City Building Is a Shared Responsibility
Orginally published in the Calgary Herald, October 18, 2025
In just a few days, Calgarians will choose the next City Council. It’s an important moment, not only in terms of how our city is governed, but how it grows, how it feels and who it’s for. It can be an opportunity for politicians, businesses and Calgarians to come together to create a clear vision for the future.
Calgary is a city with enormous potential. We have an educated population, an entrepreneurial spirit and a reputation as a place where innovation thrives. But we also face serious challenges. Public safety, especially in our downtown, has become a concern. 57% of Calgarians perceive crime and social disorder to be increasing.1 That’s not a confidence boosting statistic.
Restoring that confidence creates an opportunity for coordinated action—not just stronger enforcement, but a deeper investment in mental health services, housing supports and the outreach workers who know these communities best. If we want a city that feels safe, we have to treat safety as more than just a policing issue. It’s a systems issue. And systems need collaboration.
Fiscal responsibility is another piece of the puzzle. Calgarians want value in the way their tax dollars are spent. Just 46% of people in the city believe this to be the case.2 In business, we’re constantly balancing cost and value while thinking long-term and seizing on opportunities. That same mindset should apply at City Hall. Whether the opportunity exists to invest in infrastructure, renew neighbourhoods, or build new housing, we need thoughtful planning that maximizes impact and minimizes waste.
Opportunities present themselves all the time. At Strategic Group, we saw an opportunity in Calgary’s growing inventory of vacant office space. Long before it became a widely discussed policy solution, we moved to convert empty office buildings into rental homes and mixed-use communities. These projects helped address Calgary’s housing needs without the cost or carbon footprint of new construction. One million square feet of conversion space saves approximately 34,000 tons of carbon emissions and prevents thousands of tons of waste from hitting the landfill, all at a cost that’s much less than building from scratch. It’s a model that combines environmental sustainability with fiscal responsibility—and it shows what’s possible when the private sector takes initiative in city building.
But none of this works without trust. If we want people to support bold ideas or complex solutions, we need to meet them where they are. Public engagement in Calgary needs to be
more than a formality, it should be a fundamental part of how we build our city. That means involving residents and businesses early and often in decisions that affect their communities. It means valuing the lived experience of people in every quadrant of the city, not just the loudest voices. And it means committing to transparency—not just in budgeting, but in how decisions are made and why.
Ultimately, city building isn’t just the job of politicians or planners. It’s something we all participate in. I believe business has a critical role to play—not just as investors, but as partners in shaping how our city evolves. That includes a responsibility to uphold environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in how we operate and where we invest. It’s about thinking long term, seizing on opportunities to create inclusive spaces and understanding that the health of a city and its economy are intertwined. Our collective challenge, and opportunity, is to make sure Calgary grows in a way that answers the question “who is it for?” with a simple truth: it’s for everyone who calls Calgary home.
This election is more than a contest of platforms. It’s an opportunity to support leaders who engage thoughtfully, spend responsibly and prioritize a city where every Calgarian feels a sense of belonging
1 Results from the 2025 Community Perceptions Survey on Safety, Policing, and Public Priorities
2 City of Calgary 2025 Spring Research Results
The idea that city building is a shared responsibility highlights how collaboration can create stronger, more inclusive communities. That spirit of individuality also fits the bold style of a Bruno Mars red silk outfit.
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The point about public engagement being more than a formality stands out, especially the warning against hearing only the loudest voices. But I wonder how that works in practice when residents disagree sharply on priorities like housing density or downtown safety. Genuine engagement often slows decisions and surfaces conflict, which can clash with the urgency the article implies. How would you keep early, ongoing involvement meaningful rather than performative when timelines and budgets are tight?
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