Mayor presents his cooperative vision to Calgary’s business community

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Mayor Jyoti Gondek delivered a message of collaboration and cooperation to Calgary’s business community during a House luncheon on Wednesday.

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The mayor delivered a speech to members of the House before sitting down for a question-and-answer session with the group’s president and CEO, Deborah Yedlin. She suggested that the city is on track to recover from the economic challenges of the last decade brought on by the energy recession and the pandemic.

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“The message of collaboration and strength in numbers is important,” Gondek said. “If we are really going to promote our city as a place where people should invest their capital and a place that attracts talent, we have to show that we are willing to work together.”

Gondek’s message to the business community painted a picture of a city council that is on the side of business. He also touted what he describes as a new approach to budgeting, which looks at predictive modeling while moving away from the old practice of expense-based budgeting.

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She said the result is that she expects the city’s mill rate to be adjusted downward when the council addresses the budget in November. The council aims to keep city spending tied to population growth plus inflation for the next four years.

Gondek said that as he travels to places like Toronto, Los Angeles and Houston, he constantly comes across people who are surprised to hear facts about the city that don’t match their old impressions of Calgary from 20 or 30 years ago. She said the city’s recent investment to convert downtown office space into housing units and her plans for the Green Line are capturing the attention of investors and changing people’s perceptions.

“It’s bold moves like this that have evolved our city’s brand, and built on our reputation as a city that’s not only forward-thinking, but also interested in preparing for the future,” the mayor said.

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The mayor said Calgary Economic Development and Tourism Calgary has been working on a brand update for the city, and she looks forward to seeing it when it’s ready.

Yedlin said the challenge is telling the story of the new Calgary to outsiders who may be thinking of coming here. She said promoting the city is one of the House’s four key priorities.

“We just haven’t been able to turn the channel in terms of being a forward-thinking city with a lot of opportunity, which is what this city was in the ’80s,” Yedlin said. “People were drawn to it then. He was young, he was vibrant.”

She said part of the message Calgary needs to get across is that it remains a young and vibrant place with an entrepreneurial spirit.

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While focusing on the need for collaboration throughout her time on the mic, Gondek addressed the divide she sees as coming from political polarization. She pointed to the anger some people have felt over the council’s declaration of a climate emergency, noting that she knows she will never please everyone.

“When we went to Houston about a month after we declared the climate emergency, people said, ‘What was the problem? Like, why was everyone so upset about this?’” Gondek said.

“The whole world has declared a climate emergency, because the only way to access capital is by saying that you are taking the climate crisis seriously.”

During the question and answer session, the mayor took a question on how she will address relations with the new leader of the PCU. Gondek said that regardless of who wins, she looks forward to working with them.

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“I’m happy to work with anyone,” he said. “Fighting with people is not going to get us where we need to be, so I want to make sure we find a way to collaborate.”

The mayor hinted that collaboration with the province might be lacking in some areas when asked about the province’s “Alberta is calling” marketing campaign, which she said took her and the city “completely by surprise.”

“I mean, I guess it’s cool,” Gondek said. “I wish we had known it was launching because we already had our own campaign in the market and so every time we promote our province or our city, it’s great.”

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