Calgary city councilors officially got their first look at the city's proposed 2026 budget on Monday ahead of discussions later this month.
The budget proposal, which is the final year of the four-year budget approved by the previous City Council, includes more than $300 million in new investments in transportation, housing, infrastructure and public safety.
“This budget is about finding the right balance, maintaining affordability and continuing to invest in the essential services that matter most to Calgarians,” City Chief Administrative Officer David Duckworth told council during the budget presentation.
The proposal includes a 3.6% increase in general property taxes, the limit approved by the previous City Council, but that figure varies depending on the type of property.
Early estimates show that a typical single-family home assessed at $706,000 would see a 5.8% increase in property taxes and a 1.3% increase for a $348,000 condominium compared to 2025.
Commercial properties valued at $5,562,000 could also qualify for a 1.3 percent tax increase next year, according to budget documents.
“These are just preliminary estimates and will be finalized when the assessment roll is completed in January,” said city Finance Director Les Tochor.
“Even with these changes, Calgary remains one of the most affordable large cities in Canada.”
According to the proposal, the budget would result in an additional $18.40 per month for a typical residential property, including an additional $5.29 per month due to proposed increases in waste and recycling collection and water service fees.
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But Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas told reporters he was entering budget discussions with the “goal” of cutting the proposed property tax increase “in half.”
“We are looking at ways to create efficiencies so that we can continue to fund needed investments in public safety, transportation, housing and infrastructure while reducing the burden Calgarians face from these tax increases,” Farkas said Monday.
The proposed property tax increase is intended to cover some of the huge amount of investment included in next year's budget, including $86.6 million for affordable housing, office conversions into residential downtowns and urban growth.
The budget also proposes $66 million in new public safety spending, including $28 million to offset the loss of fines revenue from the province's removal of photo radars.
A new investment of $87.7 million is proposed in infrastructure, including facilities, streetlights, parks and the Plus 15 network; $24 million of this amount will be allocated for road restoration.
Transit spending is also recommended to increase by $59 million, including $14 million to increase frequency on key routes, as well as $25 million to cover the shortfall in low-income transit passes.
Most of the funding comes from sources such as “corporate contingencies,” the 2025 year-end surplus and reserves, Tochor said.
Ward 6 Count. John Pantazopolous, one of 10 new faces on the council, said council members will be “threading that needle” between seeking efficiency and maintaining city services.
“My caution would be that if we start to see a deterioration in the quality of services, we simply cannot allow that to happen,” he told reporters. “We must make improvements, otherwise the worst case scenario will remain unchanged.”
Ward 10 Count. Andre Chabot, meanwhile, said there is “nothing” in the proposed budget that would lead to a 50 percent cut in property taxes.
However, Chabot said he would test the council's will to repeal the proposed shift in the tax burden from businesses to residential properties.
The budget proposes another percentage shift in property taxes from non-residential to residential properties, previously approved by council, to keep the projected tax ratio at 4.48:1, below the provincial maximum of 5:1. The move aims to improve fairness for businesses.
“The main beneficiaries of this tax shift are downtown office towers, (real estate investment trusts) and multinational corporations,” Chabot said. “If you’re talking about small businesses, a one percent shift isn’t going to benefit them.”
The council is set to reconvene Nov. 24 to begin budget discussions, which will begin with a public hearing on the proposed adjustments.
“Time is not on their side,” Duckworth told reporters. “They really have two weeks to ask the administration a lot of questions, listen to their constituents and come up with amendments.”
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