A large majority of Calgarians think the mayor has done a bad job on key issues, Leger suggests in a report published on Monday.
The poll, with a small sample size of 415, suggests Calgarians believe Mayor Jyoti Gondek is doing the best job on issues regarding alternative transportation (38 per cent approval), transit service (36 per cent approval) and climate change (28 per cent approval).
The poll also suggests Calgarians believe Gondek is doing the worst job on issues related to housing affordability (68 per cent disapprove), property taxes (64 per cent disapprove) and poverty (60 per cent disapprove).
However, Leger says disapproval exceeds approval for all issues except for alternative transportation.
“Calgarians have been in challenging situations in this cost-of-living crisis — I understand that. Rent, housing prices and food have seen double-digit price jumps in the past year, and wages haven’t kept pace. That’s led to a lot of anger and frustration as Calgarians try to make ends meet,” Gondek said in an emailed statement to Global News on Tuesday.
“I share those feelings and remain committed to listening to their concerns and doing the right thing for the entire city.”
Calgarian Joe Maloney said he is angry that developers are buying properties across the city and selling them for astronomical prices.
He told Global News that a developer bought four townhouses in the southwest neighbourhood of Lynwood and sold them all for around $600,000 each.
“That’s what is happening all throughout the city,” he said. “These are not houses that will cater for the low-income people or the people on the street. That’s what frustrates me about it.”
Calgary resident Lora Pesat said she noticed challenges with mental health and addictions in the city growing.
“It seems there are more folks having more trouble with that in the city and I think that really should be the priority,” she added.
Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra told Global News the city is focused on housing affordability, safety and alternative transportation for Calgarians to move around the city more sustainably.
“I’m very proud of the work that we’re doing. I’m really sad that people are as unhappy as they are,” he said. “I think it’s not just a Calgary thing, because we’re seeing those results coming in across North America and across the world. I think there are a lot of things to be worried about in terms of the future that’s coming at us.”
Mixed opinion on Bill 20 from Calgarians
A majority of Calgarians surveyed were aware of Bill 20 but had mixed feelings about the bill, Leger suggests. Introduced in April, the contentious Bill 20 would add political parties onto municipal ballots and give the province more power to axe municipal bylaws or councillors.
Around 34 per cent of those surveyed agreed with the bill, with 13 per cent saying they strongly agree and 21 per cent saying they somewhat agree.
Twenty-seven per cent of those surveyed said they disagreed with the bill, with 13 per cent saying they somewhat disagree and 14 per cent saying they strongly disagree.
Municipal leaders have been raising concerns about Bill 20 for weeks, which initially would have given Premier Danielle Smith and her cabinet the power to fire mayors and councillors if passed.
However, recent amendments to the bill mean cabinet could only fire locally elected officials by ordering a recall vote.
The Leger poll was conducted via an online survey of 415 Calgarians aged 18 years or older, with quotas in place to generate a demographically representative sample that aligns with Statistics Canada estimates, the company said. The survey was conducted from May 22, 2024 to May 25, 2024. A probability sample of n=415 yields a margin of error no greater than 4.8 per cent, or 19 times out of 20. Leger said the results were weighted according to age, gender, region and education to ensure a representative sample of the Calgarian population.
–With files from The Canadian Press.