Let me paint a picture: Calgary city hall is like that one friend who loves throwing dinner parties but forgets there are no chairs, no food in the fridge and the roof is leaking. And now they’re talking about rearranging the seating chart (rezoning) without addressing the fact that the walls are crumbling, and the bathroom faucet hasn’t stopped dripping since the last dinner party (fixing infrastructure).
But before we rush to throw all of Calgary’s zoning laws into the blender and hit “purée,” can we please focus on a few glaringly obvious infrastructure needs first? Our water infrastructure is leaking, our roads are full of holes and our services are being cut. Let’s do a deep dive.
Let’s talk about rec centres. Ever been to one in the evening? It’s like trying to find a parking spot at Stampede Park on a Saturday night. You walk in and it’s wall-to-wall packed. They have been overused for a very long time now.
We are set to grow by an additional million in the next 10 years. We are already waiting in line at 6 a.m. to register for swimming classes.
Our soccer fields? Overbooked. Hockey rinks? An endangered species. We’ve got kids practising at ungodly hours, parents in a frenzy and yet, somehow, we’re being asked to dream of a denser, multi-use, rezoned future.
Let’s address the community centres — those community hubs that are supposed to be the heartbeat of neighbourhoods.
Right now, some of them are more like abandoned time capsules, offering a patchwork of services as they struggle to survive. If we’re serious about building vibrant, denser communities, we need to make sure we have more than just homes — we need spaces where people can be a community.
How about some real investment in modern, versatile community hubs where people can meet, create and connect? Rezoning without revitalizing community centres is like expanding your guest list without cleaning up the party space.
Next, libraries. Libraries are the new community hangouts, offering everything from tech workshops to toddler storytime. But much like everything else in Calgary, they’re bursting at the seams. Often standing room only, and that’s before we add a few thousand more people to every neighbourhood.
Calgary needs libraries more than ever. But what happens when you’ve got a vibrant new population and they can’t find space to attend a workshop, grab a book or log on to a computer? Let’s invest in our libraries so that they remain the vital community resources they’re supposed to be.
Next up, social infrastructure. You know, the essential services that support vulnerable populations, promote community engagement and generally keep our city from devolving into a Wild West sequel. Imagine rezoning thousands of new units without expanding mental-health services, shelters, and affordable housing programs.
We’re already stretched thin in terms of support services, and more density without increased resources would be like adding an extra storey to your house without checking if the foundation can handle it. Spoiler alert: It can’t.
I get it. Rezoning sounds super progressive. Mixed-use neighbourhoods, lower housing prices (maybe), walkable communities — it all sounds like an urban planning dream.
But here’s the kicker: If we don’t first fix our crumbling infrastructure, expand our social support systems, build more sports facilities and, yes, enlarge our libraries, then we’re basically creating a city where everyone lives in a shoebox with nowhere to stretch their legs — physically or metaphorically.
Calgarians want their water system to be reliable, have affordable recreational services, good transit and public safety.
A four-year tax freeze won’t “cut” it.
Sarah Biggs is a political strategist based in Calgary. She is a partner at Olsen+Biggs Public Affairs.