First reading on suite reform passes after marathon debate

In a more than 10 hour debate, Calgary city council made a small step towards secondary suite reform last night.

First reading was passed on a motion allowing secondary and backyard suites in Wards 7, 8, 9 and 11. If passed, those wishing to apply for a suite in those wards, which are comprised of 83 communities, could begin with a development permit instead of appearing before council.

City council voted 9-5 against a motion by Coun. Peter Demong that would've frozen Calgary's public art budget.

Demong made the motion stating among other things, the economy has been impacted by low oil prices and considering the Public Art Policy allocates up to $4 million from any single capital project that all funds, that those funds "not expended by public art during this time frame be tabulated and that administration return to council with recommendations for projects that could be funded with this revenue."

With Calgary's Cycling Strategy Annual Report on the table, some council members expressed concern over a new bike lane on Northland Drive.

Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu said he's recieved phone calls and emails - though hasn't seen for himself - that because of the layout of the new bike lanes, buses sometimes have to reverse in order to make a turn.

"If we have a specific bicycle engineer, I think this shouldn't happen," he said.

On Dec. 15, city council voted 8-7 against secondary suite reform in Calgary. Here's some of what was said throughout the debate.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi:

"How can we continue to have discretion in this debate while removing the approval of each secondary suite from council ... a lot of folks think today's vote, if it were to pass, [suites would] be legal immediately."

"If this fails today, we're done ... I'm done frankly because we have tried very hard to try different compromises."

City council has approved a new four-year budget that will see property taxes in the city rise by 4.5 per cent next year, followed by three consecutive years of 4.7 per cent hikes through to 2018.

The increase means the average Calgary household will part with an extra $71.40 in property taxes
next year.

"This is a lean budget for a growing city," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. "Council had important debate and discussion about the issues that matter most to citizens – from enhanced snow and ice control to investments in public transit to the fees for water and recycling.

As city council continues to work through day five of the budget, today brought up some questions about Calgary's Parks funding.

Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot wanted to cut one Community Services and Protective Services lifecycle program by more than $2 million, the results of which citizens would notice, said Anne Charlton, director of Parks.

Charlton said the fund is used for "hard materials", such as paving, tennis courts, a mix of 8,000 benches and picnic tables, 463 back-stops at ball diamonds and 8,000 soccer goal posts among other things.

Calgary City Council continued it's budget talks for Action Plan 2015-2018 today.

This morning council continued its discussion on the city's utilities and environmental protection, including Calgary's water services.

"The numbers are extraordinary and I start to worry that we are building a system in water and wastewater we will just not be able to afford in future generations," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi to city staff.

Council talks pedestrian crossings during budget deliberations

An amendment by Ward 8 Coun. Woolley Calgary during city council budget talks today shed some light on pedestrian bridges in the city.

Woolley wished to make an amendment on a Pedestrian Overpass Program to allow for transportation to look at a wider array of solutions for transportation infrastructure.

"If we have an overpass that needs millions in upgrades and there's only 40 to 80 people using it, I find a challenge in fixing it," he said.

When it comes to Calgary City Council, a tie on a specific vote equals defeat.

At a Sept. 10 Standing Policy Committee meeting, a proposal by city planners looking to streamline Calgary's secondary suite approval process was voted down 4-4.

"First thing, I want to make a point of is enforcement is not a housing policy," said the City's General Manager Rollin Stanley. "If a person remains homeless, we fail as a city. If a suite is made safe, we succeed."