Calgary sends 20+ city employees north to help Edmonton's storm recovery

Calgary is sending more than 20 city employees north to help Edmonton recover from severe storms that caused widespread damage, road closures, flooding, and power outages over the weekend and Monday.

Mayor Jeromy Farkas announced Tuesday that Calgary's deployment will include 12 urban forestry experts—arborists, technical tree fallers, forestry ground crews, and horticulturalists—who will remove downed trees, clear debris from roadways, reopen public spaces, and help prevent the spread of Dutch elm disease.

The city will also send 10 mobility operators and a foreman with specialized equipment, along with three waste and recycling operators and a rear-loading compactor truck supported by fleet and inventory staff.

Edmonton experienced record rainfall across June and July, with more than 511 millimetres of precipitation—the highest volume recorded in Alberta's capital since 1953. The typical summer rainfall is 70 to 80 millimetres. The storms forced closures of the Telus World of Science, the Indigenous Peoples Experiences Pavilion at Fort Edmonton Park, and multiple aquatic facilities. A Post Malone concert at Commonwealth Stadium was cut short when a tall pine tree fell amid the deluge.

Farkas said the deployment will not reduce Calgary's city services and that Edmonton will reimburse Calgary for all costs incurred. "When Calgary has faced disasters, including major storms, floods, and the Bearspaw feeder main emergency, other communities across Alberta, Canada, and this continent stepped up for us," Farkas said. "Edmonton has always had our back, and we have theirs."