Calgary rezoning debate continues into day three
Three days into Calgary's public hearing on proposed rezoning and nearly 200 speakers later, some councillors say there's a clear pattern when it comes to what they're hearing from people presenting.
"Typically younger Calgarians under the age of 50 are coming out in support (of proposed blanket rezoning) and we're seeing a lot of older Calgarians, homeowners over the age of 50, speaking against," said Jasmine Mian, the ward 3 councillor.
"I think it's because they have had very different lived experiences with the housing market. And younger people typically want to see change and are demanding us to take action," she said.
Panels of young people, including several representing post-secondary students, showed up at City Hall on Wednesday to voice their support for rezoning to R-CG.
"Young people are denied agency over housing choices and subsequently the direction of our lives," said Hanna Crisostomo, a University of Calgary student and representative with the Urban Calgary Students Association.
Crisostomo presented a letter to council signed by 146 students who supported blanket rezoning.
"The decision to embrace change will mean the difference between building a resilient city for the future, or continuing down the path where one in five Calgarians cannot afford their housing," she said.
MAJORITY AGAINST
Still, the vast majority of feedback the city has received on the rezoning issue has been in opposition. Speaker after speaker lined up Wednesday to call on council to vote down blanket rezoning, citing concerns over the impacts it could have on community character and parking.
"Older people tend to want to move into quieter communities -- single-family residential, maybe with fewer neighbours," said Coun. Andre Chabot.
"But if you're younger and you're raising a young family, you want to be in a higher density," he added.
It will still be days before council will start its debate and present amendments over proposed changes. Councillors say they will need seek to find a balance as it tries to implement its housing strategy.
Statistics from city administration estimates one in five Calgarians struggle with housing affordability and upzoning, if passed, could add about 1,500 homes per year by streamlining the process.
"I'm looking at what we do to make sure that housing is in good supply for everyone in our city, not just right now, but well into the future," said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW 'Oh my God, you're my brother': Manitoba man discovers six unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.