Calgarians braved the snowy weather on Monday to make their way to City Hall and share their views on the city’s proposed 2026 budget.
The first day of deliberations opened with a public hearing, during which residents and community groups had five minutes each to outline their priorities for the year ahead.
Concerns ranged widely—from recreational services and aging aquatic facilities to road safety, housing affordability, and public transit. One resident highlighted the urgent need for better cycling infrastructure, citing a deadly incident in her neighbourhood.
“In July, a cyclist was killed. He was in the unprotected bike lane and was struck and killed by a dump truck,” she said. “Ever since this accident, it has seriously impacted my sense of safety in my own community.”
Others pressed council to invest in recreation.
“The cricket community has grown immensely, and we are starting to be limited on our outdoor playing times due to availability,” one speaker said.
Another urged more funding for aquatic facilities, noting that many of Calgary’s pools are more than 50 years old and struggling to meet demand.
Small business owners also weighed in. Kayode Southwood of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business told council that property taxes remain the most pressing issue for entrepreneurs.
“Our members have told us that property taxes are the most harmful issue to their operations, given that these taxes are profit-insensitive,” Southwood says. “Small businesses are not asking to be exempt from property taxes; what they are asking for is fairness.”
At the centre of the debate is Mayor Jeromy Farkas, who has pledged to cut the proposed property tax increase in half for homeowners. The current plan calls for a combined 3.6 per cent increase, with residential property owners facing a 5.8 per cent hike and businesses a 1.4 per cent rise.
Farkas said he is eager to hear his colleagues’ ideas.
“I’m going to be very interested in the ideas from my council colleagues,” he said. “Over the weekend, my phone was burning while speaking with my 14 other team members, looking at ideas where we can drive better efficiencies.”
Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly expressed optimism that the city’s financial reserves could help ease the burden.
“We have some pretty healthy savings accounts right now,” Kelly says. “We’ve had some growth in the city for the past few years, we didn’t anticipate, so I think there’s an opportunity there that we might be able to get the budget down by 1 per cent alone just by taking a look at that.”
But Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot argued that tax relief will require difficult cuts. He has suggested eliminating free transit for children under 12, ending the downtown free fare zone after TD Bank withdrew its sponsorship, and halving funding for the office-to-residential conversion program.
“I don’t think that there is a lot of room for increased efficiencies,” Chabot said. “There are certainly ways in which we could reduce our budget.”
Due to Monday’s snow, council voted to extend the public hearing portion into Tuesday to ensure all residents have a chance to speak.