Calgary councillors pitch plebiscite for proposed rezoning rules
Six councillors want the people to decide whether proposed rezoning rules that could create more housing density across Calgary should go forward.
A notice of motion by Dan McLean, Andre Chabot, Sonya Sharp, Sean Chu, Peter Demong and Terry Wong calls for the cancellation of a public hearing in April, instead putting the question of city-wide rezoning to a plebiscite in 2025.
"Not one councillor campaigned on a mandate for upzoning the entire city," McLean said.
"That will affect every single property owner, every taxpayer in the city, (and) something this consequential, I think, should go to the people."
Last year, council passed its overall housing strategy to increase supply to meet the demand of the current housing crunch.
Among items in the strategy is a direction to rezone properties that currently only allow for single-detached and semi-detached homes to allow for higher-density builds such as townhomes and rowhomes.
Coun. Jasmine Mian suggested the proposed plebiscite is delaying action on housing and pushing the issue off to the next council.
"We're in a housing crisis and I think we should act like we are," she said.
"We decide land use in the city without ever going to a plebiscite on anything. I mean, that's primarily what we do is preside over land and listen to residents over land. And that's what we'll do on April 22."
The city has set a date of April 22 for the public hearing on the proposed changes.
The councillors' motion, if passed, would cancel the public hearing and put the question to Calgary voters through a plebiscite next year.
The proposed motion will be brought to council for debate next week.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.
Haida elder suing Catholic Church and priest, hopes for 'healing and reconciliation'
The lawyer for a residential school survivor leading a proposed class-action defamation lawsuit against the Catholic Church over residential schools says the court action is a last resort.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.
Opinion I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'doesn't get' the global phenomenon.
It's 30 years since apartheid ended. South Africa's celebrations are set against growing discontent
South Africa marked 30 years since the end of apartheid and the birth of its democracy with a ceremony in the capital Saturday that included a 21-gun salute and the waving of the nation's multicolored flag.