Calgary mayor meets with head of Recall Gondek campaign
The Calgary citizen who started a petition to recall Mayor Jyoti Gondek met with the city's elected leader on Friday in a 20-minute, closed-door meeting.
Calgary resident Landon Johnston started the campaign to remove Gondek in January because he was frustrated with city hall and concerned about tax increases and the city's single-use plastic bylaw.
He said his first meeting with the mayor was interesting.
"The mayor was very friendly. She listened to everything I had to say," Johnston said.
"But it's still not enough."
He said they discussed transparency, affordability and the recall legislation.
Calgary's mayor said they did find common ground.
"He and I may not agree on policies, but I do think that we share a desire to do good things in Calgary," Gondek said.
Johnston said he requested the meeting through the mayor's office.
He said before creating the petition, he had been unsuccessful in getting in front of the mayor and council because his topic was not on the agenda.
Gondek says she understands the petition has resonated with some people and is going to work harder at trying to address all of the things she can, while also better explaining the decisions council is making.
"We are not focusing on the things that could be bringing us together. So, I would like to make sure that we're spotlighting things like the housing crisis, that we're spotlighting things like poverty, human rights," the mayor said.
She says council needs to work harder to find common ground because a lot of time is wasted on division.
"None of us are innocent in this. I have made comments that I shouldn't have made," she said.
"Once we fall into that trap of arguing with each other and making it very public, we become less credible to Calgarians."
Johnston said the number of names required on a recall petition is unrealistic because it's based on population and not voting age.
He has to collect the more than 514,000 signatures in person, by April 4.
The 2021 municipal election had far fewer voters, with just over 393,000 Calgarians casting a ballot.
Johnston said he was pleased Gondek agreed to work with him to try and get the province to address gaps in the recall legislation.
"It's not easy for elected officials to make it easier for them to not be in power, so I appreciate the mayor for at least giving me that," he said.
"Outside of that, I'm not happy with the job performance and so many other Calgarians deserve better than what we've had in this council chambers."
He says he hasn't heard back from the province on his concerns about the recall legislation.
Johnston suspects the petition with his name on it has been used by others for their political purposes or data gathering.
He said a lack of regulations around the petition could put personal information at risk.
Alberta's government introduced recall legislation in 2021, with funding requirements at the provincial level, but not the municipal level.
Premier Danielle Smith said Friday her minister of municipal affairs, Ric McIver, is considering changes.
"The minister is looking at ways in which we can build a little more rigour around the process, a few more rules around it," Smith said.
"We don't want to make any changes while there are active recall campaigns going on.
Johnston says about 42,000 signatures have been counted so far, and that he has thousands more waiting to be added to the tally.
"I'm going to see it through, and now that is the fight for the people that have told me they have a voice, but it's not being heard," Johnston said.
"I respect the fact that he's trying to do something that, while it may be targeted against me, at least he's engaging in a process that he has every democratic right to engage in," Gondek said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Here's how much more Canadian landlords are asking for now, according to a just-released report
A new report says the average asking rent for a home in Canada in April was up 9.3 per cent compared with a year ago, while a slight month-over-month increase was also recorded for the first time since January.
What is basic income, and how would it impact me?
Parliamentarians are considering a pair of bills aiming to lift people out of poverty through a basic income program, but some fear these types of systems could result in more taxes for Canadians who are already financially struggling.
Canada abstains from Palestinian UN membership vote but supports two-state solution
Canada was one of 25 countries that abstained from a United Nations vote on Palestinian membership that passed with overwhelming support on Friday.
More than half the Canadians once detained in Syrian camps for suspected ISIS family members have returned home
A total of 29 Canadians have been freed from detention camps in northeast Syria and brought back to Canada since human rights advocates began lobbying for their release years ago.
'I may have some nightmares:' Man survives being bitten by 2 sharks in Bahamas
A man who was bitten by two sharks in the Bahamas said Thursday he's 'thankful that I'm here' while sharing his story of survival.
Rare severe solar storm Friday could bring spectacular aurora light show across Canada
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Out-of-control wildfire burning near Fort McMurray
As of 9 a.m. on Friday, the wildfire burning 28 kilometres southwest of the northeastern Alberta city was 25 hectares in size.
Mexico's president accuses press and volunteer searchers for missing people of 'necrophilia'
The administration of Mexico's president has accused the press and volunteer searchers who look for the bodies of missing people of 'necrophilia,' comments that drew criticism this week.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.