English
A leaked set of confidential Calgary budget documents has ignited a political dispute at city hall, with Mayor Jeromy Farkas dismissing the preliminary spending figures as a “wishlist” that does not reflect what taxpayers will ultimately face. The documents, obtained by Global News, revealed that funding every departmental request for 2027 would require a 20.2 per cent property tax increase — enough to cover an additional $510 million in operating spending.
What the Leaked Documents Revealed
City administration presented the confidential figures to council during a closed session on July 28. Beyond 2027, the documents projected further increases of 8.5 per cent in 2028, nine per cent in 2029, and 8.9 per cent in 2030, if council approved all submitted requests this fall.
Stay connected to every major update — subscribe and follow us on the PhoenixQ website and across our social media platforms.
Council subsequently directed administration to scale back those projections. The revised targets cap increases at 15 per cent in 2027, 12.5 per cent in 2028, nine per cent in 2029, and six per cent in 2030. Global News reported those updated figures are scheduled for presentation during a closed session on September 22.
Among the specific 2027 funding requests outlined in the documents are $44.3 million for infrastructure maintenance, $16.9 million to expand Transit Peace Officers, $20 million to improve transit frequency under the RouteAhead plan, $27.5 million for a low-income transit pass, $28 million to offset lost photo radar fine revenue, and $25.1 million for the city’s Safer Together public safety initiative.
Mayor Farkas Defends Budget Process
Mayor Farkas told reporters Thursday that no tax increase has yet received council approval. “We’re still pencils to paper to really make sure we’re focusing on the needs over the wants,” he said. He emphasized that his priorities centre on infrastructure and public safety.
Farkas described the volume of spending requests as routine budget-season behaviour. “This is a wishlist. Everybody comes out of the woodwork around budget time and asks for all of the stuff,” he said. “If you were to add and tally all the requests, it comes out to a real big number.”
Councillor Admits to Leaking Documents
Ward 14 Councillor Landon Johnston became the focal point of Thursday’s controversy after he publicly admitted on social media that he leaked the confidential documents. Johnston argued the release served the public interest by exposing what he called an “unconstrained” view of the budget process, and said deep spending cuts would be necessary.
“I’m hardly the first person to release confidential information — I was just the first person not to be a coward about it,” Johnston told reporters. He pushed back against Farkas’s characterization of the figures, saying: “That’s not a wishlist — that’s a council that has trouble saying no. I’m not okay with that. I don’t think taxpayers should be okay with the mayor being unable to make difficult decisions.”
Farkas responded by accusing Johnston of “click baiting, rage farming, and trying to provoke a reaction.” He also raised concerns about legal risk to the city if third-party information contained in the documents reaches the public.
Accountability Questions With No Clear Framework
Ward 3 Councillor Andrew Yule said he was disappointed by the leak but expressed doubt that any formal consequences would follow. He pointed to the provincial government’s decision last year to eliminate the council code of conduct as a key obstacle.
“Every leak is inappropriate and every leak should be investigated, but without a framework to do that, we’re just left hanging,” Yule said. He added that regardless of how serious people consider the breach to be, it represents “a breach of trust of this council and our oath of office.”
Budget documents are typically kept confidential until the proposed spending plan is released publicly in early November, ahead of council deliberations later that month. Calgary city council is scheduled to debate the next four-year budget on November 23. Global News contacted the Ministry of Municipal Affairs for comment but received no response before publication.
