Summary#

Council carried Councillor Wyness’s notice of motion on March 31, 2026, by a vote of 15 to 0. It rescinded an earlier direction about the Calgary Plan, filed a report and attachments so an updated Plan can be presented, and directed City staff to return by the June 16 Strategic Council Meeting with information about the City Building Program.

• Staff must provide an overview of the program’s guiding principles, summarize engagement feedback and how it was incorporated into the proposed Calgary Plan and new Zoning Bylaw, and give examples of how the proposed plans would guide growth, development and mobility.
• The motion does not approve the proposed Calgary Plan or new Zoning Bylaw.

What it means for you#

• Calgarians: The decision does not itself change zoning rules, development permissions or transportation plans. It directs staff to provide Council with more information about the proposed plans.
• City staff: They must report back by the June 16 meeting with the specified overview, engagement summary and examples.
• Council: It no longer has the earlier direction to implement the 2022 planning initiatives as they related to the Calgary Plan.

Money#

No cost information is in the available material.

• The motion directs City staff to do work but gives no cost or staffing estimate.

What is unclear#

• The motion does not say when the updated Calgary Plan or proposed new Zoning Bylaw will be presented for a decision.
• It does not set out what changes the updated Plan will contain or how Council will decide whether engagement feedback was adequately incorporated.

Case for#

• The notice says Calgary’s growth forecast has moved ahead of what was anticipated in the current Municipal Development Plan, and that the City needs an updated long-range plan.
• The notice says changes since the earlier report—including approval of the CONNECT: Calgary Parks Plan—require updates to the proposed Calgary Plan.
• Requiring staff to explain the plans and engagement before Council considers them could give Council more information for its decisions.

Case against#

• A possible trade-off is that the motion delays Council’s consideration of the filed report and attachments while an updated version is prepared. It gives no date for that presentation.
• The motion does not require staff to adopt particular engagement feedback or set criteria for showing how feedback shaped the plans.