Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas
@JeromyYYC • 17,854 subscribers
Mayor of Calgary | Pathfinder, non-profit CEO, and community builder | Housing, jobs, safety, and trust | It’s time for a new path forward. 🍁
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I ran for Mayor saying Calgary should lead a strong, united Canada. Now it's time to follow through. Separation threatens investment, jobs, and the confidence of newcomers who chose Calgary home. That's why I'm asking Council to stand up for Calgary's future within a strong Alberta and Canada.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas32,629 Aufrufe • vor 2 Tagen
It’s time to cut through the bullshit again, this time about your property taxes. By now, you’ve probably seen a huge number leaked out of City Hall, and a rage-farming City politician thinks that you are stupid and will believe that this is the tax increase coming your way. That’s the first piece of bullshit. As reported in the media, the number is what you get when you take every department request, every proposed program, every spending increase, every want and every wish, every downloaded responsibility from the provincial government, add them all together. That’s a wish list, not a tax increase. The second piece of bullshit is the accusation that Council desperately wanted to keep this secret from you. When private personal information involved, we don’t have a choice. As mayor, I’m leading a serious budget process that is looking at everything. Potential cuts. Staffing changes. Contracts. Negotiations. Agreements with outside partners. There are real people and real livelihoods behind those numbers. This is information we are legally required to protect. We do not get to throw somebody’s private information into the public because a politician thinks you are too stupid to read past the headline. And ignoring those obligations puts you, the taxpayer on the hook for potentially major legal claims and liabilities. The third piece of bullshit is pretending this number is inevitable. We heard that same garbage when this Council took office. We started with a number around 6% and brought it down to 1.2%. We went through the budget. We challenged assumptions. We found savings. We made choices about what Calgary needs and what City Hall simply wants. We prioritized public safety and we made hard decisions to fund the replacement to the Bearspaw Feedermain. But what isn’t bullshit is our record. We brought that 6% number all the way down to a 1.2% municipal tax increase, while the provincial government increased their share by more than 20%. Calgary families are under pressure. Your groceries cost more. Your mortgage or rent costs more. Your utilities cost more. At the same time, we need police officers responding to calls. We need firefighters showing up when you need them. We need buses and trains running. We need roads maintained and clean water coming out of your tap. Those are the kinds of needs we’re going to fight like hell to prioritize.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas131,349 Aufrufe • vor 20 Tagen
Thanks to Prime Minister Mark Carney and the federal government, Calgary's water system is getting a major upgrade. Canada is investing $29M alongside $94M from the City to build a new route north from Bearspaw. Kudos to Councillor Jennifer Wyness, whose years of advocacy helped get it moving.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas84,522 Aufrufe • vor 21 Tagen
It's time to cut through the bullshit about the Cowboys tent. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to treat neighbours like garbage and damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us. By now you've seen the coordinated smear campaign from out-of-town politicians. They think you're stupid and want you to believe that we're somehow cancelling Stampede by asking the big tents to use the same rules in place at Coachella, Lollapooloza and all the other world class festivals. That's the first piece of bullshit. We're not talking about Stampede at all. We're talking about a few off-site tents that have been treating their neighbors like garbage. Here's the truth. In the last few years, the tents were given a special exemption way above and beyond what was in place up until about 2019. People living near these tents were told to call 311 and wait. Their windows shook and broke. Their shelves rattled. Music ran on weeknights until 2 or 3 a.m. They dealt with property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes. Thousands of Calgarians raised their concerns. And just like when we repealed blanket rezoning, the city chose to listen to the people rather than answer to the money. The second piece of bullshit is that Calgary's rules suck compared to everywhere else. In fact, the changes are modest. There's no change on weekends. But on weeknights, concerts now need to wrap up by 1230am. Even with this change, it means that Calgary still allows outdoor music later than anywhere else in North America. The third piece of bullshit is that this was done last minute. This wasn't a last minute change. The big tents knew in February that their exemption was under review. Cowboys was told again in May. Their exemption depended on managing noise, safety, and impacts on nearby residents. They did not meet that standard. But what isn't bullshit is that as your mayor I'm fighting for you. I want you to know that a permit is not a licence to bully a neighbourhood. It is not a profit guarantee. I was elected to stand up for Calgarians, not to take orders from wealthy donors, lobbyists, or politicians protecting their friends. I am more than happy to seek compromise and work with operators who respect Calgarians. But I answer to the nurse on an early shift, the parent getting kids ready for school, and the worker who needs sleep. So no. We are not cancelling Stampede. We are protecting it. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. A few operators do not get to damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us. If you want to do business in Calgary, respect the people who live next door.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas286,892 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
