More naturalization of Calgary’s roadside boulevards could be in the works after prior projects show it saves taxpayer money and is better for the environment.

Naturalization is a plan to landscape these areas with plant species native to the region, with most requiring less maintenance and being more suited to the area’s climate.

A Notice of Motion from Ward 11 Coun. Kourtney Penner, that was up for technical review at the March 11 Executive Committee, asks for an implementation plan for naturalization on major roadways, boulevards and pathways, along with a plan for including it in future new road construction. That would be part of the capital construction cost for those projects.

It would also come with an education campaign to increase citizen awareness of volunteer opportunities for naturalization of residential areas.

Coun. Penner said after the pilot projects were complete, there was no motivation to implement it into any planning.

“This is really taking the results of that and driving it forward into a strategy and into a plan that can be implemented over a period of time,” she said.

“We’re not talking about ripping up all roadsides in 2026 and replanting them. We’re talking about strategic, thoughtful approaches the right location at the right time.”

The City of Calgary partnered with the University of Calgary on a naturalization project along 16 Avenue between 52 Street and 68 Street NE back in 2020. They received the results of that naturalization pilot project in 2023.

Among the results of the pilot was the higher cost to build and maintain the traditional turf-form of grass on those boulevards and roadsides. It has other positive climate and environment-related effects, too.

“A successfully naturalized area will have a substantial component of wildflower and grass species that are native to the Calgary region and are well adapted to local climate and soil conditions; they are much more deeply rooted than introduced plants, which is key to drought resilience in a changing climate,” read a City briefing note on the project.”

Long term view of the environment… and the budget

Most roadside vegetation in Calgary is not native to the area, the UCalgary report read. The non-native species are susceptible to the invasion of other plant species over time.

It also said that roadside naturalization supports roughly 3,000 pollinators per hectare, which also supports the area bird population by providing food. Turfgrass areas provide very little benefit, if any, to pollinators.

Penner said there’s a big win here for Calgary with a plan to move this forward.

Part of the ask is to determine how much could be saved and how it would impact capital project budgets. What’s also missing this time around is that there are no study costs associated with pilots to consider.

“If we move that into sort of a future state where we’re not doing that. That’s a cost savings, again, in and of itself,” she said.  

“The pilots have shown reduced mowing, reduced need for weed and pest control, do save money over time. So, when you think about implementing this again, not all in one go, but opportunistically or strategically over time, it does save money over time while also providing the ecological benefits.”

Ward 13 Cou. Dan McLean attempted to express the reason why he wouldn’t be voting for it but wasn’t allowed. That’s due to the procedural rules around a technical review, which doesn’t allow councillors to debate the merits of the motion. It didn’t stop McLean from posting to social media claiming that he was intentionally stifled by Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

McLean did post to the X platform that “Ward 13 residents have been consistently telling me they want to see more mowing and maintenance not less. [sic]”

The item was approved on technical merit and will be debated at an upcoming full meeting of Calgary city council.