After just six weeks on the job, recently hired Planning and Development GM Tim Keane has given his notice of resignation with the City of Calgary, LiveWire Calgary has learned.
Keane began on the job April 1, 2024, after his hiring was made public on Feb. 15, 2024. He saw Calgary through the recent public hearing on citywide rezoning that was approved by Calgary city council.
According to the City, Keane’s departure was due to family and personal circumstances.
“Respecting Tim’s privacy, we will not be sharing any further details. We do wish him and his family well. The well-being of our employees and their families is essential in our common purpose of making life better every day,” read a statement from the City of Calgary.
The city had conducted what they referred to as a “robust recruitment process” that led to Keane’s hiring. He was hired after serving in Boise, Idaho, Atlanta, Georgia and Charleston, South Carolina. In a news release dated May 23, the City of Charleston, SC announced that Tim Keane was coming back as the head of Planning, Permitting and Engineering, as a part of a city administration re-organization.
“With a career spanning over 16 years with the city prior to 2015, Keane has since lent his expertise to guiding municipalities across North America in their city planning initiatives,” the release read.
The city said it was proud to land Keane as a leader in the industry.
“We were truly amazed by the caliber of applicants and the amount of applicants and interest, spanning from local to international, this position drew,” David Duckworth, Calgary’s Chief Administrative Officer said at the time.
“This just goes to show the incredible reputation our planning and development department has as a leader in the industry.”
In an interview with local media on April 19, Keane said he was attracted to the City of Calgary because he was compelled by the scope of work being undertaken in the city, and the professionalism and quality of the organization.
“I think Calgary is a fascinating city just as an urban place and the landscape around it,” he said.
“I was drawn to it for that reason, just the quality of the place.”
The City of Calgary said that Keane’s resignation was unanticipated and unexpected.
“We were looking forward to working with him and leveraging his expertise in city planning and development,” read the City response.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said news of Keane’s departure from administration so soon after joining the City came as a surprise to her.
“My meetings with him were positive and the experience he brought to the city’s Planning and Development Services department was of the highest calibre,” the mayor said.
“I wish him and his family well.”
Debra Hamilton, Director of Community Planning with the City of Calgary, will be taking over as the acting General Manager of Planning and Development Services in the interim. Hamilton held the role after former Planning GM Stuart Dalgleish took over as Calgary’s Chief Operating Officer.
Plans to fill the Planning and Development Services GM role will be forthcoming, the City of Calgary said.