Earlier this month, I had the honour of walking in Calgary’s Pride Parade as your Mayor. I thought about the kid I once was, who struggled to believe he had a future. I never thought it would lead here. We must keep working to make Calgary a city where everyone is safe and belongs.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas30,864 Aufrufe • vor 11 Tagen
Trump's economic war could add nearly half a billion dollars to Calgary's costs, or equal to a 12-18% property tax increase in one year. Coun. Pantazopoulos brought forward a solution: return municipal tariff costs to the cities paying them. This is a fight Canada must face together.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas36,696 Aufrufe • vor 14 Tagen
Country Thunder cannot blame City noise rules that it said, two days ago, would not affect their event. I was really disappointed to see Country Thunder throw the City and music fans under the bus today by falsely blaming our noise rules for cancelling their concert. They are plainly trying to take advantage of the noise and misinformation around this and bluntly hoping that you wouldn't look at the facts. Just two days ago, Country Thunder told CityNews that things were going well and that the City’s noise rules would not affect its event. This and other articles clearly state that the organizers say the changes won't impact their operations. Their own staff are quoted saying, “Our curfew for our festival has always been 11 p.m.” So blaming a midnight music cutoff for shutting down your concert that ends at 11 p.m. is absolutely bogus. Country Thunder was never part of the debate over whether the downtown tents should end at 2am or midnight. In fact, the City actually increased the allowable music volume for Country Thunder this year. Now, two days after saying things were going great, Country Thunder says sound limits made their event impossible. Those statements do not line up. Even their statements about construction are easily debunked, because our teams have been working really closely with them for months now. I am not going to speculate about why they made this decision to so grossly mislead the public. I'm not going to speculate on how the massive rain this weekend was going to impact their sales. And I'm not going to speculate on how the news of their headliner Kane Brown pulling out of concerts was going to impact sales. But it's crystal clear Country Thunder made a business decision that cannot blamed on the city noise rules. I'm really disappointed for ticket holders, workers, vendors, performers, local businesses, and every music fan who planned to attend. Calgary supports great events, live music, tourism, and jobs. But the facts matter. And organizers need to be honest with their customers and take responsibility for their decisions.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas115,657 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
A new Calgary Chamber report estimates Alberta separation could cost up to $62B a year, thousands of dollars per person, and put 175,000 jobs at risk. There's a reason the Bank of Montreal is no longer headquartered in Montreal. Political uncertainty has real economic consequences.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas75,771 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
WE DID IT! This morning, Council voted for reasonable rules for off-site Stampede tents. Stampede succeeds because Calgarians welcome millions of people into our city. That goodwill matters. It belongs to all of us. We want visitors, artists, workers, and businesses to have a great Stampede. This decision strikes the right balance. Calgary will have a vibrant festival scene while respecting the people who live nearby. On weeknights, concerts end at midnight, followed by wind-down music until 1 a.m. On weekends, music ends at 2 a.m. Calgary remains the most permissive major city in North America for outdoor music. We run later than Coachella, Lollapalooza, and other major festivals in North America. Thousands of Calgarians shared their views. Council listened. I also really appreciate the outreach from Cowboys management and commit to working with operators who respect Calgarians and their neighbours. Together, we will put on a safe, successful Stampede that brings people together. Stampede belongs to all of us. Let’s celebrate it with pride.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas94,401 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
Today, I proclaimed Transgender Day of Remembrance in Calgary. We honour those we’ve lost, and we stand with resolve for a city where everyone can live safely and authentically. We will keep fighting for every person’s right to be who they are: openly, proudly, and without fear. #yyccc
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas241,939 Aufrufe • vor 10 Monaten
