For the minutes and video related to this vote, please see Regular Meeting of Council - April 28, 2026.
Regular Meeting of Council Item: 9.4.1
Date of council meeting: April 28, 2026
What Calgary City Council Passed:
|
That with respect to Report CD2026-0150, the following be adopted: That Council:
|
For Votes (10): Councillor Wyness, Councillor Chabot, Councillor Dhaliwal, Councillor Kelly, Mayor Farkas, Councillor Yule, Councillor Pantazopoulos, Councillor Atkinson, Councillor Schmidt, and Councillor Clark
Against Votes (5): Councillor McLean, Councillor Tyers, Councillor Ward, Councillor Jamieson, and Councillor Johnston
Why Cllr. Kelly voted in favour of this bylaw
Hey, neighbour!
I voted for Calgary’s water efficiency plan because it continues the work that I have been advocating for to fix Calgary’s water infrastructure and supply issues.
I’ve heard Calgarians loud and clear: they want responsible use of their rivers and water resources, and they want to stop the unacceptable 22% leak rate that means water goes to waste. I’ve also heard the fears from neighbours that the City will shut off their water supply for doing regular everyday things like watering their lawn. Through thoughtful questions I can confirm this new bylaw helps to fix that water loss through funding to identify leaks in our mains and also protects Calgarians from unnecessary bylaw enforcement by codifying an education first approach to water management.
These are the changes coming to help conserve water while protecting your rights:
- Setting designated days for automated sprinkler use, following the standard set by most towns that surround Calgary and most major Canadian cities
- Allow hand watering at any time
- Exempt trees, shrubs, and edible gardens
- Allow kids to continue to run through sprinklers for fun in the summer
- Provide clearer and more consistent rules during staged emergency water restrictions
- Introduce written compliance orders before enforcement and emphasize education over fines
- Require industry standard low‑flow fixtures only in new builds and major renovations
- Implement the use of smart water meters to identify unusual water use (such as leaks) sooner and ensure neighbours don’t get charged with big bills when they do happen
Calgary is a big city on two small rivers. While we only use 43% of water license allotment, there is no guarantee that water will be available when we need it as agricultural users have provincial priority currently and water levels fluctuate year by year more and more. What this bylaw does is ensure our peak demand for water is reduced while the city continues to grow and it helps identify leaks so they can be fixed, ensuring water is available when you turn on your taps. It does this while rewarding Calgarians for using less water through lower bills.
These are smart, sensible changes that ensure the vast majority of Ward 4 neighbours will be able to continue doing what they already do without having to put in place water restrictions during the summer. And to me, that means protecting the basics: conservation and infrastructure repair at the same time that will mean we will have water today and water into the future.