Airdrie Minute: Issue 93

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

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• Happy New Year! As 2026 gets underway, Common Sense Airdrie  is ready to make this the year that common sense takes center stage in our city. Your support and engagement make it possible for us to push for smarter decisions, lower taxes, and greater accountability at City Hall. This year, we’ll continue speaking up for practical solutions that benefit all residents and ensure our city’s leaders are focused on the priorities that matter most. Wishing you and your family a happy, healthy, and successful year ahead!
  
  
• The City of Airdrie has imposed Level 4 water restrictions following a major water main break in Calgary on 16th Avenue N.W. near Sarcee Trail. Restrictions prohibit outdoor water use and limit indoor use according to the City’s Waterworks Bylaw, though pools and arenas remain open. Residents are being asked to conserve water by keeping showers under three minutes, running only full loads of laundry and dishes, flushing toilets only when necessary, and repairing leaks. The situation is reminiscent of the 2024 water main break in Calgary, which prompted similar measures. 
  
  
• Airdrie will pilot a new governance approach streamlining approvals for certain multi-unit housing projects. City Council has amended its Land Use Bylaw to temporarily delegate decision-making authority for qualifying developments to the City’s Development Officer, rather than Council. The two-year pilot applies to mid- and high-density multi-unit projects, generally four to five storeys and above, within designated mixed-use and residential districts. Eligible applications will still undergo the City’s standard technical review process, including circulation to internal departments and external agencies. The change is designed to support Airdrie’s Multi-Unit Incentive Pilot Program, which aims to encourage at least 300 new market-delivered multi-unit homes by the end of 2027, particularly along existing and future transit corridors.
  
  
• From September to early December 2025, Airdrie’s joint traffic enforcement campaign by Municipal Enforcement and the RCMP issued 54 tickets targeting speeding, loud vehicles, and non-compliant equipment. High-speed violations included drivers reaching 101 km/h, 100 km/h, and 97 km/h in 60 km/h zones. Noise violations peaked at 118 decibels, with multiple tickets for loud mufflers and exhaust systems. Officials say that these violations pose serious safety risks and warned that offenders could face fines, mandatory inspections, or impoundment. 
  
  
• Looking back on 2025, Airdrie-East MLA Angela Pitt says rapid growth continues to shape priorities in Airdrie, with health care remaining the most pressing concern for residents. Pitt noted ongoing frustration over the absence of a full-service hospital, despite recent investments in urgent care upgrades and planning funds for a second urgent care facility integrated with primary care. The year also saw progress on education infrastructure, with multiple school projects in Airdrie and surrounding communities moving into funded construction or planning stages. Pitt highlighted these projects as necessary responses to sustained population growth. She noted that provincial funding was announced to expand wastewater capacity, and pointed to the late-2025 federal-provincial energy agreement as a policy development with longer-term economic implications for Alberta communities. While a recall petition is currently active in her riding, Pitt said she remains focused on serving constituents and advancing projects already underway heading into 2026.
   

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

With Calgary’s water main break prompting Level 4 restrictions here in Airdrie, we’re curious - how are you adjusting, and how concerned are you about water issues in the region?

Let us know your thoughts!

🪙 This Week’s Sponsor: 🪙

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