Latest news with #SonyaSharp
Global News
21-07-2025
- Business
- Global News
Council to mull new north central Calgary neighbourhood instead of business park
A new neighbourhood with thousands of homes could be in the works in north central Calgary, with the city pivoting from plans for a business park in the area. The area structure plan is called Naato'siyinnipi, named after a revered Pikani elder and ceremonial leader who lived from 1830 until 1910. The plan proposes up to 7,300 new homes and 5,700 jobs on 578 acres of land between Harvest Hills Boulevard N.E. and the CPKC tracks near Deerfoot Trail. It marks a pivot from the city's original plan for the site, which was titled the Aurora Business Park Structure Plan, with much of the area slated for commercial use. 'Segmented and completely a business park – I don't know if that's really in the books right now,' said Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp, who chairs the city's Infrastructure and Planning committee. 'The business park wasn't something that could move forward.' Story continues below advertisement The area is bordered by 96 Avenue N.E., Beddington Trail N.W., Harvest Hills Boulevard N., and the railway to the east. View image in full screen The 578 acre site included in the proposed Naato'siyinnipi Area Structure Plan. Global News According to Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian, who represents the area, residential development is possible on the site due to changes to the Airport Vicinity Protection Area, which previously only allowed industrial development in that area. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The plan proposes different groupings of mixed-use buildings, multi-residential and ground-oriented development, with plans for an emergency response centre, community activity centre and a future high school. City officials envision the future neighbourhood as a transit-oriented development, with a nearby bus rapid transit route, and plans for a future Green Line LRT station, as well as a future airport connector line. However, plans to extend the Green Line LRT north from the downtown may still be many years away. Story continues below advertisement 'There aren't that many places within my ward where you can walk to a grocery store, walk to shops and have your house and get on transit,' Mian said. 'I'm excited for its potential.' Not everyone is sharing in that enthusiasm over the future of the site, which is largely a natural green space. Andrew Yule, formerly the president of the Nose Creek Preservation Society who is now running for city council to replace the outgoing Mian, has reservations about the size of the plans and its potential impacts on the area. 'We are in a housing crisis so having residential does make sense,' Yule told Global News. 'My concern with the plan is it's too large, the area is too large and we should be condensing it closer to where potential transit will be.' According to Yule, there are concerns about development near the Nose Creek watershed, and impacts on the wildlife, as well as disturbances to historical sites in the area related to the Blackfoot Confederacy. 'It is our only naturalized green space in Ward 3 and so what we're trying to do is protect as much of it as we can,' Yule said. In response, Mian pointed to 87 hectares of non-developable environmental reserve land, and green space in the plan. Story continues below advertisement Although development on the site could be decades away, Mian noted the unique location and how infrastructure requirements in the area are less than other greenfield development on the outskirts of the city. 'We're not having to bring services in that weren't there before like we have to do when we're building on the edge of the city,' she said. 'But we're also not disrupting people like we do in the downtown, so I think it's a happy compromise and I think there's a lot of opportunity for some really good development here.' The city's Infrastructure and Planning Committee unanimously endorsed the area structure plan, which will now go to city council as a whole in September for a final say.