Property tax bills are due today. Imagine if Ottawa forced Alberta to collect a big federal tax hike on provincial letterhead. That's how municipalities are treated with the Province's 57% property tax increase over four years. It's time to keep property taxes local, with clear accountability and transparency. Imagine if Justin Trudeau ordered Danielle Smith to collect a massive federal tax increase through Alberta's tax bill. She'd be furious. That’s exactly what’s happening today to Alberta’s cities, with today’s deadline to pay your property tax bill. Not many of you may know, but now upwards of half of your property taxes go to the provincial government, and not the town, city, or municipality you live in. The biggest increase on your property tax bill didn't come from City Hall. It came from the Provincial government. The Province imposed a 21 percent increase on your property tax bill, the largest property tax increase in Calgary's history. Over the past four years, it has increased the education property tax by 57 percent. By comparison, our Council held the municipal property tax increase to just 1.8 percent. That funds police, firefighters, roads, transit, parks, snow clearing, recreation centres, and the infrastructure that keeps Calgary moving. Because of the Province's education property tax equalization formula, Calgary homeowners are paying about twice the increase faced by Edmonton homeowners. Don't take my word for it. Here's how the Premier herself describes where a large share of your property tax goes. "If we're going to rail against equalization at the federal level, then we can't keep doing the same thing to our municipalities..." The Premier is right. If we're going to oppose equalization at the federal level, we shouldn't be doing the same thing to Alberta's municipalities. Property taxes are local taxes. They should stay local. The Province should fund provincial priorities through its other revenue sources, and municipalities should collect property taxes for local services. Thank you for supporting the City services that keep Calgary safe, moving, and growing.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas70,632 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten
We expect U.S. tariffs to hit Calgary hard. I strongly support Prime Minister Carney's response. Canada needs to stand up for our workers, businesses, and consumers. We're assessing the impact now, and we'll bring the full analysis forward publicly on Sept. 8.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas23,350 Aufrufe • vor 27 Tagen
Voting on whether to have a vote is a ridiculous lack of provincial leadership. Calgary is a globally connected city. Separation uncertainty is costing us jobs. We have real work to do: building homes, improving public safety, fixing infrastructure, growing our economy, and making life better.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas76,532 Aufrufe • vor 4 Monaten
The Province just imposed the biggest property tax increase in Calgary history, and it shows up on your City tax bill. Calgary's increase: 1.2%. Province's increase: 21% this year, nearly 60% in four years. And another big hike is coming next year. It's time for the provincial government to send their own tax bill.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas63,365 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
A big win for Calgary! The federal government has come up with funding to expand and improve our water infrastructure in northwest Calgary. Thanks to Parliamentary Secretary to the Energy and Natural Resources Minister Corey Hogan for joining me at the Bearspaw Water Treatment plant for the good news announcement.
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas13,515 Aufrufe • vor 19 Tagen
As the Mayors of Alberta’s largest cities, we are standing up against the referendum for a referendum and encouraging Albertans to vote this October. Leaving Canada would create uncertainty for Alberta’s economy, threaten jobs and investment, and put at risk the quality of life we’ve worked so hard to build. Our country is stronger together. The diversity of our people, communities, and regions is one of our greatest strengths. On October 19, stand up against the referendum for a referendum and vote for a strong Alberta in a strong Canada
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas53,379 Aufrufe • vor 3 Monaten
We have a deal. Tonight, the City of Calgary and the big Stampede tent operators reached a win-win agreement that delivers even stronger late night noise protections for nearby residents. Before I explain what each side gained, let's talk about why this matters. Over the last few years, the tents received special exemptions far beyond what existed before 2019. Live music ran until almost 2 a.m. People reported shaking windows, rattling shelves, property damage, public disorder, and excessive intoxication outside their homes. So this year we introduced new rules that were still more permissive than anywhere else in North America. We moved weeknight live music to end at midnight, kept weekend hours the same, and reduced allowable bass and volume. The operators had concerns. They told me lower sound limits could affect performance quality and make it harder to attract artists. We also reviewed the hundreds of thousands of dollars they invested in new sound technology to better direct noise away from neighbours. Most importantly, they showed a real willingness to compromise and even give up financially. So here's the deal. The City agreed to restore pre-midnight sound levels to last year's limits while keeping bass lower than last year, because it’s all about that bass. Bass generated the most complaints. In return, the operators agreed that live music will end at midnight on weekends too. That means giving up some of their busiest and most profitable hours out of genuine respect for their neighbours. Compared to last year, bass is lower, live music ends every single night at midnight instead of 1:30 a.m., and weeknight activity wraps up by 1 a.m. instead of 2 a.m. So we let Calgary be a little noisier before midnight, back to what it was last year. The operators made big investments and gave up their latest night programming. Together, we found a fair compromise that lets Calgary celebrate while giving neighbours a much quieter night. Now let’s have an incredible Stampede. Support our local businesses, enjoy the music, welcome visitors from around the world, and show everyone why Calgary is the greatest festival city on Earth!
Jeromy (Pathfinder) Farkas40,971 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten