Nenshi laments 'no overall plan' for Calgary in survey results of provincial parties
YYC Matters questionnaire quizzed parties where they stand on key issues affecting Calgary
The city released the results Friday of a survey it conducted to find out where the political parties running in the Alberta election stand on key issues affecting Calgarians.
Before federal and provincial elections, the city uses YYC Matters to ask political parties for their positions on issues that it sees as most vital for Calgary.
The issues range from keeping the commitment to the Green Line LRT and promoting tourism in Calgary to funding affordable housing and forging ahead with flood mitigation projects.
"We know Calgary is key to our province's future and we want Calgarians to have a clear picture of how those running to govern Alberta see Calgary-specific issues," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.
"Today, we have some answers on that. The parties are now on the record for all Calgarians to see how they would address the needs of the province's largest city."
The survey asked for the parties' positions, organized into four categories:
- How parties plan to honour commitments to Calgarians.
- How they intend to support Calgarians.
- How they plan to promote economic recovery.
- How they would close Calgary's infrastructure gap.
On the question of whether to honour the current government's commitment to build the Springbank dry dam, all four of the main parties — NDP, UCP, Liberals and the Alberta Party — said they are behind the project.
The main parties also each expressed support to get the first stage of Calgary's new Green Line LRT constructed right away, and to extending it at a later time.
Help for downtown Calgary
There was a wider range of answers to the question of how the parties propose to help Calgary's downtown core, where a quarter of the office space sits vacant.
The NDP touted its existing incentive programs for petrochemical and upgrading projects, which the party says will stimulate $75 billion in global value-added petroleum investment and create 70,000 jobs by 2030.
The UCP said its planned corporate tax cut and scrapping of the carbon levy will together spur the creation of 61,000 jobs.
"This strategy, combined with our low lease rates and relatively modest house prices in Calgary, will command the attention of job-creators in every sector," the UCP said.
Nenshi said he's discouraged that not one of the parties had a specific plan for economic growth for Calgary aside from lowering corporate taxes — which he argues won't fill downtown office buildings.
He also said he had hoped the provincial parties would promise to help the city with ongoing funding of its Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF).
"Not one of the parties committed to assisting us in our economic development fund to try and bring new business and new investment into downtown Calgary. Overall, there really was no overall plan for the city, and I found that very surprising," he said.
City charters
The city also asked the parties whether they would honour commitments made in the new city charter — specifically an agreement that the province will share a percentage of provincial revenues with the city to fund infrastructure — and whether they'd be open to further reforms.
All four of the main parties said they support the new charter. On the question of further revenue raising reforms, the UCP said it's always open to new policy tools to improve the lives of Albertans, but that "the answer to balancing a budget isn't always to raise revenues; however, spending is the other side of the ledger and we know spending at Calgary's city hall has far outstripped inflation and population over the last decade."
The NDP said the party is open to continued talks with Edmonton and Calgary, but that it's "premature to commit to any specific tool, but we are happy to discuss options with the two cities, including possible tax reform."
The YYC Matters survey also asked the parties where they stand on the question of whether and when to build upstream flood mitigation and water storage on the Bow River.
All four parties promised they would support moving ahead with such a project.
There are 28 seats in Calgary on the line in the April 16 election.
- Alberta Votes 2019: CBC News brings you all the news, analyses and columns you need for the election
- VOTE COMPASS | Find out how your views on campaign issues line up with the platforms of Alberta's major parties