Let’s hope it’s the final straw, paper straw, so to speak, for DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) at Calgary’s Municipal Building. ‘It’ is GamePLAN, just the latest initiative in the woke ceiling under which the Calgary Municipal Building’s staff is forced to operate. It joins other woke initiatives promoting DEI unleashed by city administration such as the single use bylaw fiasco a year ago that prohibited the use of bags, cutlery, plates and other conveniences made of plastic. Calgarians raised hell and with a municipal election on the horizon a year-and-a-half away, council caved and repealed the bylaw. Another initiative is the blanket zoning bylaw, also from last year, that eliminated all areas of the city zoned for single-family homes. City councillors who voted in favour of the bylaw claimed it would add more housing in the city to combat a housing crisis. No mention of more affordable housing, which is the real crisis and no proof provided it would add to the housing stock. But certainly, an obvious move to gut single-family home neigbourhoods, which the woke folk hate. The bylaw was approved, handing a DEI drenched slap to the face to the 77% of Calgarians who opposed it. Late last year, city administration published The Calgary Plan, a guide for the growth of Calgary over the next 30 years. A paragraph in the plan reads, “By embracing this growth and actively supporting anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging for all individuals in the city's communities, Calgary strengthens its social, environmental and economic resilience, especially during times of rapid change.” “Achieving this requires acknowledging and addressing the deep-rooted racism and different forms of discrimination embedded in planning systems, programs, services and policies.” So, all city planners before the current group were racist and discriminatory? In a surprise move, implementation of The Calgary Plan was put off until 2026, because, said Mayor Jyoti Gondek, city staff and people volunteering at community centres were exhausted. Yeah, either that or the plan received such bad reviews, it was better to postpone it until after this year’s election in October. The plan to postpone The Calgary Plan is a better plan than The Calgary Plan. Meanwhile, the GamePLAN makes it way to council on Tuesday after a committee last week recommended it spend between $200 million and $250 million per year, for 25 years, building and maintaining new recreation facilities in the city. Not surprising, given the above, GamePLAN promotes special booking times at facilities for equity-denied people, adding, “It will (provide) all staff with foundational training in equity, diversity, inclusion, cultural sensitivity, anti-racism, reconciliation and trauma informed practices” and “The City will incorporate EDIB (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging) considerations into operational practices, program design and processes for accessing programs and spaces.” DEI is part of everything done in the municipal building, says Ward 13 Cllr. Dan McLean. “It’s embedded into all city planning,” said McLean. “I’ve 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.” Major corporations that once flew the DEI banner have recently abandoned their diversity, equity and inclusion mandates, including Google, Walmart, Toyota, Target, Johnson & Johnson and McDonald’s. “Businesses are running away from DEI, because it’s divisive, offensive, and it costs a lot of money,” said McLean. “The City of Calgary is a business (and) should do the same.”
