Mayor Farkas wants council to endorse Alberta staying in Canada; other councillors object

Mayor Jeromy Farkas is seeking either an urgent item on council's agenda or a special meeting to have Calgary formally endorse Alberta remaining part of Canada. His push comes as a University of Calgary report quantifies the potential cost of separation.

Farkas, who describes himself as a separation skeptic, cited the School of Public Policy's findings that establishing a new country would cost between $50 billion and $170 billion in the first five years, on top of broader economic damage. "It's a real validation and vindication of what many of us have stated," he said Wednesday at an event in northwest Calgary. "There's huge upfront costs that have been identified to Alberta going it alone."

He said the report validates earlier warnings from the Calgary Chamber of Commerce about separation's economic impact on the city and province. "This most recent information and report is a huge warning sign about the economic damage that separation poses," Farkas said. "In the coming days, I will be anticipating either to add as urgent business or to call an individual special meeting of Calgary City Council to seek council's endorsement of Calgary remaining at the center of a strong and united Team Canada."

But most councillors are pushing back. Ward 1 Councillor Kim Tyers sent a memo to fellow councillors opposing a special meeting, saying council's role is not to convene sessions simply because a topic is politically significant. "As elected officials, we represent all Calgarians, including those who hold a wide range of views on provincial and federal matters," she said. "While individual members are free to express their opinions and advocate for the positions they believe are in the best interests of their constituents, I do not believe it is Council's role to convene a special meeting simply because a topic is politically significant or generates strong feelings." Other councillors told media they support Tyers's position.

The NDP's Calgary-Shaw byelection victory two days before Farkas's statement fuelled speculation that the vote served as a ballot-box question on separation. The report itself was the product of independent academic work — Martha Hall Findlay, director of the School of Public Policy, said the team was afforded "full independence and academic freedom" on a compressed timeline.