Calgary City Hall resembled a grudge match Thursday, as two members of council verbally duked it out over a leaked budget document to the media.
The war of words was between Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston, who earlier in the day had admitted on social media he had leaked a preliminary budget document to media that suggested Calgarians could face a steep tax hike in 2027.
“I can’t keep being complicit in hiding things from Calgarians (even if it is “process”) and I won’t hide behind anonymity,” Johnston wrote on X. “Voting ‘no’ to in-camera isn’t enough.”
Global News reported Wednesday that the city would need to increase property tax revenues by 20.2 per cent in 2027 to fund an additional $510 million in operating expenditures required to fulfil the spending requests that have come before council.
That hike would be followed by an 8.5 per cent property tax revenue increase in 2028, and nine per cent increases in both 2029 and 2030, according to a slide deck included in the leaked document, titled “Preliminary financial summary of 2027-30,” which Postmedia has obtained.
Speaking to media, Johnston said he couldn’t stand to see financial figures withheld from Calgarians that he argued are in the public interest, adding he’s “hardly the first” council member to leak confidential info to the media.
“Up until this point, we’ve been in camera — closed doors — more than any other council,” he told reporters. “I’m not OK with that. I didn’t sign up for that. And so if they want to kick me out of in-camera meetings, so be it. They’re just going to be attacking the whistleblower instead of the problem.”
Johnston’s leak relates to a confidential discussion council had at the July 28 meeting.
At that meeting, council emerged from a lengthy in-camera session to vote 8-7 on a series of recommendations, including a directive to increase 2027 property tax revenue as a planning guide to further refine, scale and prioritize spending requests for consideration within the 2027-30 budget cycle.
Council is set to deliberate that four-year budget in November.
Johnston criticized the city’s budgeting process, which he argued has allowed every city department and civic partner to come forward with substantial funding requests, rather than prioritize cutting costs.
“It is time for this council to stop turning taxpayers upside down and trying to shake out more money,” he said. “It’s time we look internal. There’s got to be cuts. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not going to be fun, but it’s got to happen. And this is that kick I think we needed.”
‘That’s a wish list, not a tax increase,’ says mayor
In a social media video Thursday morning, Farkas accused certain members of council of “rage farming.”
He denied the figures reported accurately portray the upcoming property tax hike, equating the presented increase to a “wish list” that council will whittle down in November.
“The number is what you get when you take every department request, every proposed program, every spending increase, every want and every wish and every downloaded responsibility from the provincial government and add them all together,” he said.
“That’s a wish list, not a tax increase.”
Farkas defended the confidentiality of preliminary budget details, adding council is legally obliged to protect private information that involves contracts or agreements with third parties.
“We do not get to throw someone’s private information into the public because a politician thinks you’re too stupid to read past the headline,” he said.
Several requests for funding increases
Although the budget won’t be deliberated for two more months, council has already received — and in some cases endorsed — a litany of requests for funding increases for next year.
Calls for additional funding have been detailed in reports or comments from officials with the Calgary Police Service, Calgary Fire Department, Calgary Transit, the parks and open spaces business unit and the water utility, among others.
The previous council also supported the costliest scenario for GamePLAN, a new funding strategy that commits up to $250 million in annual capital spending for public recreation facilities.
Administration has also suggested that to address Calgary’s worsening infrastructure deficit — now in the tens of billions of dollars — the city’s capital budget will need to increase to $5 billion a year. This year’s capital budget was around $3.8 billion, in comparison.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas speaks with media at city hall on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026.
Speaking to media Thursday, Farkas acknowledged the city is facing mounting financial challenges as it continues to grow, but that council is committed to approving a budget that focuses on critical needs over wants.
He noted that last year, council managed to whittle down a proposed tax increase by roughly two per cent by amending the budget.
“At this point, I’m not prepared to say a specific number (tax increase),” he said. “I don’t want to give you a lowball number to look good for the next year politically if it means that our water utility will fail next year, if it means that we’re not making our downtown safer.
“So, again, direction will be provided formally as part of the November budget process.”
‘They’re not real numbers,’ says Ward 3 councillor
Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Yule said he was disappointed to see confidential budget info leaked publicly, adding it’s too early in the pre-budget process to be publishing a potential tax hike.
“This is a wish list that’s been leaked,” he told reporters. “They’re not real numbers, and they are not real numbers until we vote in November, when the budget is voted on. This is just bluster at this point when we don’t have real numbers to present to Calgarians.”
He also said leaking the figures to the media exemplifies why cities need to have a municipal code of conduct. Calgary’s previous code of conduct was removed by the provincial government, which is set to introduce its own, standardized code that will apply to every municipal politician in Alberta.
“I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed this is the way this has turned out,” Yule said. “Again, it was a wish list. It was not a budget increase, and so it’s difficult to say anything other than that because I take my oath of office very seriously.
“I’m a little disappointed that other councillors on this council aren’t taking their oath of office very seriously, and there’s no repercussions for that.”
A statement from the city Thursday said administration is continuing to develop the 2027-30 spending plan, with a focus on the municipal services and infrastructure Calgarians expect and rely on every day.
“Council provided funding guidance that administration will utilize to refine and prioritize budget requests that form the creation of the budget document,” the statement said.
“These are not approved, final numbers or a proposed budget.”
The complete proposed budget will be released Nov. 10, in line with council-approved timelines and public notification requirements, the statement noted, adding the city “is committed to an open and transparent budget process.”
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