Calgary mayor and council 'incredibly focused' on rezoning plan
Calgary’s blanket rezoning plan is one of the most contentious issues to face the city in recent years, with a public hearing starting Monday morning.
As of Friday, Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek says 675 people are registered to speak, and 5,500 submissions have come through that are now part of the public record.
And now, two residents have gone to court, hoping to force the city to hold a plebiscite.
“I really appreciate the number of people who have gotten engaged through open houses, people who have written in, people who are coming to speak next week,” Gondek told CTV Morning Live.
- Sign up for breaking news alerts from CTV News, right at your fingertips
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
With the sheer volume of response, Gondek says on Monday they will have to determine the length of meetings and how many days the discussion will last.
“I'm very much looking forward to hearing the perspective of Calgarians around our housing crisis and how this could be a solution,” said Gondek, adding the discussion could even continue into the weekend if needed.
Gondek explained the public hearing is in response to the city’s housing strategy, based on recommendations of the housing and affordability task force.
“We had a team of experts say to us that one of the ways that we can achieve more housing supply in our city is to look at rezoning,” said Gondek.
The conversation is expected to be dominated by the plan to add more high-density housing.
Calgary city council is considering amending its land-use bylaw to allow more density in all communities.
If passed, Calgary's base zoning district would be changed to R-CG, a classification that allows for row homes and duplexes to be built in residential zones.
The city has been gathering feedback on the issue through public information sessions and online webinars over the past few months and officials say, so far, about 70 per cent of respondents have been against the idea.
While there was a belief that passing the amendment was the only way to access $228 million in federal funding for affordable housing, Gondek says the proposed land-use bylaw amendment is not a prerequisite to receive that money.
"That was the housing accelerator fund money that we received from the federal government and the City of Calgary put together an application that was quite fulsome," she said.
"We had several ideas that we felt could help deliver a maximum number of units, housing units into our city, we submitted it, we received the funding."
With more than 60 people moving to Calgary everyday, Gondek says the housing situation needs to be carefully considered.
“We're incredibly focused on making sure that the housing crisis can be addressed with rezoning if that's something that's in the interest of our city.”
A press release regarding the court action read in part:
"In the originating application filed with the Court of King’s Bench, the Applicants seek a review of the Council's decision on the plebiscite, charging that the City Council misapplied several provisions of the Municipal Government Act and deprived owners of properties currently designated R-C1 and R-C2 such as the Applicants, of the current right to a public hearing concerning proposed changes to zoning of their individual property, or to object to the rezoning of neighbouring parcels. They are asking the Court to quash the decision not to hold a plebiscite and for a declaration that the decision was invalid."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
India's foreign minister reacts to murder charges, claims Canada welcomes criminals
India's Foreign Affairs Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country in response to the RCMP's recent arrests in a homicide that has roiled tensions between the two countries.
15-year-old boy stabbed in Ottawa on Thursday dies
A 15-year old boy who was critically injured after a stabbing in Nepean on Thursday has died of his injuries, Ottawa's English public school board said Sunday.
Dash cam catches moment suspected drunk driver hits parked car, sends it careening into North Shore flower shop
Police say it’s fortunate no one was injured or killed in a collision at North Vancouver’s Park and Tilford shopping centre Saturday evening that sent one vehicle careening into a flower shop and another into a set of concrete barriers outside a Winners store.
'A tiny city:' Pro-Palestinian campus protesters organize for another week
Pro-Palestinian activists have set up tents at universities in Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver and Montreal, following a wave of similar protests at campuses in the United States linked to the Israel-Hamas war.
Lawsuit against Meta asks if Facebook users have right to control their feeds using external tools
Do social media users have the right to control what they see — or don't see — on their feeds?
A Holocaust survivor will mark that history differently after the horrors of Oct. 7
This year's Holocaust Remembrance Day, which begins on Sunday evening in Israel, carries a heavier weight than usual for many Jews around the world.
Princess Anne lays wreath at Battle of Atlantic ceremony; honours late Queen
Princess Anne saluted Canadian veterans and current forces members and honoured her late mother during separate ceremonies Sunday in Victoria as she wrapped up a three-day British Columbia West Coast royal visit.
El Nino weakening doesn't mean cooler temperatures this summer, forecasters say
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
As storms moves across Texas, 1 child dies after being swept away in floodwaters
A child in Texas died Sunday after being swept away in floodwaters as storms swept across the state.