The Office of the Mayor publishes information on the Mayor’s budgets and expenses in accordance with the Transparency and Accountability Policy, and with the procedures established by that Office.

The Office of the Mayor provides access to event spaces such as the Calgary Power Reception Hall and the Grant MacEwan Library for use by Administration, Members of Council, and external guests. These spaces support a broad range of meetings and gatherings over extended periods. As a result, some hosting-related transactions may not be tied to a specific event or meeting. In these cases, expenses may reflect general use of the space rather than a single, identifiable function and listing every attendee is not feasible. 

The City Clerk’s Office publishes the following information for each expenditure by a Councillor under the Councillors Budgets and Expenses Bylaw 36M2021 (“Bylaw 36M021”):

• Transaction account code and description
• The month in which the transaction took place
• The transaction amount
• The vendor

Bylaw 36M2021 requires that the City Clerk’s Office publish the following information on certain types of transactions:

• Hosting: List of attendees to the meal or hosted event, the name of the corporation of any attendee who is not a City employee and the business reason for the expenditure.
• Donations to community groups and events: An explanation of why the donation is necessary out of social protocol.
• Learning and development: A report on the relationship between the curriculum of any program attended and the duties of a Councillor.

In addition to these mandatory requirements, each Councillor may voluntarily provide additional supporting information for any transaction. Disclosures are published within 60 days following the end of each quarter. Disclosures are published for the current term of Council and are available until the end of the next term.

On February 24, 2020, Council directed Administration to improve the transparency of all Council event-related transactions. The reported expenses include those related to the conduct of business including travel, registrations, meetings and employee events and recognition. The reports exclude any expenses published elsewhere, such as in Ward expense reports.

Each Councillor is provided with a Ward Budget to support them in carrying out their duties as elected officials. Ward Budgets are used to fund expenditures by Councillors, including:

• Salaries of ward office staff
• Communications, research and office projects
• Travel
• Courses and seminars
• Other types of expenditures allowed under Bylaw 36M2021.

Council sets the amount for Ward budgets. Council approved increases to Ward budgets for 2023-2026 as part of its deliberations on the 2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets in 2022. In 2023, Council also approved an additional $75,000 for each Ward budget in each year from 2024-2026.

In addition to their budgets, Councillors receive an office in Historic City Hall, three workspaces for ward office staff, and related office furniture, equipment, technology and supplies.

At its 2025 June 24 Regular Meeting, Council directed Administration to retain the current process for publishing, where compliant with legislation and on a voluntary basis, public disclosures provided by Members of Council each quarter of:

1. Gifts and personal benefits;
2. Supporting information for budget and expense disclosures;
3. Meetings; and
4. Fundraising related to activities under the guidelines for “Fundraising by Members of Council” (PFC2017-0426).

Information that is voluntarily provided by Members of Council for public disclosure is published on a quarterly basis. For convenience and consistency, a common disclosure template is available to all Members of Council. It is up to each Member to decide what information they would like to publicly disclose.

Voluntary disclosures are published within 60 days following the end of each quarter. Disclosures are published for the current term of Council and are available until the end of the next term.

In support of The City’s compliance with Alberta’s Protection of Privacy Act, Members of Council may not include personal information in voluntary public disclosures that are submitted for publication. Information that is typically found on a business card may be included in disclosures when an individual is representing an organization.

The following disclosures of gifts and personal benefits have been voluntarily provided by Members of Council for publication.

Disclosures prior to 2025 Q2 were mandatory under the Code of Conduct for Elected Officials, which was repealed by Bill 50.

Members of Council may voluntarily disclose information on fundraising undertaken by a Member of Council for the benefit of a third party, as provided for in the Guidelines for Fundraising by Members of Council (PFC2017-0426), adopted by Council in 2017.

Disclosures received from Members of Council under the Guidelines are published here.

Ward 14 Fundraising Disclosure - 2019 Communities BBQ

The Municipal Government Act R.S.A. 2000, c. M-26 outlines the role of a Councillor and how City Council can make decisions through bylaws or resolutions.

On September 23, 2002, Council passed Bylaw 31M2002 which established the Council Compensation Review Committee (CCRC). This Committee is responsible for making recommendations to Council regarding its remuneration, pension, benefits and other forms of compensation, or levels thereof.

Councillor Duties, Compensation and Benefits