Residents representing communities in Calgary’s Ward 11 gathered to rally against city councillors’ recent blanket rezoning vote, which they say would deteriorate their neighborhood. About 80 people gathered at Glenmore Park on Saturday afternoon, many of them with signs calling out Ward 11 Councillor Kourtney Penner specifically. The rally was organized by a group of nine local women who are frustrated with Calgary city council for ignoring public pushback the policy. .Grassroots rally against blanket rezoning to be held in Calgary this weekend.The city in May voted in favour of the rezoning bylaws, which would allow multi-family building developments to be built alongside single-family homes in residential neighbourhoods. A sudden influx of residents in a neighbourhood like this, infrastructure would need to be built to accommodate them, including building residential roads, rally organizer Calista Wintrip told the Western Standard.“We are frustrated with the council for not listening to our voices when we said loud and clear that we do not want this in our neighbourhoods.”“We hope the city will see this and listen to what we want and don’t want — all our communities being taken over with unnecessary building,” said Wintrip.“I hope it comes to the point (of legislation change at city council) where they re-vote on it, or they (at least) re-vote on developments in our particular communities.” .The rally lasted from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and featured three local speakers who talked about the developments already in the works in their communities. Nearly every attendant carried signs, many of them accusing Penner of gaslighting and calling for her to be fired.Some held signs saying the rezoning will “kill communities,” “destroy roads” and put even more stress on water pipes, which the city is already under fire since this summer’s water main break that impacted the entire city for several weeks.“Save the parklands, stop the towers,” said one woman’s sign. .Others called for accountability within city council, accusing councillors of having “gone rogue,” and being a “failure of democracy.”One person sent her message all the way to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Trudeau Calgary can’t be bribed,” it said.The group plans to have further rallies, with the next one in May of 2025.After the May vote, city council held an historic 15-day public hearing on the matter, with 736 speakers— 62.2% opposed and 30.8% supported blanket rezoning.The council also received 6,100 written submissions.
