Downtown Calgary progress report cause for optimism, but crime still an impediment

David Bell · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 5:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 20 minutes ago

A caller study connected Calgary's initiatives to stabilize a dynamic taxation basal downtown portion clamping down connected transgression got immoderate thumbs up astatine its merchandise Tuesday. But a section concern radical says there's inactive tons of enactment to bash to marque it much inviting to suburbanites.

The politician told reporters Tuesday the extremity is to marque the metropolis halfway much vibrant — a spot to unrecorded and a spot to visit. 

"For excessively long, it was seen arsenic simply a concern territory that opened successful the greeting and unopen down astatine night," Mayor Jyoti Gondek said. "Calgarians deserved more."

The city's downtown strategy manager said the contiguous challenges truly came into absorption astir a decennary ago.

"After the lipid clang successful 2014, the worth of our downtown bureau buildings dropped by 62 per cent successful 4 years. And due to the fact that our metropolis operates connected a revenue-neutral taxation system, those dollars don't conscionable disappear. We person to cod them from different properties crossed Calgary," Thom Mahler explained.

"So we instituted an exigency programme called the Phased Tax Program. Normally with those programs you tally them until downtown comes back. But this time, downtown didn't travel back. And the pandemic happened and it made it adjacent clearer that we could nary longer trust connected bureau abstraction arsenic the lone mode to money our services."

Gondek said backing for mitigation programs ramped up successful 2021, with $200 cardinal from the city, followed by different $50 cardinal aft the October election.

"A revitalized downtown functions arsenic a existent neighbourhood. It is dynamic, it's inclusive, and it is live with opportunity. It's a spot wherever radical gather, wherever they connect, wherever they live," she said.

"Our translation has gained planetary attraction successful conscionable 3 abbreviated years. The Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle person each documented our evolution, and they person done it with envy."

• 'A large idea': How bureau conversions could resurrect Calgary's ailing downtown
• Underused downtown bureau gathering being converted to U of C classrooms

A concern relation successful the metropolis welcomes the planetary accolades but said there's inactive tons to do.

"We person seen a noticeable summation of Calgary constabulary beingness downtown," said Mark Garner, enforcement manager of the Calgary Downtown Association.

"I deliberation determination is occurrence there, but I inactive deliberation determination is enactment to do. We inactive person [homeless] encampments, we inactive person unfastened [drug] consumption, a batch of graffiti. So we person to spell aft those things arsenic good due to the fact that we are inactive not attracting the radical from Mahogany and the surrounding suburban areas to travel downtown."

The study details successes similar 1,500 lodging units for 2,400 people, including 300 subsidized spaces, from 11 progressive office-residential conversions. Seven of those projects are scheduled to wrapper aboriginal this year.