Satisfaction with City of Calgary services, value for tax dollars and quality of life markers all continue to trend down, but a majority still see this city as a great place to live.
Calgary city councillors will get a presentation at Tuesday’s Regular Meeting of Council showing the results of the 2024 Spring Survey conducted by Ipsos. The survey tracked the sentiment of 2,501 Calgarians from Feb. 27 to March 26 via telephone (60 per cent cell phone, 40 per cent land line).
The margin of error is within +/- two per cent, 19 times out of 20, and demographic data is weighted against the 2019 municipal and 2021 federal census for Calgarians aged 18 and over.
The data shows a consistent downtrend over the past several surveys, with some areas – like sentiment around value for tax dollars – at all-time lows.
When asked to rate the overall quality of life in Calgary, seven-in-10 said quality of life was good. That’s tracked consistently downward over the past nine years, when nearly 90 per cent rated quality of life as good. Further, six in 10 respondents said that quality of life in Calgary has worsened in the past three years – up nearly 40 per cent from 2015.
The majority of Calgarians still believe Calgary is a great place to make a life and living, but those numbers are also down.
One of the most abrupt declines is in the question of whether the city is moving in the right direction to ensure a high quality of life for future generations. Last spring, that number was at 51 per cent agreed. That’s dropped to 38 per cent.
The perceived value of property taxes fell below a majority for the first time in nine years, with 44 per cent saying Calgarians receive good value for tax dollars. That’s down 20 per cent since 2015. In contrast, most ranked satisfaction with specific city services much higher.
Trust in the city also hit an all-time low, with just under four-in-10 Calgarians saying they trust the City of Calgary. Communication ranks have also hit a six-year low
FULL RESULTS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STORY
What’s driving the survey numbers?
Sad.
That’s how two Calgary city councillors described the troubling survey results, with each coming to that conclusion from a different perspective.
Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp said she’s not surprised by the numbers.
“I think a lot of Calgarians have lost trust and confidence in this council. We’ve been going through a lot of very contentious items. Are we actually focusing on what Calgarians have asked us to focus on since we were elected,” Sharp told LWC.
Sharp pointed to the approval of a four-year budget plan with set property tax increases that matched potential spending for inflation and growth, only to come back after the first year with a property tax increase that was more than double what Calgarians were told.
“When you increase taxes like that, where is that increase showing people value for their money, and what’s the return for Calgarians?” Sharp asked.
“So, when I see these numbers, it makes me sad. Makes me sad that I’m part of the group that’s representing these numbers.”
Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner said she too was disappointed in the results. Still, she thinks it’ is’s an honest reflection of how Calgarians are feeling right now. What’s at the root of that, however, gives Penner pause.
Satisfaction with most city services remains high. Where scores are lower is in the areas of optimism, quality of life, and trust. Penner said there’s a story behind why citizens’ views of the city have dimmed, and it’s not just about taxes.
“If you look at historical trends, satisfaction is always highest, when the tax rates are the lowest, but that comes at the expense of solving problems,” she said.
“In an effort to address some of the challenges Calgarians have presented us with – transit safety, affordable housing, downtown revitalization – that is coming at a cost to the pocketbook through the tax rate.
“There is, I don’t want to say there is a disconnect, but the discontent is real.”
Moving forward from here
Penner said you can’t minimize the numbers, but there may be multiple factors playing out in the sentiment. Underscoring that is a general distrust in government being sown by politicians, media and some members of the public, she said.
You put a tenuous economic situation, affordability, and continued recovery from COVID-19-related issues all together, and it’s still weighing on Calgarians, Penner said.
“People aren’t feeling optimistic, and I think council needs to be like, ‘Yeah, you’re right, despite all the moves we’re trying to make to try to counter some of the challenges we’re facing, people are still not optimistic, and that’s OK,” Coun. Penner said.
“It’s not saying that we don’t want to address it but acknowledging the collective less-than-rosy outlook on the state of affairs.”
Coun. Penner said that council can’t alone solve the optimism and quality of life aspect. Some of that falls on Calgarians to get involved in their communities. She also said that Calgarians need to go beyond the phrase “do better” when they talk to councillors to let them know precisely what’s important to them.
Coun. Sharp said they need to find the priorities of Calgarians for the next mid-cycle budget adjustment and deliver that within the budgeted amount. Then stick to it.
“I don’t think Calgarians can take any more increase to their bottom line with everything that’s going on. We need to focus on things like public safety, thinking about affordability in Calgary, but we have to be responsible when it comes to our budget because we need to work within our parameters,” she said.
Sharp said that if survey numbers continue to be this poor, incumbents will have a lot of explaining to do when they hit the doorsteps before next year’s municipal election.
“If we keep going down a rabbit hole of adding more investments because we think those investments are going to make Calgarians’ lives better every day, they (citizens) are going to have something to say next year,” she said.
