Kent’s Plan: A City Hall that Works for You
Highlights
- Empower residents through participatory budgeting, ensuring Calgarians directly shape community projects and see their voices reflected in action.
- Rebuild trust with transparency and accountability at City Hall, through open data, clear communication, and independent oversight.
- Strengthen community life by investing in arts, culture, and sports, making Calgary vibrant, inclusive, and connected.
- Crack down on noisy vehicles that are distubing the peace.
- Improve public amenities throughout the ward
Calgarians deserve a city hall that works for you, not over you. Too often, decisions are made behind closed doors, leaving you feeling left out and unheard. Kent has spent his career making sure people’s voices are heard — first as an MLA, then as a Member of Parliament, where he fought for fairness, accessibility, and stronger communities. Now, he’s ready to bring that same dedication to city hall, putting your ideas, your priorities, and your neighborhoods at the center of decision-making.
Kent’s vision is simple: a city hall that listens, invests, and delivers. That means giving you a real say in how money is spent, building stronger neighbourhoods through arts, culture, and sports, and restoring trust with openness and accountability. Drawing on his experience representing Calgarians at every level of government, Kent is committed to building a city where every voice matters, every community thrives, and every dollar works for the people who call Calgary home.
Only 52% of Calgarians trust city hall. Too often, decisions feel top-down, and residents don’t see their voices reflected in action.
Participatory budgeting is a proven tool that lets residents directly decide how public funds are spent. From parks to mobility to neighborhood improvements, Calgarians propose and vote on projects – and see them built.
✅ Increased public trust in City Hall.
✅ Stronger civic engagement, especially among youth and marginalized groups.
✅ More equitable allocation of resources.
✅ Greater transparency and accountability in spending.
Kent’s plan for participatory budget starts with looking at successes from other cities and benefiting from their lessons learned. Here are just a handful of examples we can learn from:
- Montreal: $25M program with 20,000+ residents voting for urban mini-forests and community gardens.
- New York City: 30+ districts fund playgrounds, tech upgrades, and green spaces.
- Edmonton: Pilot funded 23 projects on climate action, social connection, and resilience projects.
From there, Kent will lead a pilot in Ward 8, inviting interested colleagues from other wards to join him. Kent is proposing the following framework:
1. Pilot (Year 1–2): Launch participatory budgeting in select wards (including Ward 8!) with a set budget allocation for community-chosen projects.
2. Expand (Year 3–5): Roll out PB citywide, with annual ward-level budgets.
3. Make It Permanent (Year 5+): Embed PB in Calgary’s budget cycle, with a public dashboard and annual reports.
Residents of Ward 8 deserve a seat at the table. Participatory budgeting is how Kent plans to restore trust, strengthen our democracy, and put residents in charge of shaping their communities. By starting with a pilot, learning from global successes, and scaling citywide, we can build a Calgary where every voice matters and every dollar is accountable.
Calgarians recently gave city hall a D+ grade on transparency – a failing mark that signals a serious breakdown in accountability. When residents can’t see where money goes or how decisions are made, trust erodes, services suffer, and confidence in city hall declines.
We need to do things differently to:
✅ Increase trust between residents and city hall.
✅ Ensure smarter spending guided by data and public input.
✅ Provide better services that reflect community priorities.
It’s time to raise the standard, and Kent’s plan for a transparent city does just that.
1. Open Data by Default
- Launch a user-friendly Open Data Portal with real-time information on budgets, spending, and service performance.
- Adopt a “default to open” rule: the public should have access unless there’s a clear legal reason not to share.
2. Regular Public Reporting
- Publish quarterly reports on city finances, service reliability, and progress on major projects.
- Provide plain-language summaries so every Calgarian can understand where their tax dollars go.
3. Clear Communication
- Standardize updates on service changes, delays, and policy decisions across all city channels.
- Ensure communications are accessible and multilingual so no resident is left behind.
4. Resident Engagement
- Hold quarterly open forums where residents can review reports and ask questions directly.
- Launch participatory budgeting pilots (see above), giving Calgarians a voice in how local funds are spent.
5. Independent Oversight
- Establish an Office of the Municipal Ombudsperson, independent from City administration, to investigate complaints and report directly to Council.
