{"id":25099,"date":"2026-04-29T20:27:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/25099\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T20:27:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:27:49","slug":"calgary-councillors-move-to-scrap-climate-emergency-declaration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/25099\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary councillors move to scrap climate emergency declaration"},"content":{"rendered":"

Calgary city council is set to review two competing motions, both calling for the city\u2019s climate emergency declaration to be rescinded<\/p>\n

The motions, one from Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston and the other from Ward 10 Coun. Andre Chabot, take aim at the controversial language around Calgary\u2019s climate emergency declaration, while Chabot\u2019s takes it a few steps further.<\/p>\n

Calgary\u2019s climate emergency declaration was one of the first acts approved by the prior city council under former Mayor Jyoti Gondek and has since been a source of derision by members of the public. It\u2019s faced criticism largely due to a misstep by city administration in not clearly defining an $87-billion mention when the climate strategy was first delivered. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhereas the declaration of a \u201cClimate Emergency\u201d has been criticized as largely symbolic, while committing The City to significant long-term expenditures and organizational changes, without corresponding clarity on measurable benefits or alignment with core municipal responsibilities,\u201d reads Chabot\u2019s motion.<\/p>\n

Along with the end to the climate emergency declaration, Chabot\u2019s motion is also asking for a full accounting of climate-related expenditures since 2021, an assessment of those spending outcomes based on council jurisdiction and priorities, potential cost savings, duplications and expenditures, and recommendations on how core municipal responsibilities can be better aligned with climate spending.<\/p>\n

To start, Chabot said the word emergency just doesn\u2019t sit right with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the word emergency in itself implies that the city then will do everything in its power to eliminate the cause,\u201d he told LWC.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd whereas I think we should be focused more on mitigation, adaptation, not elimination, and emergency wise, elimination, and that\u2019s the biggest issue I have with this, because we\u2019re not going to be able to do eliminate climate change no matter what we do in a city.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chabot\u2019s motion outlines the 2025 budget of $26 million in base operating costs, along with $22 million in one-time operating programs. There\u2019s also $22.7 million in capital spending. It also notes the $214.6 million in climate-related capital spending across all departments in 2026.<\/p>\n

Remove the \u2018dark cloud\u2019: Coun. Johnston<\/p>\n

Coun. Johnston said his differs from Chabot\u2019s in that he just wants the declaration removed. He said he\u2019s already done the business unit audit on his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went through contracts, applications, worked with the administration to find out exactly what benefits we got from it, and then what was detrimental with it. I think the biggest thing I found out is the declaration actually created a dark cloud over the city,\u201d Johnston told LWC.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt created an ideological barrier for administration, and it brought politics into what should have been a what should have been environmental protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnston said that, technically, the City of Calgary\u2019s climate declaration doesn\u2019t have a timeframe attached to it. He said Calgary would be the first city to end it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re an evidence-based council,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s show people what we can do for the environment without writing it on piece of paper.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said that it\u2019s OK to scrutinize the department, as if it\u2019s any other department. Johnston said that in his conversations with administration, they welcome the opportunity to defend the spending.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut, like I said, it\u2019s just a dark cloud of an emergency declaration that was never an emergency,\u201d Johnston said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s already the good work the city\u2019s already been doing, with or without the declaration. It\u2019s as simple as that, and I think I\u2019ve got support to end it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calgary city councillors unsuccessfully attempted to remove the climate emergency declaration<\/a>, and audit city departments, last year. It was defeated 10-4.<\/p>\n

Chabot\u2019s motion seeks similar action, albeit with a different council.<\/p>\n

The motions come as a recent report shows some environmental progress is being made in the city, with work still ahead.<\/p>\n

In the recent 2026 Sustainable Calgary report, four of six indicators showed sustainability or trending towards sustainability in the natural environment, along with water consumption being at a 20-year low. Still, there was some pause in where the city may be headed.<\/p>\n

The City of Calgary has developed programs and targets for biodiversity and ecological integrity, and both are trending in a positive direction,\u201d their report read.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost critically, greenhouse gas emissions continue to move us toward irreversible tipping points, threatening to make our planet much less welcoming to our species.\u201d<\/p>\n

They also pointed to unsustainable resource use saying that Calgary is \u201cliving well beyond its ecological means.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liked it? Take a second to support Darren Krause on Patreon!<\/p>\n

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