(I have also posted a 3-minute video here that talks more about what would happen if City Council repeals blanket rezoning and my recommendations.)

Unlike other candidates, I have spent 10 years on my community association’s planning and development committee, and I’ve seen firsthand the serious problems in the blanket rezoning passed by the current council. For example, while some fourplexes on corner lots may make sense, eight-unit developments, especially on a quiet street, mid-block, on a laneless lot, clearly don’t. There simply isn’t enough parking available to accommodate this volume of population growth on most Ward 4 streets!

As a result of my experience, I know how to address the issues the current council created while they attempted to improve the availability and affordability of Calgary housing. Because of this, I don’t need to advocate for an overly simplistic full repeal, and I won't because doing so would recklessly bring back thousands of needless bureaucratic regulations, remove homeowner rights, drive up property taxes, trigger costly lawsuits, and do absolutely nothing to address Calgary’s housing shortage. I have no interest in any of those things. Instead, I’ll use my experience to adjust the unit limit of the R-CG section of the Land Use Bylaw, ensuring allowable density is located where infrastructure, parking, and transit can handle it, while preserving community character through needed updates to Local Area Plans, built with input from community members.

Calgary is growing faster than any Canadian city in history. We added 6% to our population last year alone. The moment we are in is highly unusual, but predictable when we have built such a desirable city to live in. Making space for that many new neighbours will not be easy. In Ward 4, while our neighbourhoods may have space for more residents — most of our neighbourhoods have seen population declines of 20-40% since their peaks — where we put new homes must be determined thoughtfully. 

Housing is a complex issue, but with thoughtful changes, I'm confident we can add homes, protect neighbourhoods, and keep Calgary an affordable, welcoming place to live.