Airdrie Minute: Issue 62

Airdrie Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Airdrie politics

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• On Tuesday, at 1:00 pm, City Council will receive the results of the 2025 Resident Satisfaction Survey. Between April 1st and April 18th, residents were randomly surveyed to assess satisfaction with City services, public safety, and perceived value for taxes. Overall satisfaction dropped to an average score of 2.99 in 2025, down from 3.20 in 2023. Only 34% of respondents rated the value for taxes as good or very good. The top issues remained consistent with previous surveys: infrastructure and traffic (32%), healthcare (28%), and recreation amenities (26%). While satisfaction with Genesis Place, transit, and other facilities declined, customer service ratings stayed consistent. Encouragingly, participation in the City’s public engagement opportunities improved, with 43% of residents reporting involvement in the past 12 months. Full survey results will be published on the City’s website.
  
  
• Also at the Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Kolson will bring forward a Notice of Motion proposing a permanent reduction of the youth transit pass fee to $25 for future Julys and Augusts. This follows previous Council decisions that temporarily lowered the fee during summer months as a pilot and promotional effort starting in 2019. Despite some past resolutions supporting the reduced summer fee, recent amendments to the User Fees and Charges Bylaw did not address this reduction. The motion requests that Administration amend the relevant policy to make the $25 summer youth transit pass fee permanent. The goal is to maintain affordable transit access for youth during the summer indefinitely.
  
  
• Calgary will reintroduce fluoride into its drinking water starting June 30th, which will also affect Airdrie since it receives treated water from Calgary. Fluoride was first added in Calgary in 1991 but was discontinued in 2011. Its return follows a 2021 plebiscite where voters supported the move. Calgary has completed significant upgrades to its water treatment plants to enable fluoridation.
  
  
• In other Calgary water news that affects Airdrie, Alberta’s engineering regulator, APEGA, concluded that Calgary showed no signs of poor or unprofessional engineering in managing the Bearspaw South water main rupture that occurred in June 2024. The break was linked to severe corrosion, chloride contamination, and failure of brittle wires in a pipe installed in 1975, which was expected to last about 100 years. A forensic investigation found that around 200 prestress wires broke due to environmental damage, such as aggressive soil conditions and cracks allowing chloride to penetrate. There was no evidence of manufacturing flaws or operational issues contributing to the failure. APEGA noted that failures of this type of pipe are common across North America and can be difficult to prevent, even with advanced monitoring.
  
  
• Airdrie recently hosted the Prairie Chapter meeting of the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA), welcoming members from Alberta, Manitoba, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. The event brought together transit professionals to share insights, review policies, and discuss improvements to public transit systems across the region. Billie-Jo Arnott, team lead for Airdrie Transit, emphasized that CUTA acts as a national voice for the transit sector and supports municipalities in their efforts to enhance mobility. While she could not share specific discussion points, Arnott confirmed the focus remained on collaboration and progress. Airdrie has been a member of the Prairie Chapter for several years, and Arnott said it was exciting to host the gathering locally. She added that Airdrie Transit is performing well and that residents should expect some service improvements to roll out in the fall.
  
  
• The Rocky View Schools Board of Trustees met with Alberta’s Minister of Infrastructure on May 21st to push for faster school construction timelines. Trustees shared key infrastructure priorities and proposed ways to speed up approvals and building processes. While the current timeline for school construction is about three years after funding is granted, RVS says that pace is too slow for their growing communities. The Board is continuing to advocate strongly for faster delivery and better funding. Their recent efforts have led to seven new schools being approved and small improvements to the funding formula. For the 2025-26 school year, advocacy will remain a major focus. RVS also received approval last month for five modular classrooms and is requesting amendments to their planned locations to better serve students. Trustees say quick, cost-effective school construction is essential to maintaining education quality.
  
  
• Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt has been appointed to the new Alberta First cabinet policy committee, one of four announced by Premier Danielle Smith. The committee will review legislation, advise on long-term priorities, and shape regulatory proposals. Pitt joins a roster of senior officials including Smith herself, Finance Minister Nate Horner, and Energy and Minerals Minister Brian Jean. Her appointment follows a recent trip to San Antonio, where she promoted Alberta’s energy sector and discussed trade with US lawmakers. Pitt emphasized the province’s role in US energy security and voiced concerns about trade barriers. The Alberta First committee is chaired by Glenn van Dijken and includes members focused on constitutional affairs, energy, and economic strategy. The other committees announced cover community building, economic development, and public safety.
   

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

Who is your favourite Airdrie City Councillor - and why?

Is it because of their voting record, how they engage with the community, or something else?

Take a moment to reply and share your thoughts with us.

Your feedback helps us understand which Councillors are truly representing the interests and values of Airdrie residents.

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