Calgary Herald
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Council debate over 'core' civic responsibilities turns testy
A lengthy debate over what city council should or should not be focusing on ate up a big chunk of a council meeting Tuesday, prompted by a notice of motion that called for the city to more effectively outline its core responsibilities. Article content Councillors representing the Communities First political party, including Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Terry Wong and Dan McLean, brought forward the motion. It sought for the city to better clarify the responsibilities of the three orders of government and to include a line in its reports to council stating whether or not the report's contents are a municipal, provincial, federal or shared responsibility. Article content Article content Article content According to Sharp, the motion was motivated by the city's — and council's — tendency to focus on policies that should typically fall under provincial or federal jurisdiction. She cited last year's single-use items bylaw, a proposal to cancel Canada Day fireworks in 2021 and the declaration of a climate emergency shortly after council took office in 2021 as examples. Article content Article content 'We talk a lot about responsibility being downloaded and we talk a lot about paying for things that aren't in our mandate,' Sharp said. Article content 'We need to know what our job is and what it isn't.' Article content The proposal generated some finger-pointing and traded barbs between councillors, before it ultimately passed 8-6. Article content However, by the end of the discussion, the notice of motion was amended to the point where the movers no longer supported it. All four Communities First colleagues voted against it, alongside councillors Sean Chu and Jennifer Wyness. Article content Article content Early into the debate, Ward 14 Coun. Peter Demong asked if the motion was akin to adding another layer of red tape to the city's reporting procedures. He also asked how exactly the city defines its core responsibilities. Article content The city's solicitor, Jill Floen, answered that the Municipal Government Act (MGA) outlines what municipalities are legally obligated to perform, but does not define what constitutes a core civic service. Article content Everything the city does is either necessary under the MGA, or is something council has deemed desirable, according to Floen. But she added there's no 'clear defined list' of what municipalities are responsible for. That's up to council's discretion, as democratically elected officials, to interpret.
Calgary Herald
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Some Calgary councillors want to 'rein in city hall overreach'
A cohort of Calgary city councillors say they want to clamp down on city hall's tendency to fund programs and services that fall outside of the municipality's jurisdiction. Article content Councillors representing the Communities First political party — a caucus that includes Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Dan McLean and Terry Wong — are bringing a notice of motion to Tuesday's executive committee meeting that asks the city to develop a comprehensive chart of government responsibilities for key policy and service areas, and to clearly show which functions are municipal, provincial, federal or a shared responsibility. Article content Article content Article content Calgary's mayor criticized the proposal, which calls for the chart to be published on the city's website and social media channels by July 4, as 'electioneering.' Article content Article content Sharp said the notice of motion stems from council decisions she argued shouldn't have been made. She cited last year's single-use items bylaw — which council voted to scrap two weeks after it was implemented, following public backlash — and a councillor's proposal to advocate allowing non-citizens with permanent residency status to vote in Calgary's municipal elections. Article content 'Reports like the bag bylaw, cancelling fireworks, non-(citizen) voting . . . all that is distraction from focusing on the things that matter to Calgarians,' she said. Article content Sharp said she's wanted to bring this motion forward since council's approval of the 2025 budget last November, which resulted in an average 5.5 per cent property tax hike for households. She argued that part of the reason property taxes keep going up is because city hall spends $135 million a year on tax-funded services that fall outside its jurisdiction, as outlined in the Municipal Government Act. Article content Article content Article content 'This notice of motion isn't saying we're going to go and cut any of that funding,' she said. 'What we're saying in general is, when administration brings a report back to council, it needs to identify if we're playing the lead role. Is it a core city service? Are we advocating to the province, or are we supporting the province in advocating to the federal government?' Article content The motion would also require all council and committee reports to include a 'clear jurisdictional label' indicating whether the item is a core municipal responsibility, a shared responsibility with other orders of government or if it falls outside the city's responsibility. Article content Chabot, who often points out during council debates when something is or isn't under municipal purview, said the motion would put those conversations in 'black and white.'
