City council has directed administration to study the feasibility of opening a permanent police district office in the downtown, a move critics argue infringes on the autonomy of the Calgary police commission to make planning decisions.
A motion brought forward by Mayor Jeromy Farkas was carried 11-3 after debate that included concerns from some councillors about political interference in the governance of the Calgary Police Service.
Farkas told reporters before the vote that an updated version of the motion reflected collaboration among councillors and input from the Calgary police commission on exploring feasibility of a downtown police district office.
“We know that right now, Calgary is the only major North American city without a downtown police station,” Farkas said. “We also know that public safety can’t just be addressed through police alone. We need to be tough on crime but even tougher on the root causes of crime.”
He said the revised motion contemplates not only a possible district office, but a broader community services hub.
Farkas said the possible downtown office was a priority of his mayoral campaign, but called the motion a “collaborative approach” that had wide buy-in from council and respected the autonomy of the police commission.
“As the mayor, I don’t direct the police service,” Farkas added. “Ultimately, the operational decisions of our police service are completely independent.
“It’s very much about exploring what the options may be. It doesn’t give explicit direction but if we are going to go down this road, I fully expect us to lock in on this in time for our four-year budget (in November).”
While council does not direct police operations, Farkas argued it is within council’s governance role to seek information on whether existing policing facilities are adequate.
‘Buildings do not provide safety’
Councillors who voted against the motion argued council should leave it to the Calgary police commission and the Calgary Police Service to bring forward any budget requests as part of the 2027-30 budget process later this year.
Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness said the move amounted to council “overstepping” into police operations and appeared to put campaign promises ahead of good governance.
Wyness argued council should wait for the upcoming police budget ask and instead bolster support for civic partners working with vulnerable and homeless Calgarians.
“A building doesn’t make public safety,” Wyness said. “The money that we will spend on this (motion) could be better used to fund the groups that are out there doing the work.”
