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With rapid population growth in the past three years, how and where people live has been a major focus and challenge of council and Calgarians. We all agree we need more housing.
The city-wide implemented rezoning for housing is leaving residents, councillors, administration, and developers frustrated. Residents continue to worry about uncertainty in their neighbourhoods. Developers are caught in a system of reviews and uncertain project timelines adding to housing costs and which reduces unit affordability according to the recent release from CICBA (Calgary Inner City Builders Association). These reasons combined means it’s not working for Calgary. I have a plan. I am prepared to refocus and amend residential rezoning. I want to move Calgarians forward with a more balanced approach to growth, providing clarity and certainty, while reducing surprises. We need the right rules on the right parcels to get permits in weeks, not months. We need to keep what’s working while taking away the biggest concerns for community: waste and recycling, trees, and parking. We need to address the concerns of those building homes: providing consistent and clear timelines and regulations for developers to give project certainty. I’m prepared to continually adjust and learn as we go forward. The Plan:
These actions address both residents’ desire for slower, less drastic change. And it makes it clear to investors and builders what and where they can build. To continue to build more homes, we also need:
There are many good reasons to add more homes in our communities. More housing means better use of existing infrastructure, increased tax productivity, additional support for area businesses, as well as more eyes on the street for safety. Ward 11 communities are safe, full of amenities - and people want to be our neighbours! Lastly, I am committed to adding a dedicated staff resource to my team to support community members in how to understand and better participate in the development process. I will create this position within days of being elected. My plan provides a path forward for Calgary. It’s pragmatic, fair, and balanced.
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The Calgary Construction Association (CCA) has released their Municipal Election Platform. The CCA represents over 850 businesses in Calgary who employ over 100,000 Calgarians and support charities and not for profits with millions of dollars of funding and in-kind donations every year.
The CCA calls for action in three areas. The Municipal Infrastructure Deficit, Placemaking and CIty Building, and Growing the Workforce. Here is how I plan to address these priorities:
The City has started or completed a number of key projects over the last four years - Bonnybrook Wastewater Treatment Plant, Green Line, Glenmore Water Treatment plant expansion. However, it remains that limited capital spending in years prior to 2021 not matching inflation rates (with a modest spending increase near inflation from 2021-2025) has meant several important infrastructure improvements and repairs that have been delayed. Delays cost more in the long run so steady, predictable, and balanced funding in infrastructure matters to build our communities. Near the end of this term as Councillor, I was able to support an increased budget prioritization towards capital upgrades. I will continue to work with administration to prioritize critical projects in Ward 11 and across the city to ensure we support the growth of the city while addressing life cycle upgrades for Ward 11 amenities A couple examples of infrastructure projects finished, started, or near to be underway in Ward 11 thanks to allocated budget: Rose Kohn arena Upgrade, Southland Leisure centre pool electrical upgrade, Palliser Lift Station, Haysboro 4 Car LRT Storage expansion, Haddon Road Roads Depot upgrade
The Construction Industry has identified there is enough certainty and support when it comes to building important community amenities like libraries, firehouses, and transit projects. Community amenities and services are so important to the livability of our neighborhoods, they are a big part of why we love where we live. While the city partners and procures from over 65% Calgary based businesses, we need to support successful builders through the application process for development and building permits. We also need to ensure that policies to build critical infrastructure like fire stations, aren’t met with funding delays. As Ward 11 is primarily established communities, I will continue to advocate for a budget to improve our parks as they are some of the most loved, cherished, and used in the City. More pathways, playground upgrades, Great examples of placemaking projects finished, started, or near to be underway in Ward 11 as the direct result of my advocacy and championing during budget: Sue Higgins Dog park water access, Fish Creek library upgrades, Glenmore Athletic Park & Rink construction, numerous pathway and sidewalk construction projects.
If labour shortfalls continue, key infrastructure and community focused projects could be de-prioritied projects could be delayed, leading to further cost escalations that are ultimately paid by Calgarians. To support the needed talent, Calgary needs homes that match incomes for people to live in, partnership with trades programs and training starting in high school, and for civic partners like Calgary Economic Development to include construction talent as part of their skilled attraction strategy. I also remain committed to advocating to the provincial government to expand spaces in post-secondary institutions to develop talent. City Council has a duty to work together to support industries like construction along with with other orders of government to ensure we maintain and grow jobs for Calgarians, ensure our infrastructure works, and that Ward 11 communities have the housing and amenities needed to thrive.
I believe Council needs to take the following important steps to support Fire and Police:
A rapidly growing population coming with new housing, continued social disorder and the ongoing drug epidemic means our front line responders have not only a higher frequency of calls, but increased call complexity. This is taking a toll on our emergency responders. For example, fire calls are up 50% since 2020, and over 300 police officers are off on leave for non-physical injuries. The last round of budget cuts (2017-2021) particularly affected the Fire Department. Only now, four years after budget approvals, and subsequent hiring and training, are we seeing the staffing of ladder and tower trucks with four personnel (the safest and most effective practice). With two of the busiest fire stations in the city located in Ward 11, we also need to add additional apparatus to ensure coverage and adequate response times for their coverage area. For the Calgary Police Service, along with serving a growing population we need to make sure that beyond recruitment we are taking care of existing service members’ health and safety. Difficult working conditions for officers is one of the reasons recruitment continues to be a challenge. We need to demonstrate a duty of care to our sworn members by ensuring the resources for their mental health are robust and that we have enough staff to cover regular shifts and leaves.
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September 2025
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