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March 23, 2026

Public Hearing

Register to Speak

Numbers matter. Council members look closely at how many people write and how many speak up. Silence works against repeal. The BUZ Bylaw will not be repealed unless Calgarians act — again. Many people believe the 2025 municipal election settled this issue. It did not. On December 15, 2025, Council passed a Notice of Motion that starts the repeal process. That was an important step — but it does not repeal the bylaw. Under Alberta law, repeal requires new notice to all affected property owners and a public hearing, now scheduled for March 23, 2026.

The public hearing will determine whether Council:

  • follows through on a full repeal of BUZ and the enabling bylaw, or

  • keeps or amends BUZ in some fashion instead

Well-organized lobbying groups and City Administration are actively working to PRESERVE BLANKET UPZONING or replace it with amended versions. Without strong public participation, Council may be encouraged to compromise rather than repeal.

Your neighbourhood, your property, and your voice are back before City Council on March 23, 2026, to determine whether the blanket upzoning (“BUZ”) bylaw will be repealed. This time, your participation is even more critical.

Learn What Council Has Decided and What Happens Next

What You Can Do

❋ Write to officials

Writing to your City Councillor and Mayor to support full repeal of the BUZ bylaw

❋ Write a submission to Council package

Submit a written brief to Council before the public hearing

❋ Register to speak

Register to speak and attend the hearing - numbers matter!

❋ A Supportive Space

Talk to your neighbours — one conversation multiplies impact

In April–May 2024, roughly 70% of speakers and written submissions opposed blanket upzoning, yet the previous Council passed it anyway. In the 2025 municipal election, Calgarians responded by electing a Council majority that campaigned on a commitment to repeal the BUZ bylaw and a return to community-based planning. That mandate matters — but it is not self-executing.

The Facts About Repeal of the BUZ Bylaw:

  • Repeal does not stop housing. Almost all of Calgary’s Housing Strategy actions can proceed and are proceeding without BUZ.

  • Density is not affordability. BUZ allows expensive redevelopment but does not require affordable housing.

  • Lower-cost homes are being lost. Older, modest and less costly houses are being replaced with high-priced infills and multi-unit developments.

  • Families face unfair competition. BUZ helps developers who benefit from low-cost, sometimes forgivable financing, which allows them to outbid families for homes.

  • Housing conditions have changed. Record housing starts show the market is responding to rental economics, population trends and a favourable investment environment – NOT BLANKET UPZONING. This allows us a shift from the prior Council’s perceived “emergency” policy back to deliberate planning.

Full repeal of BUZ restores a stable planning baseline so growth can proceed thoughtfully, locally, and lawfully with local community input and fulsome planning considerations.

We need a strong, visible show of public support for full repeal of the BUZ bylaw.

Download Our Public Hearing Tool Kit 
How to Create a Written Submission or Speech

  • Register to submit in writing or to speak at the hearing through the City’s Public Submission Page.

    • On the submission form, you will need to indicate if you want to speak or submit a comment.

    • You need to indicate that your comments concern the Public Hearing Meeting of Council scheduled for Monday, March 23, 2026.

    • You will be asked if you are in favour of or opposed to the issue. This is a motion to repeal the BUZ bylaw. Accordingly, if you want to repeal BUZ, indicate that you are in favour of the issue.

    • You can then attach your written submission and any audio-visual materials as part of your submission.

  • Choose one or two issues from your direct experience, which may be outlined in the list below. Your personal experience and observations are very important.

    Make the submission yours.

  • Support your submission and personal experience with facts to anchor your comments.

  • Speak or write in your own words.

  • End with a clear request to repeal for a full repeal of blanket upzoning and return to planned, community-based growth. There will be pressure on City Councillors to amend the bylaw rather than repeal it. However, rule-tweaks and amendments don’t solve the core governance flaw: blanket upzoning is a citywide default that bypasses local conditions and context. Full repeal is not “anti-change.” It’s sequencing: restore a stable baseline first, then do through community consultation and target thoughtful redesignations through Local Area Plans and corridor planning with proper notice and hearing.

