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A Calgary city councillor who admitted to leaking confidential budget documents is now calling on the Alberta government to investigate how city council uses closed-door meetings. Ward 14 Councillor Landon Johnston has written to Alberta’s Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams, requesting a formal review of council’s use of closed sessions and confidentiality rules. Johnston also wants amendments to the Municipal Government Act that would set clearer limits on when financial and policy matters can be discussed behind closed doors.
Johnston Acknowledges the Controversy
Johnston openly acknowledged that he is making the request “in the middle of a controversy.” Last week, he claimed responsibility for leaking preliminary budget documents to Global News. Those documents revealed that a 20 per cent property tax increase would be needed to cover roughly $510 million in funding requests for council to consider. According to the documents, councillors are also preparing to discuss a pre-budget scenario involving a 15 per cent property tax increase in 2027 during a closed session later this month. However, final budget numbers will not be deliberated until November.
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Johnston stressed that he is not asking the minister to overlook his actions. Instead, he wants officials to examine a broader issue he believes the situation has exposed. “If he wants to investigate me, he should investigate everything,” Johnston told Global News on Friday. “I think what comes out of that is going to be a strengthened process that, for every taxpayer and Calgarian, will be better for everybody.”
Concerns Over Closed-Door Sessions
Johnston identified the “advice from officials” provision as the most commonly used justification for moving meetings behind closed doors. He called it “the most abused access-to-information exception.” He has asked the minister’s review to examine council meeting records from 2017 to the present. The review would assess how often closed sessions occur, how long they last, and which provisions justify them.
Under typical rules, council moves in-camera when disclosure could harm a third party’s business interests, threaten personal privacy, interfere with law enforcement, or involve confidential evaluations. Johnston said council has gone behind closed doors more than 20 times this year. He estimated that around 80 per cent of those sessions were legitimate. “Personnel matters can be confidential for as long as they need to be,” he said. “But even sensitive subjects need to be released at some point.”
Mayor and Minister Respond
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he welcomes Johnston’s push for provincial reforms. Farkas noted he has long advocated for clearer confidentiality rules. “Confidentiality should be narrow, justified, and time-limited,” his statement read. “There should be independent review when confidentiality is disputed and clear consequences for when an oath of office or duty of trust are violated.”
The budget document leak also prompted Farkas to call a special council meeting on Tuesday morning. Council sought legal advice and discussed potential repercussions. As a result, council voted to send its own letter to both the municipal affairs minister and the provincial privacy commissioner. The letter informed them of the leak and asked them to take whatever steps they consider necessary.
Johnston said he has nothing to hide. “Investigate my incident to the fullest extent,” he said. “But I think, at the same time, there needs to be an investigation into every leak that’s happened this year.” Minister Williams confirmed his office received Johnston’s letter. He also noted that a second letter from Calgary City Council is expected. “We’ll review both these letters and determine whether any further action is required,” Williams said.
Broader Provincial Oversight Already Underway
Meanwhile, the provincial government already has a separate municipal inspection underway. That investigation focuses on Calgary’s water system, following a second failure of the Bearspaw feeder main. Former Alberta Energy Regulator board chair David Goldie is leading that inquiry. The timeline for its findings remains unclear. However, the provincial government noted that such inspections typically take between six and 18 months to complete.
