December Newsletter
Budget: Delivering on what matters most to Calgarians
On Nov. 22, 2024, Council approved adjustments to the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets. These changes take action on what matters most to Calgarians while keeping increases to property tax and water, sewer and waste and recycling fees as affordable as possible.
We’re making meaningful investments in priority areas that are important to Calgarians including infrastructure and maintenance, public safety, housing, transit and more. We’ve also created an easy to follow Budget Adjustments Overview to outline and breakdown our investments.
Want to make your tax payments easier?
We’re excited to remind you that it’s easier than ever to join the Tax Instalment Payment Plan (TIPP). Our online process streamlines registration, allowing you to enrol from the comfort of your home, 24/7. All you need is your roll number and banking details, and we’ll confirm your enrolment in real-time.
Tax assistance programs for those in need
If you are a residential property owner experiencing financial hardship, regardless of age, you may be eligible for a credit/grant of the increase on your property tax account through the Property Tax Assistance Program. Applications must be submitted by Dec. 31, 2024.
To be eligible for this program you must:
Meet the residency and income guidelines of the Fair Entry Program.
Own your own home and reside in your home.
Own the property for a minimum of one year from date of purchase.
Own no other City of Calgary residential property.
Have experienced an increase in property tax from the previous year.
The Government of Alberta also offers support through the Seniors Property Tax Deferral Program. Eligible senior homeowners can defer all or part of their municipal property taxes with a low-interest home equity loan.
New Non-Market Housing development in Parkdale
Liberty Housing Organization is proud to announce the groundbreaking of its latest non-market housing development, Village Block, aimed at providing safe, stable and affordable living options for Calgarians in need. This transformative project is part of City Council’s Non-Market Housing Land Disposition Policy to sell land at book value rather than at market value to non-profit organizations whose priority is to develop affordable housing.
HomeSpace Society breaks ground on new affordable townhomes
New affordable townhomes are coming to the communities of Whitehorn and Shawnee Slopes. HomeSpace Society is transitioning two City-owned sites to create homes for those at risk of homelessness. Each development will feature up to 52 units, providing much-needed affordable homes.
Success story: Enhanced temporary signs management
The City has successfully implemented an improved service delivery model for managing temporary signs, achieving over 95 per cent compliance city-wide. This initiative, guided by Council's direction, has enhanced community aesthetics, improved sightlines, and boosted public safety perceptions. Since implementation, over 11,400 non-compliant signs have been removed, with only 10 per cent requiring impounding.
Improving downtown safety with new Calgary Police Community Counter
It’s another milestone to advance safety in downtown Calgary. Thanks to collaboration between The City, Calgary Police Service (CPS) and community partners, the Downtown Safety Hub has now moved and expanded, including the creation of a new police front counter location.
Community Standards Safety Traffic Team on track for early 2025 launch
The Community Standards Safety Traffic Team is marking some major milestones that will enhance traffic safety in neighbourhoods across Calgary. This includes successful policy development, comprehensive officer training, and full equipment preparation — all aligning the team for full operations by the first quarter of 2025.
Addressing problem properties: Coordinated Safety Response Team expands
The Coordinated Safety Response Team (CSRT) is expanding its operations to better meet the increasing safety needs of Calgary’s neighborhoods dealing with problem properties. This December, a new team member will be joining the CSRT, further boosting the team's capacity to manage ongoing projects and respond to safety concerns across the city.
- Inspector Brad Johnson
Upcoming changes to police checks for business licensing
There’s an important change coming to Business Licence applications. As of January 1, 2025, applicants will be responsible for obtaining police clearance independently from the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and submitting the official documentation to the City of Calgary, Planning and Development Services as part of their business licence application.
Help tackle racism in Calgary sports
We want to hear from you on an important topic. The City has partnered with Sport Calgary and Sport for Life to launch an anonymous Anti-Racism in Sport Survey. The project aims to understand the prevalence of racism and reporting in Calgary’s sports scene, and to assess if local sport organizations require additional resources and support to take action against racism.
Supporting local through Calgary Parking's winter contest
Want the chance to win $150 in ParkPlus credits this holiday season? Calgary Parking is celebrating three years of the Support Local Winter contest, where Calgarians are encouraged to show some love for their favourite local businesses.
How to participate
Like: The winter parking contest post.
Tag: A local business where you love to shop and share why you appreciate them.
Plenty of opportunities for winter fun
Avoid hibernating at home this winter and discover a wide variety of free and fun outdoor activities and festivals. From skating on ice trails to playing Crokicurl or taking a spin on an ice bike, find out how you can enjoy our parks this winter.
Big boost for Calgary’s urban canopy
In early November, Calgary’s urban canopy received a major boost thanks to a joint funding agreement between The City of Calgary and Government of Canada as part of their 2 Billion Trees(2BT) program. The funding will result in 930,000 new trees planted in the city, helping to maximize canopy expansion and provide equitable access for all Calgarians.
Upcoming events in December
Dec. 5
Dec 6 - 22
Dec. 7 - 8, 13 - 15
Dec. 7 - 22
Dec. 11
Dec. 12
Dec. 14
Dec. 18
Dec. 19
Dec. 31
Downtown revitalization spotlight: Did you know?
The Cornerstone office conversion project is now complete, creating 112 homes in Calgary’s downtown. The Place 800 project was approved and will convert approximately 200,000 square feet into 204 new homes in downtown.
Chinook Blast 2024 brought more than 433,000 people downtown, a 16 per cent increase from 2023. There was an approximate $15.7 million economic impact from this $825,000 investment.
The Government of Alberta’s funding for 50 CPS officers has supported the creation of Community Engagement Response Teams that address social disorder and crime in public spaces, in the downtown core, and ontransit corridors.
The opening of the BMO Centre Expansion means Calgary is now home to Western Canada’s largest convention centre, with capacity of 33,000 people and estimated economic impact of $100 million a year, providing thousands of jobs.
voted as THE worst place to live especially with corrupt city officials!!
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5dThe mayor needs to be replaced.
Retired, HSSE Director
6dSpending multiple millions on climate change mitigation that will have no affect on climate change. Then they have the nerve to justify this useless spending using RCP 8.5 which was meant as an impossible worst case scenario and never intended to be a useful model projection, however politicians, like our mayor Gondek, like to use it to scare people. They learned this trick from the Trudeau government. The next council needs to retract the climate emergency rhetoric and remove the ridiculous costs from the budget.
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1wI wonder what "as affordable as possible" means.