown Stephen Avenue Mall threatened a lawsuit to stop construction that was scheduled to begin on July 14, saying the construction, combined with a reconfiguration of the mall, could destroy business during this, its busiest season, and because of a lack of proper engagement from the city. Maybe the city’s law department is overwhelmed with all the litigation, but the city announced on Friday the scheduled work on Stephen Avenue Mall has been delayed, preventing a brawl on the mall. Stephen Deere, owner of Modern Steak on Stephen Avenue, said the city has a bunch of other problems it should be fixing, including homelessness, crime, parking and more. “We’re here to ask the city today to stop the redevelopment for the time being, until we can get a plan that makes sense for all of us,” he told reporters on July 2. “The city has not engaged correctly with the business community and has upped timelines and increased the urgency of this project without engaging any of the stakeholders.”.Next on the list could be plans to turn a section of 17 Ave. SW into a pedestrians-only mall from 4 St. to11 St. on weekends. The avenue is listed on the city's website as one of the most important thoroughfares in the downtown area and as one who lives in the area, I can attest 17 Ave. is continuously busy with two-way traffic between Macleod Tr. SE and 14 St. SW. Actions and decisions have consequences, which seems to have escaped the notice of city planners and some city clowncillors. In many neighbourhoods, blanket zoning has created parking problems, infrastructure problems and more. The zoning is supported by a $228 million bribe from the federal government to add multi-family homes but has done nothing to solve the housing affordability problem. That there would be consequences because of the plans in Richmond Knob Hill, Marda Loop and Stephen Avenue Mall doesn’t appear to have been considered by considers in city hall. Proponents of closing 17 Ave. to vehicles insist it will cut down on pollution and traffic. This is ridiculous. The consequences are it will divert traffic onto 14 Ave. and 15 Ave., or along Royal Avenue and into Lower Mount Royal and clog all other streets in the area by people driving downtown to become pedestrians. .The proponents also claim the area is too busy and overcrowded, meanwhile promoting a pedestrian-only area, so it will be busier and have more traffic. If it's all about traffic and supposed pollution, let’s shut down Deerfoot Tr. on weekends. But that’s not what this is about. It’s about taxes paid by businesses and Calgarians. The City of Calgary is the largest corporation in the city and should operate as a business, not like some kind of ideological culture centre and experimentation lab. It comes across as a playground for woke-drenched DEI zealots who cook up pie-in-the-sky ideas, giving no thought to the consequences. Quit telling Calgarians how to live their lives. The only mindset that believes people need to be told how to live is the mindset of people who believe they know better and maybe they actually think they are better than all others. Fix the potholes, repair infrastructure, keep taxes down and do the other things that taxpayers expect to be done, especially clear and timely communications. Quit lecturing and start listening.
