Six Calgary metropolis councillors need to punt a choice on proposed city-wide zoning to the following municipal election, in accordance with a movement going to the town’s government committee subsequent week.
The movement, co-signed by Couns. Dan McLean, Andre Chabot, Sonya Sharp, Sean Chu, Peter Demong, and Terry Wong, asks metropolis administration to arrange a vote of the electors on “metropolis broad blanket rezoning” held along side the municipal election on Oct. 20, 2025.
“Not one councillor campaigned on a mandate for upzoning the whole metropolis,” McLean instructed reporters. “One thing this consequential, I believe, ought to go to the folks and a vote of the electors.”
At present, the city-wide zoning problem is ready to be debated following a public listening to on April 22, which might be cancelled if the movement is accepted.
Town-wide zoning proposal, which is a suggestion within the metropolis’s housing technique, would see the default residential zoning modified to permit for extra housing sorts on a single property.
At present, greater than 60 per cent of residential properties in Calgary are zoned to solely enable single-family properties as a default.
In response to the town, the proposal would see base residential zoning modified to RC-G in established communities, which permits single-detached, semi-detached, duplexes, secondary suites, and rowhouse-style housing.
R-G and H-GO zoning designations would even be thought of in some newer communities as a part of the proposal.
The Metropolis of Calgary has already begun conducting data and engagement periods on the difficulty forward of the general public listening to.
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Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian stated the plebiscite would delay essential work on housing, and would punt the difficulty to the following metropolis council.
“You concentrate on the variety of months of delay that may be and the fee,” Mian stated. “We’re in a housing disaster, and I believe we must always act like we’re.”
Advocates of the proposal imagine the response to city-wide zoning outweighs the potential impacts whether it is accepted.
Willem Klumpenhouwer, co-founder of Extra Neighbours Calgary, stated zoning reform would enhance provide of properties throughout the town by eradicating one step within the course of to getting new developments accepted.
“The modifications in every neighbourhood on every metropolis avenue are going to be very minimal particularly for suburban neighbourhoods,” Klumpenhouwer instructed International Information. “The character of the change and the response to it are actually out of proportion. I’d hope that we’ve extra discussions that make clear that this variation is considered one of many within the housing technique, but in addition that it’s not a giant of a deal as folks assume it’s.”
Calgarians have voted on huge points in plebiscites earlier than together with the reintroduction of fluoride into the town’s consuming water, and a bid for the 2026 Winter Olympic Video games.
“We had a plebiscite on an Olympics, which might’ve value a number of hundred million {dollars},” Ward 14 Coun. Peter Demong stated.
“That is going to be substantial in the way in which it modifications the material of Calgary and I believe common Calgarians ought to have a say in it.”
What stays unclear is whether or not a plebiscite would impression Calgary’s accepted allocation from the federal Housing Accelerator Fund.
Introduced in November, $228 million from the fund is earmarked for the town to streamline the development of 1000’s of recent properties over the following 4 years.
In a letter previous to September’s debate on the housing technique, federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser famous the funding could be contingent on approval of the town’s housing technique together with zoning reform. Nonetheless, the circumstances haven’t been publicly launched.
Calgary-Skyview Liberal MP, George Chahal, instructed reporters Thursday he didn’t have the particulars of the agreements however is worried a couple of proposed plebiscite.
“This plebiscite or delay may jeopardize that funding… we’d like these funds to movement instantly,” Chahal stated. “We have to deal with the housing disaster by constructing extra housing, not delaying housing.”
Chahal stated he believes councillors pitching a plebiscite is an “abdication of their duty to manipulate.”
Nonetheless, McLean stated he isn’t involved in regards to the fund if council decides to place city-wide zoning on a municipal poll.
“I cannot be bribed by the Trudeau authorities to alter my zoning legal guidelines,” McLean stated.
The movement will should be heard at subsequent week’s Govt Committee for a technical assessment earlier than it’s debated by metropolis council as a complete.
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