Our letter calls for Calgary to redesign its Local Area Planning (LAP) process to make community growth planning more transparent, evidence-based, and genuinely collaborative before expanding future plans. Drawing on findings from the KPMG engagement report and public feedback from the rezoning repeal hearing, it argues for stronger oversight, neighbourhood-specific planning, earlier community involvement, and more accountable public engagement processes.

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This piece responds to a Globe and Mail editorial defending federal pressure on Calgary to retain blanket upzoning under the Housing Accelerator Fund. We argue that Calgarians rejected blanket upzoning itself — not housing growth — and support a more contextual, community-based planning approach.

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This letter argues that Calgary’s Housing Accelerator Fund agreement does not legally require blanket “four units as-of-right” zoning, and that the agreement is fundamentally outcomes-based rather than tied to any single zoning model. It emphasizes that Council retains discretion over how housing supply targets are achieved.

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This briefing explains how grandfathering should be applied in the repeal of blanket rezoning, clarifying the legal distinction between approved developments and applications in progress.
It recommends a rights-based approach, protecting only approved permits, to avoid speculation, inconsistency, and a fragmented planning framework.

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Key themes, why they matter, and implications for Council. A clear snapshot of public input on growth and rezoning.

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We’ve created a concise summary of what Calgarians shared during the Bylaw 9P2026 hearing, highlighting concerns around trust, affordability, and planning transparency. The message was consistent: growth is supported, but it must be thoughtful, targeted, and shaped by meaningful public input.

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Read the CFTG submission for Council’a agenda package which argues that Calgary’s blanket rezoning policy has not meaningfully improved affordability or supply, while creating unintended impacts on communities, infrastructure, and public trust. It recommends full repeal and a return to targeted, community-informed planning through Local Area Plans to support more predictable, context-sensitive growth.

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This report analyzes Calgary’s blanket rezoning policy using 2024–2026 data and finds it has had limited impact on housing supply while failing to improve affordability. Instead, it highlights rising land costs, increased development delays, and community impacts, and proposes targeted, context-based planning solutions as more effective alternatives.

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This letter responds to Councillor Kelly’s concerns regarding CMHC’s discretion under the Housing Accelerator Fund agreement in response to concerns about CMHC’s authority under the Housing Accelerator Fund agreement, explaining how discretionary “satisfaction” clauses are legally constrained by principles of good faith and reasonableness. It emphasizes that compliance must be assessed against the written milestones and housing targets in the agreement, and not against policy interpretations that go beyond the contract.

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This letter responds to Councillor Wyness’s public comments in Strasser’s article regarding the Housing Accelerator Fund agreement and requests clarification on any contractual basis for requiring blanket rezoning. It outlines CFTG’s view that the written agreement does not mandate citywide blanket rezoning and that housing targets can be achieved through targeted planning tools.

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This memorandum reviews CMHC’s February 10, 2026 statement in light of the written Housing Accelerator Fund agreement and compares the public claims to the actual contractual text. It concludes that the agreement does not require permanent citywide blanket rezoning or four-units-as-of-right zoning, and that compliance must be assessed against the written milestones and housing supply targets set out in the executed contract.

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Our letter to Council explains that repealing blanket upzoning does not dismantle Calgary’s Housing Strategy or stall housing and affordability progress. Blanket upzoning is only one tool within 98 tools of Home is Here, and most initiatives — including non-market housing, secondary suites, approvals reform, and targeted density — can proceed unchanged. It outlines how Council can repeal the bylaw while continuing to deliver housing through targeted, evidence-based approaches.

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This document explains where Calgary City Council is in the process of potentially repealing the Blanket Upzoning (BUZ) bylaw, what decisions have already been made, and what remains undecided. It also outlines what the March 23, 2026 public hearing will cover and how Calgarians can participate to influence the final council vote.

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This letter argues that the repeated Bearspaw feeder main failures are not simply operational mishaps but evidence of a broader executive and governance breakdown within Calgary’s administration. Drawing on the findings of the Independent Review Panel, it contends that long-known risks were not effectively escalated, that Council was not given decision-ready information, and that the current leadership structure has failed to support meaningful oversight of critical infrastructure.

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Recent failures of the Bearspaw South Feeder Main—and the findings of the City’s independent review—raise important questions about how Calgary assesses infrastructure readiness when approving increased density, particularly in established neighbourhoods with aging systems. While current capacity modelling may meet planning benchmarks, it can mask underlying fragility when redundancy is limited and assets are deteriorating. We call for a more risk-based, transparent approach to infrastructure evaluation to ensure growth proceeds safely, responsibly, and sustainably.

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We want to thank volunteers and supporters of Calgarians for Thoughtful Growth and highlight the key work in 2025, including advocacy to repeal blanket upzoning, legal action, public education during the municipal election, and efforts to clarify HAF funding. We also want to look ahead to 2026, inviting continued community involvement to support transparent, neighbourhood-focused planning in Calgary.

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Here is a summary of an exchange with Councillor Myke Atkinson’s office outlining why he does not currently support repealing citywide upzoning. It also sets out Calgarians for Thoughtful Growth’s response, explaining why restoring pre-blanket zoning first is seen as a necessary step to rebuild legitimacy, enable fairer growth distribution, and ensure future zoning changes are developed through community-specific planning and public hearings.

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This letter formally urges Mayor Farkas and Council to support the Notice of Motion to repeal blanket upzoning, grounding the request in both the 2024 public hearing record and the 2025 electoral mandate. It explains why supporting the motion is about restoring democratic trust and lawful, community-based planning—by initiating a fair repeal process and returning growth decisions to neighbourhood-specific, infrastructure-aware planning.

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This is a legal opinion that reviews the City of Calgary’s proposed process to repeal the Blanket Rezoning Bylaw and explains how a lawful, streamlined repeal can proceed under the Municipal Government Act. It clarifies why Council can move forward with restoring prior residential zoning, how public hearing and notice requirements apply, and why only approved (not pending) applications should be protected during the transition.

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