On October 19th, we are asking our members to speak to City Council to request that the City Council not approve the business cases for 11 new communities. Taking action on the climate crisis means investing in existing communities to create a more compact, resilient city, not wasting hundreds of millions of dollars on suburbs that aren't needed. To find out more about this issue, read our previous blog post and The City's explainer.

How to Speak before Council:

• Send an email to this email, [email protected] , and let them know your name and that you are representing the Calgary Climate Hub - this is for the meeting minutes. If you’re sending an email on behalf of a few people, please have them CC’d on the Request to Speak email.

• The City Clerk will send you an email with instructions about how to call in and tell you your group number. Watch the meeting online at calgary.ca/watchlive and call in during the group ahead of yours.

• If you have a presentation you’d like to show, please send it via email. It is much preferred that the presentation be sent ahead of time; however, the morning of the meeting is also acceptable.

• When it is your turn to speak, the Committee will call upon you and you’ll have 5 minutes to speak.

•  If you have a presentation, the Clerks will display it in the Council Chamber and will advance it (just say ‘next slide’). Be aware that there is a delay, so what you see on screen is not what is happening live. Ask for the next slide as you are ready for it. 

• Any member of the public wishing to make a written submission, may do so using the public submission form at the following link: Public Submission Form. 

Points to include:

• There are already 27 actively developing communities in Calgary, and in 2018, Council approved 14 more, resulting in 2,600 hectares of suburban land available for development. That's enough to meet demand for 14 years worth of detached and semi-detached homes, and 24 years worth of other residences. 

• Urban sprawl comes at a high cost, in terms of money spent on roads and pipes instead of libraries and social services, in terms of time added to commutes and unworkable transit routes, in terms of natural infrastructure, with wetlands drained, forests bulldozed, and prairie paved over, and in terms of climate impact.

• The Municipal Development Plan outlines a vision for how Calgary can grow responsibly. More capacity in new communities means it will be more difficult to achieve these goals, including:
  • A compact urban form and the balanced growth targets
  • A balance of sustainable mobility options
  • A greater residential land use mix and housing choice across the city
  • A city that is climate resilient

• Instead of sprawl, keeping Calgary compact and focusing on established areas will help the city build walkable neighbourhoods centred around good transit, with shops and offices close by -- the kind of neighbourhoods that will attract new businesses and young people to our city. 

• Calgary is already facing budget cuts due to the collapse of oil prices and the pandemic. We are also facing an urgent climate crisis. Instead of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on building roads and sewers to new suburbs which will need infrastructure support for decades to come, let’s invest in support for existing communities with better transit and active transportation. Let’s build a smarter, more equitable and resilient city.

Other Things You Can Do:

Write or phone your City Councillor - If you are unable to present before City Council; please email your city councillor. See below for the appropriate email addresses.

Post to social media - Use the hashtag #yyccc and include your city councillor (see list below for your councillors’ Twitter information). This will be especially important on October 19th, however posts prior to this date also have an impact. You can write your own message and/or share posts from the Hub's social media accounts which can be found on Facebook and Twitter @calgaryclimatehub.