Calgarians have taken to social media to express their disagreement with Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek who recently claimed there’s no room for cuts when announcing another increase to the city’s already-bloated budget.
Gondek celebrated her budget on Monday, saying she stuck to her promises by not increasing the budget by more than 3.6% while addressing key concerns, suggesting there were no improvements to be made when it came to reducing city spending.
The mayor challenged anyone to cut anything that didn’t include the budget’s three critical components: infrastructure, transit, and public safety, which she said comprise 75% of the budget – a challenge that many residents took up on social media.
“So to the people saying we can cut it further, I’d love for them to show me the math that they haven’t brought up in the last 12 months that we have been working on this budget process,” said Gondek. “What are you going to cut? Are you going to cut public safety? Are you going to make it less safe for people to take transit after we work so hard to improve that? Are you going to take away from recreation facilities that kids and their families rely on?”
The question was posed during an interview and posted to X by Gondek. As of Tuesday, it had more comments than likes — primarily filled with the very suggestions Gondek requested.
True North has compiled the five best suggestions on how Calgary could reduce its spending.
Remove Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion positions with the city
One of the most recommended areas for cuts was the multitude of municipal diversity, equity and inclusion positions with the City of Calgary– some of which earn six figure salaries.
Some users even highlighted specific job postings, showing an annual compensation of $94,168 to $144,228 with a 35-hour work week.
Other users highlighted wasteful DEI policies that could be cut, like stocking tampon dispensers in the city’s men’s bathrooms.
Cut the Salary of the mayor and city council
Calgarians also frequently suggested cutting Gondek’s salary.
Gondek makes $213,737 a year as the Mayor of Calgary. In comparison, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith makes less, earning $186,180 a year.
Various users also said there should be cuts to the salary of Council members.
Combined, the Mayor and City Council have operating costs of $12 million per year between 2023 and 2026.
Do not keep pursuing the economic pitfall of electric buses
Electric buses were another recurring wasteful expense.
People hoped that Gondek learned from the mistakes of Edmonton and St. Albert. Edmonton spent $60 million on electric buses from a company that went bankrupt and can no longer provide parts to service them, resulting in three-quarters of the fleet becoming inoperable.
St. Albert saw a similar failure when they purchased buses that promised a lifespan of 18 years, which has since fallen to 12 years. The buses have also experienced premature battery degradation, mechanical failures, and charger malfunctions, significantly hindering their efficiency and reliability.
Calgary has already spent $325.2 million in federal dollars to purchase 259 electric buses. They ordered them from Vicinity Motor Corp, which has dropped below two cents a share from its peak of almost $13 and is expected to be pulled from the stock market altogether. The buses were never delivered.
Calgary Flames NHL Rink
Surprisingly, respondents to Gondek’s post didn’t mention the Calgary Flames’ NHL rink. However, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has previously criticized the $867 million taxpayers expense.
“Politicians should not be hitting up the taxpayer to bankroll arenas for big league sports teams,” said Alberta Director for the CTF Kris Sims. “The costs for this project ballooned quickly last time around, and there’s a huge risk taxpayers will hit with runaway bills on this project.”
Blue Sky City rebranding failure
The City of Calgary introduced a new logo and visual identity that cost the city $5.8 million.
Gondek suggested that nobody has shown her math where the budget could be cut within the last year.
“What does a $5.8M new logo have to do with safety?” asked one X user.
The day after Gondek made her complaints, Second Street re-released a list containing 10 points where municipalities could cut costs, emphasizing that none of the cuts would affect key services. The top suggestions on the list were the very same as those suggested by the respondents to Gondek’s post.
Gondek called on her colleagues to offer her ideas on where to cut costs. Some said that they would be offering suggestions in the coming days.
Gondek’s office did not respond to True North’s request for comment.