Latest news with #Gondek
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Bell: Gondek shovels the spin — Calgary's notorious city hall secrecy remains
How much do the Calgary city hall paper-shufflers actually make? Article content Mayor Jyoti Gondek says nothing of substance. Article content No surprise. Article content Getting the facts for Calgarians from these folks downtown is far tougher than pulling teeth. Article content You'd think these folks were running a spy agency. Article content What is second nature, so obviously the right thing to do, a no-brainer with governments right across the country, is something almost nobody at Calgary city hall wants to talk about. Article content Article content They nibble around the edges but when they are pressed on the issue they won't take a real bite. Article content Article content Instead, life is so closed in the city hall cocoon, their operations so notoriously secretive, the city hall politicians will actually chinwag next week about how much we should know about what their boss paper-shuffler David Duckworth pockets carrying out orders in the Big Blue Playpen. Article content If you're on the Alberta government payroll and make more than $133,813 this year, then your regular salary, any other cash benefits above that wage and the employer's contributions to your pension and other benefits will be shown on the list along with your name and job title. Article content If you get the boot and score severance on the way out that payout is also known. Article content Article content By the way, do we even know what Calgary top cop Mark Neufeld got in severance going out the exit door? Article content Ask city hall about it and they pass the buck to the Calgary Police Commission where city council members sit. Article content Taxpayers learn squat even if it's your money. City hall just hopes you tire of the constant struggle to get to the truth and throw up your hands and give up. Article content It is time to ask Mayor Gondek. The buck has to stop somewhere. Article content Gondek talks about how city hall could do a better job of being more open. Article content Alas, most of what she says is a word salad involving insider talk of city hall procedures that would give you instant brain freeze while taking a shot at Sonya Sharp, a councillor running for the mayor's job. Article content You're no wiser than when you started. Article content MEMO TO THE GONDEK BRAINTRUST. Friendly advice. The mayor is not following the plan on how to politically rehabilitate herself.
Calgary Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Calgary Herald
With federal funding, city says it will exceed its goal of 42,000 new housing units by next year
A partnership with the federal government will see new homes for 100,000 Calgarians, as the City of Calgary announced Wednesday that it has blown past housing benchmarks set with the Housing Accelerator Fund. Article content The original target set alongside the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation aimed for just under 42,000 new housing units under way by fall of 2026. That target was later revised to 42,667 new units. Article content Article content Article content Since receiving the $228.5 million investment in October 2023, the city says it has incentivized 44,276 new units — 104 per cent of the revised targets — more than a year ahead of schedule. Article content Article content 'At the time, there's a lot of people who wondered if that target was maybe too ambitious. Today, I'm proud to stand here and say not only have we met the target, we have exceeded it more than a year ahead of schedule,' said Mayor Jyoti Gondek, speaking about the targets at the site of development recently approved through the fund. Article content 'These are futures that are made possible. It's a powerful reminder of what happens when different orders of government come together, where we collaborate, great things can happen, and that when we put funding in the hands of municipalities, we take action,' Gondek said. Article content In March, Calgary was awarded an additional $22.8 million, thanks to 'high performance under the HAF program thus far.' Article content Article content That funding will feed into two new initiatives, Backyard Suites and Accessory Dwellings Program, and the Downtown Complete Community Housing Program. The former will assist homeowners in developing secondary dwellings on their property, referred to by Gondek as a 'gentle density' initiative. Article content The latter includes several goals, namely the conversion of downtown office space into housing. Article content Housing targets in the program were further broken down by housing type. Reid Hendry, chief housing officer of the City of Calgary, said 'to date we've achieved 103 per cent of our multi-unit target and 152 per cent of our multi-unit near transit target.' Article content The targets for non-market housing are lagging behind the other two success stories, although the city says that those housing types are still on track for the original goalposts. The aim of non-market units sets at 746. 'To the end of June 2025, we're now at 301,' Hendry said.
Global News
15-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
Concerns surround century-old Stephen Avenue water main as repairs paused
There are concerns that a more than 100-year old water pipe under Stephen Avenue is degrading, according to Calgary's mayor, as the project to repair the pipe is paused after a group of businesses threatened legal action. Work on the Stephen Avenue Revitalization Project was set to begin on Monday, the day after the end of this year's Calgary Stampede. The project was set to see phased upgrades along the entire stretch of 8 Avenue, starting between Centre and 1 streets southeast. Construction would've included replacing underground utilities including a 1910-era water main, surface upgrades in the centre of the avenue, and new soil cells for tree growth. 'There's concern that there continues to be degradation of that pipe,' Calgary mayor Jyoti Gondek told Global News. 'We want to get in there and look at it and see what kind of a fix needs to be done or if it's a replacement.' Story continues below advertisement According to the City of Calgary, the pipe is currently functional, but the infrastructure is aging and has been identified for potential lifecycle replacement as part of a broader revitalization plan. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'There is urgency in this,' Gondek said. 'But that urgency also has to be balanced with an entire avenue that's got businesses reliant on our visitor economy that is strongest at this time of year.' It was revealed on Friday that city officials had put a temporary paused on the project, after a coalition of business owners in the area said it would pursue legal action against the city over the project's timeline and potential impacts to their bottom lines during the construction schedule. 'We were pleasantly surprised,' said Annabelle's Kitchen owner Leslie Echino, one of the businesses calling for a pause. 'I think it's meaningful the city wants to work with us, and communicate and open up those lines of communication with us as business owners.' Work was scheduled to be 'substantially complete' by next summer ahead of the 2026 Calgary Stampede, but would've included closures along the block. For Echino, who found out about the plan in April, the construction raised similar concerns to the ongoing work in Marda Loop, and currently the subject of a lawsuit from businesses in that neighbourhood against the City of Calgary over impacts. Story continues below advertisement 'I drive everyday through Marda Loop and I see what's happening there today and yesterday, and it's a travesty,' said Echino, who has a second Annabelle's Kitchen location in that neighbourhood. 'We're very nervous about that happening downtown.' She added the businesses understand the infrastructure needs to be repaired, and they hope it can be done quickly. Gondek noted the businesses concerns are 'valid' due to the construction starting during the busy summer months and high tourist season. She also questioned whether the planned beautification work along the block was necessary as part of the project. 'For us to have certainty and predictability of how long that closure is and the work that's going to be done, is a better scenario than saying for 16 months we're not sure what we're going to be doing.' According to the city, officials are re-evaluating the project's next steps 'and working closely with impacted businesses to determine the best schedule going forward.' An updated timeline is expected to be be shared publicly when details are finalized.