Together, We Can Turn a D+ Into an A
Transparency isn’t optional. It’s the foundation of good government. With open data, honest reporting, and clear communication, Calgary can set the standard for accountability in Canada.
Arts and sports aren’t extras — they’re the heart of community life. They strengthen civic identity, support local talent, attract investment, and improve quality of life. With young families downtown up 43%, Calgary needs to invest in culture and recreation now for:
✅ A vibrant downtown full of life and creativity.
✅ Stronger communities connected through culture and sport.
✅ A city that’s fun, inclusive, and proud of its heritage.
Kent’s plan protects existing investments, expands facilities, celebrates our heritage and diversity, and showcases local talent and creativity. Here’s how:
Protect and Grow the Arts
- Safeguard the $21M arts investment.
- Partner with Contemporary Calgary and C-Space to expand programming.
- Launch a “Year to Celebrate Arts” to showcase local voices and talent.
Expand Sports Access
- Collaborate with the Calgary Soccer Association and community groups.
- Build and upgrade facilities for inner-city families.
- Keep recreation affordable and accessible for all residents.
- Advocate for a new public pool in Ward 8.
Celebrate Heritage & Diversity
- Support heritage festivals, winter markets, and cultural events.
- Highlight Calgary’s agricultural roots with skijoring, markets, and ranching traditions.
- Fund grassroots groups to stage community-led celebrations.
Calgary is strongest when our communities are connected through creativity, heritage, and play. By protecting arts funding, expanding recreation, celebrating our diversity, and making downtown a hub of culture and sport, we can build a Ward 8 – and a Calgary – that is vibrant, inclusive, and full of pride.
Across Ward 8, one concern rings loud and clear: loud vehicles with modified exhausts tearing through our neighbourhoods and shattering the peace. Our police are working hard, but it’s not enough. It’s past time we turn down the volume on Calgary’s streets.
As your councillor, Kent will crack down with a clear 3-point plan:
👂Modern noise-detection technology – Paris deployed acoustic cameras that automatically identify vehicles exceeding noise limits, capture license plates, and issue fines in real time. These systems work 24/7, rain or shine, catching violators even when officers aren’t present. The fines? Steep enough that they can’t be ignored. It works in Paris, and it can work here.
👮Stronger enforcement – Police and bylaw officers need the resources, training, and authority to stop offenders on the spot. That means dedicated patrols in noise hotspots, faster response times to complaints, and the power to impound repeat offenders’ vehicles until they comply.
🚫Ban the mods – We need to eliminate the problem at its source by banning the sale, installation, and use of illegal noise-intensifying vehicle modifications. That means cracking down on shops that install them and holding vehicle owners accountable for modifications that violate noise standards.
You deserve peaceful streets. A place to raise your family without the constant roar of souped-up engines. Loud vehicles are a real problem; Kent’s plan offers real solutions.
Kent will champion the installation of clean, safe, and accessible public bathrooms and water stations throughout Ward 8. These facilities will make downtown and inner-city neighborhoods more welcoming, improve quality of life, and support public health and dignity for all Calgarians — including families, seniors, park users, and vulnerable residents.
Access to public washrooms and water stations is essential infrastructure in any vibrant, people-centered city. By increasing convenience for residents and visitors, encouraging longer and more enjoyable stays in public spaces, and reducing waste and disorder on city streets, this initiative aligns with Calgary’s goals for livability, inclusion, and revitalization of the downtown core.
Implementation Approach
- Cost-Effective Design: Explore modular or prefabricated restroom models, following successful examples in Toronto, Vancouver, and San Francisco, to minimize costs and speed up deployment.
- Smart, Self-Cleaning Options: Pilot modern restroom technology to ensure safety and cleanliness.
- Strategic Placement: Prioritize high-traffic areas such as parks, pedestrian corridors, and transit hubs within Ward 8.
- Safety & Maintenance: Partner with local organizations for regular cleaning, monitoring, and feedback to ensure these amenities remain safe and welcoming.
Improving public amenities in Ward 8 is about restoring dignity, promoting cleanliness, and making our shared spaces work for everyone. By investing in accessible public amenities, we build a Calgary that’s safer, more compassionate, and more connected.