Issue Checklist: Issues, Rationale, and Supporting Facts

❋ Democratic Legitimacy

BUZ lacks social licence and undermines trust in planning decisions.

  • ~70% opposition at 2024 public hearing

  • 2025 Council elected on repeal commitments

❋ Affordability

BUZ allows expensive redevelopment without requiring affordable housing.

  • No affordability requirement

  • Older modest and less costly homes often replaced

❋ Planning & Local Context

One-size-fits-all zoning ignores neighbourhood differences.

  • Local Area Plans overridden

  • Varying lot sizes, streets, and services

❋ Infrastructure Capacity

Density is permitted before neighbourhood-scale capacity is assessed.

  • Water, sewer, roads vary

  • Upgrades are uneven

  • Pre-1970 communities do not have sufficient sustainable infrastructure

❋ Competition with Families

Developers can outbid households using density linked financing.

  • Access to low-cost / forgivable financing

  • Families compete for existing homes

❋ Traffic & Parking

Uniform rules don’t reflect street design and minimum policy requirements are insufficient.

  • Limited transit in some areas

  • Parking conflicts reported

❋ Trees & Green Space

Redevelopment increases lot coverage, reduces the urban tree canopy and contributes to rainfall runoff issues.

  • Mature trees removed

  • Long replacement timelines

  • Impact on sewer systems

❋ Construction Impacts

Repeated infill disrupts neighbourhoods.

  • Noise, dust, safety issues

  • Long construction cycles

❋ Process Legitimacy

Full repeal required.

Amendments to BUZ won’t address the trust deficit.

  • The Core issue is process, not technical fixes. A patchwork approach by amendment does not address the issue, rather it may exacerbate the issue or create greater problems.

❋ Cost Argument

Public hearings are required by law.

  • The Municipal Government Act mandates hearings

  • Sunk costs don’t justify keeping a rejected policy

❋ Fairness Across Wards

BUZ does not actually spread growth evenly.

  • Infill remains inner-city focused

Suggested Structure for Oral Submissions

(You are allowed up to 5 minutes but all you need is 2 to 3 minutes)

1. Who you are and where you live.

2. One or two issues that matter most to you.

3. Why it matters based on your experience.

4. Clear request to repeal blanket upzoning.

Suggested Structure for Written Submissions

1. One short paragraph per issue

2. Use plain language

3. Refer to your own personal experience. We need to demonstrate real and impending impacts, how BUZ has or may affect you personally, identify unintended consequences, and connect your experience to the BUZ process.

4. Anchor your submission with facts.

5. Close with a clear request for full repeal of the BUZ bylaw– no amendment.

A Comparison of Myths vs Facts

Myth: Repealing BUZ will stop housing.

Fact: Wrong. Most of the housing initiatives in the Calgary Housing Strategy can and have proceeded without BUZ.

Myth: BUZ guarantees affordability.

Fact: Incorrect. BUZ allows denser redevelopment without requiring units to be affordable.

Myth: Repeal creates legal risk.

Fact: Wrong. Under the Municipal Government Act, City Councils routinely amend zoning without liability when done lawfully.

Myth: Alberta’s record housing construction is happening because of BUZ in Calgary and Edmonton.

Fact: False. Alberta’s current housing boom is occurring across the entire province, including many communities without BUZ. The surge is primarily driven by strong rental demand, increased purpose-built rental construction, population trends, and an investment-friendly provincial environment.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Do I need to be an expert to make a submission? No.

• How long should I speak? You are allowed up to 5 minutes but 2 to 3 minutes should be sufficient to make your points.

• Is repetition okay? Yes — recurring themes matter.

• Can I submit in writing? Yes, written submissions are important.

• What should I ask Council to do? Ask Council to repeal in full the BUZ bylaw and return to planned, community-based growth.