Summary#

Calgary City Council passed Bylaw 20M2026 at third reading on June 30, 2026, amending the City’s Procedure Bylaw 42M2025. City staff say the goal is to update how councillors request to ask questions during Council question period.

• Councillors can request to ask a question during a set submission window; the supplied material does not give the window’s timing or other request rules.
• If more than three councillors request to ask a question, the City Clerk must conduct a random draw among them.
• The main motion adopting the amendments carried 9 to 6. The subsequent readings each carried 14 to 1.

What it means for you#

• Councillors and the City Clerk: The report says councillors will have a way to submit requests within a set time, and the Clerk must use a random draw if more than three request to ask a question. The detailed rules are not in the supplied material.
• Residents: The report describes changes to councillors’ requests to ask questions. It does not say whether public participation or public questions are affected.

Money#

City staff report no anticipated financial impact.

• The materials do not give a staffing or other cost estimate.

What is unclear#

• The text of Bylaw 20M2026 was not supplied, so the exact request window, how requests are submitted, and how the draw is run cannot be verified.
• The previous rules in Procedure Bylaw 42M2025 were not supplied, so the precise change from the existing procedure is unclear.
• The materials do not state when the amendments take effect or whether they change any other question-period rules.

Case for#

• City staff say the amendments respond to Council’s earlier direction to create a process for councillors to request questions and to use a random draw when more than three make requests.
• A random draw could provide a neutral way to choose among requests when there are more than three. This is a possible benefit of the process described in the report.

Case against#

• A random draw could mean a councillor who requests a question is not selected when more than three make requests. That is a possible trade-off of the method.
• Six councillors voted against the motion adopting the amendments: Yule, Clark, Chabot, Schmidt, McLean and Mayor Farkas. The supplied material does not give their reasons. Councillor Chabot was the only member recorded against each of the three readings.