Latest Council Votes & Notices of Motion

A lot has happened at Council over the past couple of weeks. Below, I’ve shared how I voted on several key decisions, along with explanations for the Notices of Motion I brought forward.

The Water Efficiency Plan and Bylaw amendments are the result of Council-directed updates to the previous plan from 2005 and aligns with other recent plans like the Drought Resilience Plan passed in October 2023. The Plan seeks to achieve better water conservation by 2040 through gradually reducing water usage citywide by 20%. Although not required, engagement occurred with the public, industry stakeholders, and subject-matter experts from 2024-2025.

Changes to the bylaw include a rotating schedule for outdoor watering of established lawns and plants organized by odd and even numbered houses rotating three days of watering per week. The changes do NOT apply to use of water for:

• Kids playing in the sprinkler
• Food gardens
• Newly planted trees, shrubs, sod, and seed
• Plants while using a watering can or hose with spring-loaded nozzle
• Filling pools, hot tubs, fountains with a hose

The bylaw changes also allow the Director of Water Services or Community Planning Authority to issue and enforce a Stop Use Order to cease or restrict water usage in situations where they already have the power to discontinue, disconnect, or shut off water service. These orders must be issued publicly and the affected parties made aware. This additional step does not apply beyond powers that already exist and is another mechanism to limit water usage during

In addition to these bylaw changes, the Water Efficiency Plan provides a framework for longer-term work. This includes $300-$400 million for infrastructure upgrades to fix leaks, modernize our water systems, and replace water metres.

I voted “Yes” to this motion because it is a comprehensive approach to ensuring Calgarians have access to safe, reliable drinking water while also reducing the likelihood of water restrictions during times of peak demand, drought, and interruptions like the Bearspaw Feedermain break. I recognize this issue caused some concern, but we need to look into the future and start the work now, so we have reliable access to water over the next two decades. Getting better at conserving water protects the health of our source water and helps our infrastructure last longer. Council now has the responsibility to support infrastructure investments to our water system that will build trust with Calgarians which means fixing leaks, improving monitoring, and creating redundancies for major water lines. We also have the ability to review and reopen the bylaw at any time if the current strategies are not working as intended.

Directs administration to begin the work to extend transfer times for transit tickets from 90-120 minutes. Estimates from available data showed this would affect 0.5% of transit riders for a cost of $2 million to be considered in the 2027-2030 budget.

Right now, transit riders can reuse the same ticket for up to 90 minutes. After 90 minutes, a new ticket must be purchased. This motion extends this time to continue to use the same ticket for 120 minutes.

I voted “No” on this motion for several reasons. I believe transit frequency must be our top priority. Waiting more than 30 minutes between buses and 20 minutes between trains dissuades people from taking transit. I use transit almost every day and see the effects of this first-hand. Calgary Transit is also working on a comprehensive fare review and other technological changes that will potentially open up possibilities for changes that benefit more riders in a more cost-effective way. The Route Ahead strategy has been consistently underfunded in past budgets and we must use the next budget cycle as an opportunity to fund transformational change. While well-intentioned, this motion was putting the cart before the horse which is why I could not support it at this time.

Directs Administration to engage KPMG as a consultant at a cost $1 million to engage in a ZBB review pilot of three City Business Units identified by Council. This would be followed by an additional $3 million of funding to continue the process if approved in the 2027-2030 budget.

ZBB is primarily used in the private sector and is a process that identifies and implements opportunities to improve “efficiencies” and identifies cost savings while maintaining an existing base level of service. Council implemented the same program beginning in 2011 and paused in 2020 with a final report delivered in 2023.

I voted “No” on this motion because the previous ZBB was completed so recently and new internal corporate programs are undertaking similar work. The last ZBB also resulted in the elimination of programs like the City Census which is now being brought back at a greater cost than the savings achieved through its cancellation. While the initial cost of this program is low, we are still implementing changes from the previous ZBB process and there is a risk of duplicating existing programs that have been undertaken to achieve the same, or similar outcomes. Essentially, we are using time and money to do things already being done or completed less than 3 years ago.

Provides an additional $1.7 million of funding from the Fiscal Stability Reserve for 2026 Parks maintenance service levels which includes mowing, pest management, public washroom cleaning, and garbage cleanup.

Over 95% of Calgarians use a City park at least once per year. Park maintenance was identified as the biggest concern. Parks funding has not kept up with inflation and City growth, and maintenance has suffered. This funding increase aligns with the Council-approved maintenance levels for future years being considered in the 2027-2030 budget service plans.

Parks will begin hiring staff with additional funding for the summer and fall of 2026 to increase frequency of maintenance activities, which means more mowing, proactive pest management, cleaner public bathrooms, and less garbage for all City-operated parks. 

The Province is considering changes to the AISH program that will split eligibility into two categories and potentially affect funding levels and supports. This Notice of Motion asks the Province to come to the table and collaborate with affected parties, including municipalities, to better understand the potential effects on our residents and City-led services.

AISH recipients in Calgary live with constant financial uncertainty. The difference of even $100 a month can mean deciding between staying housed, buying food, or affording transportation. These changes have the potential to add additional pressure and cost to City-led services but regardless of this, Council has a responsibility to advocate for our constituents who have limited ability to adapt to financial uncertainty.

The Mayor will now write a letter to the Province to request they pause implementation of the new AISH program to undertake consultation with municipalities, people with disabilities, community partners, and advocacy organizations with an impact report to follow.

My team and I are also working to launch a Vote Tracker page, similar to this one, which will outline my thinking behind each vote. The goal is to provide greater transparency and help Ward 8 residents better understand how and why decisions are made at Council.

If you have any questions, please contact my office by email at ward8@calgary.ca.

Sincerely,
Nathaniel Schmidt
City of Calgary Ward 8 Councillor 
Calgary.ca/Ward8