Calgary mayor calls federal Budget 2026 'laughable' over lack of city-specific funding

Calgary's mayor called the federal government's Budget 2026 "laughable" after finding the only Calgary-specific item in the document was an expansion of the Silver Springs Community Centre, which Jeromy Farkas estimated at maybe $1 million to $2 million. The city faces a near $50-billion infrastructure deficit over the next 10 years, driven by aging roads, bridges, rail lines and water systems.

"To see the only mention of the City of Calgary whatsoever to be maybe a million- or two-million-dollar project and expansion to an already existing community association facility... It's quite disappointing, especially when we consider that we're facing a near $50-billion infrastructure deficit over the next 10 years," Farkas told reporters Thursday.

The budget, tabled Thursday, outlines more than $142 billion in new measures. Calgary is named twice; the other mention is the Quantum Defence Innovation Secure Hub launched in the city in August.

Farkas said the budget does not directly address municipal tariff relief, and that critical infrastructure money is aimed at Canada-wide investments with none specifically allocated to Calgary or Alberta. "We're going to continue to make the case that we need to invest in critical infrastructure, especially around public safety as well as transportation," he said.

Deborah Yedlin, president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said "there are some good things in this budget that we should be pleased with," though she was disappointed by the lack of workforce and small-business capital gains changes.

Farkas said Calgary is waiting for further detail before budget deliberations begin.