Calgary councillor pushes single-project federal funding strategy

Calgary should pick one major federal funding priority and focus all advocacy efforts there — not spread itself thin across a list of projects, Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean told city council Tuesday.

The Intergovernmental Affairs Committee is set to approve the city's 2026 federal budget submission recommendations Wednesday, with seven items worth nearly $1 billion on the proposed list. Past asks have included the Blue Line LRT extension, a bus maintenance facility, the Foothills multisport fieldhouse, and the Prairie Economic Gateway. New additions this year include the Bearspaw South Feeder Main replacement and five recreation facilities.

McLean, who chairs the committee, said Edmonton's approach works better. "They pick up one big area that they need a lot of money and funding, and they attack that, and then they move on to the next one," he said. "What we've been doing lately seems like we put on a big laundry list of 10 different things, and maybe we should focus on one at a time."

Mayor Jeromy Farkas agreed the strategy makes political sense. He said the city's advocacy is "most effective" when it aligns with the priorities of provincial and federal governments.

"We know that there's certain things that a thriving city of our size is going to need: it's going to be water pipes, it's going to be recreation centers, it's going to be effective transit, it's going to be potentially downtown public safety measures," Farkas said.

If the city followed McLean's advice, Farkas said he'd lean toward funding the Blue Line extension, which is in the design stage and would extend the north end of the route by at least one stop to 88 Avenue NE. A spur line connection to the airport would fit provincial goals for passenger rail, he said.