The City of Calgary has launched a $33,000 ad campaign to explain a property tax increase it didn’t impose.

Earlier this year, Calgary city councillors heard, in detail, the impact of the most recent Alberta government budget – in particular, the sharp jump in the provincial portion of the property tax bill.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas has hammered the government on the issue, calling it the single biggest provincial tax increase imposed on the City of Calgary. According to the city, more than 40 per cent of this year’s property tax dollars are headed to the Government of Alberta.

Farkas had sought out ways to help make it clear on Calgarians’ tax bills that the province was charging more – substantially more. The mayor has said the province ruled out sending separate bills.

The City of Calgary has taken extra steps to ensure Calgarians know where their tax dollars are going. Their online property tax calculator splits out the portion of city property tax when a property value is entered.

When a user clicks the link to more information on property tax changes, it immediately outlines the breakdown, to the dollar, on a typical single-family home with a median value of $706,000.

The multi-media information campaign began March 31 and runs through May 22. The ads are very pointed about the amount the province is charging.

“About 42 per cent of your residential property taxes collected by the City of Calgary goes to the Alberta government,” the radio ad says.

“This year, the provincial portion increased 21 per cent for the typical single-family home assessed at $706,000. The city’s portion increased about two per cent. That means over 330 more dollars will go to the province, and 49 to the city.”

The goal is to educate Calgarians: Mayor Farkas

The full campaign includes radio, bold signs, YouTube, social media, and digital ads directing people to the Calgary tax calculator.

The budget for the campaign is $32,849.20, according to the City of Calgary.

“Similar to previous years, the purpose of the campaign is to educate Calgarians about where their residential property taxes go, split between The City and Government of Alberta, and the changes to their residential property tax bill,” read a City of Calgary response to questions.

“This year, the tax split between the Government of Alberta and the City of Calgary has changed. A larger percent of Calgarians’ property taxes are going to the Government of Alberta this year compared to 2025.”

Mayor Farkas told LWC that he felt the ad campaign is money well spent. He said that both Premier Danielle Smith and Finance Minister Nate Horner encouraged Calgary city council members to educate the public and communicate to citizens the tax breakdown between the different orders of government.

“This is the best we can do within those legal constraints, and it’s in line with what previously city administration has done. It’s not directed at the political level,” he told LWC.

Farkas said that it’s about educating Calgarians on where their property tax dollars are going. He said that currently, most people believe that when they open their property tax bill, every single dollar collected goes to the City of Calgary.

“The fact is now nearly 43 cents on the dollar go to the provincial government,” he said.

“So, there’s an absolutely urgent need to educate the public about this, so that ultimately the two different orders of government can be held accountable by the citizens of Calgary, but also Albertans more generally.”

The province says local investments show money spent in Calgary

Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams said that in 2026, they will collect $976.4 million from Calgary homeowners and $271 million from business owners in the education property tax requisition. Meanwhile, they’ll be providing the two major boards with $2.24 billion in operating cash for 2026/27, along with 45 school projects that will cost between $2.32 billion and $3.79 billion in capital expense.

“Calgarians know that the education portion of their property taxes flows directly to classrooms in Calgary and across our province, full stop. That is responsible spending on a priority Albertans have made clear they expect their government to protect,” Williams said in a response to LWC.

“We understand the mayor’s desire to ensure that property taxes are transparent and that Calgarians understand how they are used to improve the services they receive, including the education of their children. Calgarians can draw their own conclusions about how their money is being spent at the municipal level.”

Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal agreed that education is at the heart of the information on the website and in the advertising campaign. It’s especially important in his ward, where there’s a higher concentration of newcomers.

“Often, for them, even the property tax concept is new. So, this kind of education, even others around the city, sometimes they don’t know the province is taking a piece of it,” he said.

Dhaliwal isn’t worried about it appearing to be too political.

“Calgarians can then look at the value for their investment into the city, what return they’re getting, both from us and the province.”