Confidential details of a memo divulged in a public meeting by a Calgary city councillor show that the Calgary Police Commission doesn’t yet endorse the city’s proposed safety and well-being strategy.  

The Safer Together: A Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan for Calgary was delivered to members of the Community Development Committee meeting during their May 6 meeting.

Councillors eventually approved an amended version 7-6, which recommended that a full meeting of council approve the document. It came with an amendment from Mayor Jeromy Farkas seeking consultation with the Calgary Police Commission.

The document is a roadmap of sorts put together with input from the Calgary Police Service, the City of Calgary, partner organizations and social non-profits to execute the vision of “A Calgary where everyone feels safe, connected, supported and that they belong.”

It outlines five priorities that include creating communities where all belong, enhancing safety where people live work and play, more wellbeing supports, housing needs and building financial security among citizens.

“Achieving lasting change requires a shared approach to community safety and wellbeing — one that emphasizes upstream and coordinated approaches, and the collective benefits of working together to create safer, healthier communities for everyone,” the document reads.

Stakeholders lined up to speak in support of the Safer Together plan, with many applauding the coordinated approach to dealing with future crises and public safety issues.

Shawna Curry with the Social Wellbeing Advisory Committee (SWAC), a group that represents community volunteers that deal with a range of social needs, said that this is a shared framework that brings together different organizations in a coordinated approach.

“This plan does not replace what is working. It builds on existing strengths. It helps identify the gaps raised through community engagement, and it provides a shared framework to guide more focused, more coordinated efforts to improve the quality of life and safety for everyone in this city,” she said.

“This is exactly the kind of framework needed to move from individual efforts toward collective impact.”

Contribution from CPS, but no endorsement yet: CPC memo

According to a confidential memo sent to councillors and obtained by LWC, the Calgary Police Commission acknowledged the “significant consultation” with the Calgary Police Service but said they’d only seen the presentation on March 25, 2026.

“While the police service was involved in the development of the plan, our Commission was not engaged in the process. Commissioners were not comfortable approving and adopting the plan without more time to assess whether it meets our legislated requirements and to provide fulsome input as a board,” the memo reads.
 
“Given that the plan was not approved by us as the police governance body, the Service is now unfortunately also not in a position to provide its full endorsement.”

The CPC memo indicated that their apprehension shouldn’t be seen as a shift in the philosophy around community partnerships.

“It should also not be taken as a sign that the Service will be withdrawing from existing partnerships,” the memo reads.

“You will see in our upcoming 2027-2030 budget request that strengthening partnerships remains a significant focus for us.”

Also expected to be included in the CPS budget is a request for as many as 660 new officers to both deal with call volume and to deal with attrition.

Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean raised the issue of the memo in a public portion of the committee meeting, holding a printed version of the document in his hand. He asked if the CPC was consulted on the document.

“Administration does not directly engage with police commission because it’s part of our governance model,” was the response from city admin.

“We rely heavily on the Calgary Police Service to actually channel information to police commission, and we would be happy to engage with police commission, should the opportunity emerge.”

McLean proceeded to relay the confidential portions of the memo that were clearly outlined as such in the actual document.

“This is important right here, given that the plan was not approved by us as a police governance body, the service is now, unfortunately, in a position not to provide a full endorsement,” McLean said.

“The story will be updated with the debate and final outcome.”

Stay in our lane: McLean

During debate, Coun. McLean said that this type of action is a provincial jurisdiction, and the city shouldn’t be putting resources into it.

“This isn’t our lane. This is the province’s deal. We have to change what we’re doing, our behaviours,” McLean said.

“That’s the old saying: Insanity. Just keep doing the same old thing. Let’s start up another governmental organization. Give them a whole bunch more money, spread it around a whole bunch of other places, and we’re going to fix it.”

Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness said that this underscores the issues in conflict with the governance between the City of Calgary and the Calgary Police Commission. She said the same thing about Mayor Farkas’s previous motion on exploring a downtown police station.

“Now we have the administration driving the police, undermining the commission, and completing a safety plan,” she said.

Mayor Farkas said that the policies that the City of Calgary has had have gotten it into this situation, and that this represents “a significant leap” in how the problem is being approached.

“A lot of it’s aspirational, but this is going to send a very strong signal to the community that we are reflecting their voices in the decisions that we’re making,” he said.

“It’s not just a policing issue. It’s something that we need to work alongside the community every step of the way.”

The document will still need final approval at an upcoming meeting of council.