Municipal government performance is low in Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver with more residents disapproving of their mayors and city councils than those who supportthem.
The recent poll commissioned by CityNews with Maru Public Opinion showed that none of the aforementioned cities disapproved of their mayor or city council more than Calgary.
The survey commissioned between Aug. 29 and Sept. 6, 2024, showed that 74% of respondents in Calgary felt their mayor and council were out of touch, followed by Edmonton (72%), Vancouver (70%), and Toronto (61%).
Across the four cities, only one-quarter of residents felt their mayor deserved re-election. Olivia Chow had the most respondents who said she deserved re-election, with 36% saying she did and 58% thinking she was doing a good job.
Following Chow was Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi, with 26% saying he deserved re-election and 47% saying he was doing a good job.
Half of the Vancouver respondents said Ken Sim was doing a good job. However, only one-quarter said he deserved re-election.
In dead last was Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek, with only 18% of residents saying she deserved re-election and 41% saying she was doing a good job.
Gondek previously became one of Canada’s least popular political candidates, with her approval rating reaching an all-time low in June 2024, even below that of Justin Trudeau.
At the time, her approval rating was 26%, compared to Trudeau’s 28%.
This low approval rating was during the recall petition against her and at the beginning of the water crisis, which would last a few more months but pre-dated the “multi-billion-dollar (LRT) boondoggle.”
Once touted as a 46-kilometre transit solution, the Green Line LRT had been dramatically scaled back to just 10 kilometres, while costs have ballooned from $4.65 billion to $6.2 billion, despite the LRT’s distance being reduced by over 78% and the number of stations by more than 75%.
“This new alignment would make the Green Line one of the most expensive and least effective LRT projects in North America,” said Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen, echoing the frustrations of many residents.
Dreeshen said the track would cost Calgarian taxpayers $630 million per kilometre, seven times more than the $86 million per kilometre Montreal paid for its REM line.
Calgary also ranked last for city council approval.
Those in Vancouver were most likely to say that their city councils were doing a good job (55%), followed by Toronto (52%), Edmonton (44%), and Calgary last again at 42%.
Respondents were also asked whether they were proud of how their city operates. Calgary held their position anchored at the bottom of the list.
Vancouver residents were the most proud of their city, followed by Edmonton, Toronto, and Calgary was last place again.
Maru conducted various other polls on the four cities. Among every city, a predominantly negative view of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was held, with the majority of citizens feeling he and the Liberals were failing them.
Also, residents in all four cities felt that the federal government had a greater affect on inflation than other versions of lesser government.
When asked which federal party leaders would best address the needs in their city, every city answered either “Pierre Poilievre and the Conservatives” or “None of them.”
The majority of citizens in all four cities advocated for change at the provincial level as well, with Premier David Eby having the best approval rating in Vancouver, at 42%.