Airdrie Minute: Issue 95

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

📅 This Week In Airdrie: 📅

• There will be a meeting of City Council on Tuesday at 1:00 pm. Mayor Heather Spearman has proclaimed several awareness dates for early 2026. January 26th is designated as Kawasaki Awareness Day to highlight the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children. February is recognized as Black History Month, celebrating the contributions of Black Canadians to the social, cultural, and economic life of communities. Additionally, February 7th to 14th is Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week, aimed at supporting children with heart defects and their families.
  
  
• Council is being asked to give Second and Third Reading to bylaws that will authorize borrowing $98,800,222 to fund 2026 capital projects. The projects include extending 24th Street, constructing the South Regional Lift Station, building the Wastewater Forcemain to Calgary, completing the Vantage Rise (West) Reservoir Pump Station, and lifecycle work on the Fire Tower. The bylaw was first read on December 16th, 2025, and all required advertising has been completed with no petitions received. Including this borrowing and other planned projects, the City’s total debt of $329 million remains below the provincial limit. Administration recommends approval, noting that debt servicing costs are already included in the 2026 budget, so there is no additional financial impact on residents.
  
  
• Council is being asked to decide how to manage side yard entrances and roof structures for secondary suites. Currently, small steps and roof elements are allowed in side yards, but larger roof structures are not because they can affect drainage and need fire-protection measures. Some homeowners install roofs over side entrances to meet fire code or for weather protection, which requires a Development Permit since it encroaches into the side yard. Since 2024, five such applications have been submitted, with most approved. Planning and Building Inspections review these to ensure safety, compliance, and minimal impact on neighbours. Administration recommends updating the rules so taller or lower side entrances and roof structures near property lines are reviewed as discretionary decisions, and so roof design, drainage, style, and materials are clearly regulated. Any changes would require public notice and a hearing.
  
  
• Also on the Council agenda are two letters of support for grant applications. The first is for the Airdrie CultureFest Society, requesting $15,000 from the Government of Alberta’s Ethnocultural Grant to help fund the 2026 CultureFest event on Canada Day. The second is for Airdrie Housing Limited, supporting their January 2026 application to the Affordable Housing Partnership Program, which could provide $655 million in provincial funding over three years for affordable housing projects.
  
  
• Calgary and Airdrie have lifted water restrictions as the Bearspaw South feeder main returned to service, restoring stable water flow and safe drinking water. Calgary Emergency Management Agency Chief Sue Henry confirmed the system is stable, but cautioned that the pipe remains at risk and restrictions will be reimposed during planned spring and fall reinforcement work. City officials emphasized that the recent repair is temporary and that a full replacement of the feeder main is underway, with materials being ordered, crews mobilized, and a one-year replacement timeline set. Mayor Jeromy Farkas described the line as “terminally ill” and stressed the urgency of completing the replacement. Calgary will continue round-the-clock monitoring while both short-term repairs and long-term replacement progress.
   

🚨 This Week’s Action Item: 🚨

What do you think - are City proclamations like Kawasaki Awareness Day and Black History Month a valuable way to raise awareness and support in our community, or do they have little impact?

Share your thoughts with us!

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