The buzz in Calgary’s municipal building had subsided. There were no lineups for council chambers.
Two-thirds of the chairs in the gallery outside Calgary city council chambers on Monday for the start of the citywide rezoning public hearing had been removed by Tuesday morning. There were no dueling protests in the municipal plaza.
Roughly 15 people still stuck around inside council chambers, presumably waiting for their chance to speak at the largest-ever public hearing in the city’s history. Even the media scrums were pared down to the city hall reporting regulars.
For the most part, the headline-grabbing citywide rezoning debate in Calgary had settled into another planning public hearing.
Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian said the feel has changed on day 2.
“I think what has happened is once people hear their perspective, whether that’s for or against, repeated multiple times, I think people realize, ‘OK, you know, what, my perspective is being honoured here and other people are saying that,’ and so I think it brings the temperature down on both sides,” Mian said.
“I think the way that we’ve structured the public hearing is having some positive benefits in terms of dialing down that temperature and showing Calgarians that there are diverse perspectives in the city and that’s something that’s welcome and honoured.”
Mayor Jyoti Gondek said that the public has full access to the municipal building and that this level of government is the most open to the public.
“To be able to come to your local government and be able to have those conversations is incredibly important to us as well as the public and sometimes the public gets a little rambunctious and that’s OK, she said.
“This is a pretty big item for people to wrap their arms around. So, I understand that people want to be very engaged.”
Speaking of engagement…
Just because it was a generally quieter affair, doesn’t mean there wasn’t robust debate and presentations in Calgary city council chambers.
Leslie Evans, executive director of the Federation of Calgary Communities (FCC), took issue with the city’s engagement plan on citywide rezoning, saying that feedback on a plan was collected on a form and delivered through the city’s What We Heard reports.
“There was no meaningful two-way conversations with planners responsible for putting their recommendations forward to you,” Evans said.
“This underscores why the Federation, for more than a decade, has expressed concerns about the entire engagement process. In our written submission, we highlighted examples of a deteriorating relationship between the City of Calgary and, along with broken and siloed city processes, the lack of transparency, evidence-based research and meaningful two-way conversations with citizens only makes the feelings of mistrust towards the city all that greater.”
Evans said she’d like to see a more holistic approach to planning that includes tree canopy, snow removal, parking and things like drainage. She doesn’t want it to be a siloed piece of work.
“Effective planning necessitates inclusive dialogue and transparent processes. Residents are experts in the communities in which they live. Their voices should be valued and not overlooked,” she said.
“We have a crisis on our hands and it’s not just housing. It’s about listening. It’s about allowing people time to adapt. It’s allowing people to make their suggestions be heard.”
Scarboro resident Paige Coulter reiterated the quality of engagement around the citywide rezoning was lacking. She believed there was a serious issue with transparency. Coulter said that for questions on the rezoning, she was directed to the guidebook for great communities.
“It’s a very innocuous title as a publication and does not alert the reader to its ultimate intent.”
“Those individuals who did attempt to wade through this publication, it was lengthy, opaque and difficult to follow.”
Mayor Gondek said that it was important to listen to the public and understand the perspective of those Calgarians who went through city planning sessions.
“There’s always room to improve,” the mayor said, noting the meeting she had with representative of 42 community associations.
“I listened to their questions; I provided them with some responses. It was very much a two-way street and I think that’s the way we accomplish good things.”
Students, integral contributors, need housing: MRU student leader
Joseph Nguyen, president of the Mount Royal Students’ Association representation executive council, shared the stories of students, many of whom are struggling to find affordable places to live.
“These bylaw changes are a crucial step in addressing the housing crisis facing our city an issue that is deeply felt by students across Calgary,” he said.
“Our students we understand firsthand the importance of improving access, affordability and safety and housing.”
Nguyen said that Calgary’s housing situation disproportionately impacts several groups, including students. He said that student leaders in Calgary have consistently supported housing measures like secondary suites.
“Post-secondary students are not just residents; we are integral contributors to Calgary’s economy, vibrancy and future,” he said.
“Our city’s ability to attract and retain young talent hinges on its ability to address the housing needs of its student population.”
Seventeen-year-old Hidden Valley resident Sasha Adamova said that regardless of the outcome, it was one being made that would impact the rest of her life.
“I want you to think about the future right now. Because a lot of the talk right now is about current homeowners. It’s about fear of change, which I understand – it’s perfectly rational. But there are people whose futures are not being discussed right now,” Adamova said.
Adamova said she interviewed many of the councillors as a part of her election engagement in 2021. She said most, if not all mentioned the revitalization of the downtown and the retention of young professionals as a part of their campaigns.
“This policy, it may not be the silver bullet, but it’s the step forward to many of these things. I can’t imagine living in Calgary right now if I wasn’t living with my parents. I can’t imagine affording rent for any prolonged period of time, and I can’t imagine buying a cheaper house in the suburbs and commuting hours every day,” she said.
Others, like Greg Miller, suggested that citywide rezoning could be the single most conservative issue Calgary could approve. He cited the hundreds of millions being spent to support the development of greenfield growth in the near term, and billions more in the next decade or so.
“The city is, in fact, acting like an investment bank, except we’re using public funds. How can we call this conservative?” Miller asked.
“In contrast, what will rezoning to RCG cost taxpayers? Virtually nothing. Furthermore, whether a community is new or old, everyone expects their pipes, roads, wires and services to remain in place forever.”
Day 3 begins at 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The public hearing is expected to last all week.