Calgary Herald
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
The countdown is on: What we know about Calgary's 2025 civic election
Article content The incumbent faced an embattled first term as mayor, with low polling, a citizen-led petition attempt to recall her, the city's longest- ever public hearing, several disputes with provincial officials — including one that nearly tanked the Green Line project — and the Bearspaw south feeder main crisis. Article content Article content Jeromy Farkas Article content Farkas, who was the Ward 11 councillor from 2017 to 2021, finished second to Gondek in the last election, with roughly 117,000 votes, or just under 30 per cent of ballots. After losing the 2021 election, he went on a five-month, 2,300-kilometre trek across the Pacific Crest Trail, during which he raised money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Calgary. Article content Article content After returning to Calgary from that soul-searching journey, Farkas became the CEO of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation, which stewards the provincial park between Calgary and Cochrane. Before announcing his mayoral candidacy earlier this year, he successfully advocated against Glenbow Ranch becoming the location for a future provincial flood mitigation project along the Bow River. Article content Often a fiscal contrarian when serving on council from 2017 to 2021, Farkas said if elected mayor this fall, he will bolster city services and infrastructure, and increase public safety, housing and jobs. He has been staunchly opposed to the city's deal with the Calgary Flames ownership group to fund Scotia Place. Article content Jeff Davison Article content Davison, who garnered 13 per cent of the vote in 2021, (just over 50,000 ballots) was the Ward 6 councillor last term. After finishing a distant third to Gondek and Farkas, he became the CEO of the Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre in 2022 and held that position for two years. Article content Article content Before entering politics, he was the managing partner of a film-production company and spent 20 years working in communications, predominantly in the energy or tech sectors. Article content A centrepiece of Davison's platform is a promise to freeze property tax levels at 2025 levels for the entirety of the next term, though this would require the backing of a majority of council. He was also critical of council's blanket rezoning policy and argues the deal he oversaw for a new NHL arena, which broke down in 2021, was better than the agreement reached between the city and Flames ownership group in 2023. Article content Article content Brian Thiessen Article content Thiessen, a managing partner at a law firm, is the former chair of the Calgary police commission and a former president of the provincial Alberta Party. A self-described political centrist, the mayoral candidate for The Calgary Party also served on the Ronald McDonald House Charities Alberta board of directors and was recognized as Calgary's citizen of the year in 2020.
Edmonton Journal
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Bell: 'Everything on the table' — Smith government could remove some Calgary bike lanes
Article content 'If they're hell-bent on continuing to add more bike lanes everything is on the table from a provincial standpoint.' Article content Maybe bringing in a law allowing the province to take out an existing bike lane and put back in a driving lane. Article content Or not allow the city to proceed with plans for a future bike lane where they are taking out a driving lane. Article content Article content Dreeshen says he has no problem with bike lanes that make sense but not bike lanes taking away from the driving experience of motorists. Article content He also plans to ask Gondek for hard numbers showing the success or failure of bike lanes and outlining the measure of success, including any negative effect of bike lanes on nearby roads. Article content Article content Why does Dreeshen think bike lanes are a hot-button issue? Article content 'It negatively affects people. They see government going in a direction that is actually worse for the quality of their life. They feel it and see it every day.' Article content Yes, this is what happens when Calgary city hall does what they always do. Article content They have a plan and they will shove it down the throats of Calgarians. Article content They don't listen because they are afraid they will hear opposition. Article content Better to ignore, patronize, dismiss and keep in the dark citizens in this city. Article content City hall does what it pleases and then tells you, city hall's ATM, to cough up the cash. Article content City hall rarely looks at whether what they've done actually works. They produce report after report saying it's all good. Article content No wonder this Calgary city council has been rated the worst in city polling history. Article content By the way, what is Dreeshen hearing about his approach to bike lanes and his willingness to question Gondek and Calgary city hall? Article content Smith's point man on transportation says many folks tell him they believe the provincial government is on the right track. Article content He really hopes the chinwag with Gondek goes well and he doesn't have to bring down the hammer.