Calgary Herald
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Councillors' notice of motion aims to 'rein in city hall overreach'
A cohort of Calgary city councillors say they want to clamp down on city hall's tendency to fund programs and services that fall outside of the municipality's jurisdiction. Article content Councillors representing the Communities First political party — a caucus that includes Sonya Sharp, Andre Chabot, Dan McLean and Terry Wong — are bringing a notice of motion to Tuesday's executive committee meeting that asks the city to develop a comprehensive chart of government responsibilities for key policy and service areas, and to clearly show which functions are municipal, provincial, federal, or a shared responsibility. Article content Article content Article content Calgary's mayor criticized the proposal, which calls for the chart to be published on the city's website and social media channels by July 4, as 'electioneering.' Article content Article content Sharp said the notice of motion stems from council decisions she argued shouldn't have been made. As examples, she cited last year's single-use items bylaw — which council voted to scrap two weeks after it was implemented, following public backlash — and a councillor's proposal to advocate allowing non-citizens with permanent residency status to vote in Calgary's municipal elections. Article content 'Reports like the bag bylaw, cancelling fireworks, non-(citizen) voting . . . all that is distraction from focusing on the things that matter to Calgarians,' she said. Article content Sharp said she's wanted to bring this motion forward since council's approval of the 2025 budget last November, which resulted in an average 5.5 per cent property tax hike for households. She argued that part of the reason why property taxes keep going up is because city hall spends $135 million a year on tax-funded services that fall outside its jurisdiction, as outlined in the Municipal Government Act. Article content Article content Article content 'This notice of motion isn't saying we're going to go and cut any of that funding,' she said. 'What we're saying in general is, when administration brings a report back to council, it needs to identify if we're playing the lead role. Is it a core city service? Are we advocating to the province, or are we supporting the province in advocating to the federal government?' Article content The motion would also require all council and committee reports to include a 'clear jurisdictional label' indicating whether the item is a core municipal responsibility, a shared responsibility with other orders of government, or if it falls outside the city's responsibility. Article content Chabot, who often points out during council debates when something is or isn't under municipal purview, said the motion would put those conversations in 'black and white.'
CBC
05-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Calgary council to vote on streamlining process to approve some new communities
City council will discuss fast-tracking the process to approve growth applications for new communities in Calgary that don't require new capital investments from the city. Council currently only approves new communities once per year, during fall budget adjustments. But the Infrastructure and Planning Committee voted on Wednesday to bring a proposal before council that would allow the city to approve growth applications for new communities any time of year, as long as the community doesn't require new capital investments for costs like utilities or emergency services. Given the growth Calgary has experienced in the last few years that has put a strain on its housing supply, Mayor Jyoti Gondek argued it's important for the city to expedite its process to consider growth applications outside of council's annual budget cycle. "The reality is we are a growing city, we are a city that's attractive to people. We need to provide housing to those folks," said Gondek. "There are times you have to look at making decisions that are outside of the budget cycle in the best interest of the people you serve. And when we are trying to deliver on housing, sometimes those ideas need to come forward ahead of the budget cycle." For some new communities, no capital investment is needed because it may be covered by developers, or existing infrastructure from other nearby communities may be available. For eligible growth applications, only operating costs would be required. Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp supported the move, and said council should see an annual report showing the total impact of this change on the city, that shows how much money the city paid up front through operating costs, compared to the revenue generated through property taxes for new households. If the proposal is approved, administration is also recommending that council reconsider and move forward on six growth applications that were previously directed to be considered this November. The growth applications that would be immediately considered are two in the Glacier Ridge community, South Belvedere Village, Stoneyview, Haskayne Damkar Highfield, and the east portion of Esker Valley and the Woodlands. Sharp said that if these applications are approved, developers can apply for necessary permits without a need for more phases and design. "These applications are shovel-ready. And so, we talk about removing red tape, this is an opportunity to remove red tape," said Sharp. With the six new community applications that would immediately be up for approval by council, administration is also suggesting that council approve a tax-supported budget increase of $140,000 for Calgary Transit beginning next year to provide transportation to these areas. The risks council faces in making this change is the decision to fund communities before budget discussions could limit the city's flexibility to fund other priorities in its November budget, and could encourage other out-of-budget requests in other areas. BILD Calgary CEO Brian Hahn said he supports the move, because under the current system, developers risk losing an entire construction season before they can move forward with new communities. "If those things could move forward today, then they would be rolling in terms of being in construction this year and have a chance to have houses on them next year," Hahn said.
