Calgary Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston says he was behind the release of confidential documents outlining a possible 20.2 per cent increase in municipal property taxes next year. The documents, obtained by Global News, were presented to city council during a closed-door meeting on July 28. They outline more than 100 funding requests for next year from city departments and partners totalling $510 million. Funding every request would require municipal property tax revenue to increase by 20.2 per cent in 2027. However, the figure is not an approved tax increase or part of a proposed city budget. In a post on X Wednesday night, Johnston confirmed he shared the documents, writing, “It was me.” “I can’t keep being complicit in hiding things from Calgarians,” he wrote, adding that he would not “hide behind anonymity.” Johnston said releasing the information gives Calgarians an opportunity to participate in the budget debate and argued council could reduce the potential increases by cutting non-essential spending. CTV News has reached out to Johnston for an interview and further clarification. City responds In a statement to CTV News, the City of Calgary said it is continuing to develop its 2027-2030 business plans and budgets. “Council provided funding guidance that administration requires to refine and prioritize budget requests that help form the creation of the budget document,” the statement reads. “These are not approved or final numbers and do not represent the tax change on an individual property owner.” The city said the complete proposed budget will be released in November as part of council’s previously approved timeline and public notification process. On Wednesday, Mayor Jeromy Farkas also stressed no property tax increase has been formally proposed. “At this point, no number for property tax increase has been proposed formally,” said Farkas. “Council has been hearing behind the scenes from many different partners, including civic partners. A giant amount of asks.” Global News reports the preliminary documents also show the city has $139 million in additional funding capacity without raising property taxes in 2027. A 5.4 per cent increase in municipal property tax revenue would reportedly be required to maintain existing services. Thursday’s aftermath Standing before assembled media late Thursday morning, Johnston said he’d do it again. He said it was “public interest,” and that “people have the right to know.” “I’m hardly the first person to release confidential information,” he said. “I was just the first person to not be a coward about it.” Johnston said Farkas is now “going around trying to garner support from other council members to kick me out of council for doing the right thing.” On the broader issue, he said council needs to “stop turning taxpayers upside down and trying to shake out more money.” “It’s time we look internal,” he said. “It’s going to be easy, it’s not going to be fun, but it’s got to happen.” Farkas told the press what they saw was “part of the process.” “At this time, city council hasn’t adopted any tax increase,” he said. “We haven’t even adopted a proposed tax increase. “We’re still pencils-to-paper.” Farkas had no comment on repercussions against Johnston being sought. He did say there are reasons why parts of the “the process” are kept behind closed doors, key among them being protecting information about third parties. “When it comes to the Municipal Government Act, we are obligated to continue to keep in confidence and keep confidential those types of discussions,” he said. Farkas said otherwise it “could expose Calgary taxpayers to massive financial penalties.” What it could mean for homeowners A 20.2 per cent increase in municipal property tax revenue would not automatically mean an individual homeowner’s entire tax bill would rise by the same amount. Calgary property tax bills include both a municipal portion set by city council and a provincial portion collected on behalf of the Alberta government. A median Calgary single-detached home assessed at $706,000 currently pays approximately $2,747 annually to the City and $1,948 to the province, for a total bill of about $4,695. If the municipal portion increased by 20.2 per cent, it would add approximately $555 annually, or about $46 per month, to the bill for that home. That would represent an increase of roughly 11.8 per cent on the total bill, assuming the home’s relative assessment and the provincial portion remained unchanged. The calculation represents a hypothetical fund-everything scenario and is not a forecast of what Calgary homeowners will pay in 2027. With files from Damien Wood
