News Release: City of Calgary Councillors Call on Province to Form Task Force on Property Tax Assessment Reform

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE- January 27, 2026

City of Calgary Councillors Call on Province to Form Task Force on Property Tax Assessment Reform

Calgary, AB – A group of City of Calgary Councillors are calling on the Province of Alberta to form a task force on property tax assessment reform. This call to action comes as the City of Calgary continues to struggle with the collapse of downtown property values, and as Council is set to debate the extension of the phased-tax program for another year.

Councillor Davison has introduced a Notice of Motion to be presented and debated by City Council on February 3, 2026 which calls on the Mayor to write to the Premier of Alberta on the issue. The Notice of Motion also calls for a resolution on the creation of a task force to be voted on by the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA). The Notice of Motion is supported by Councillors Ward Sutherland, Joe Magliocca, Sean Chu, Jyoti Gondek, Shane Keating, Diane Colley-Urquhart and Peter Demong.

The decline in the property values of downtown office buildings has resulted in a redistribution of property taxes among non-residential property taxpayers mainly outside the downtown core. As a result, small businesses that occupy these spaces have faced an unsustainable tax burden.

For its part, the City of Calgary, through a series of operating budgets cuts and capital spending deferrals, has tried to cap impact of the tax burden on non-residential ratepayers. Since 2017, the City of Calgary Council has approved $216 million in “one-time” Phased Tax Programs, of which approximately $174 million in credits has been issued to date. In 2019, City Council shifted the non-residential to residential tax ratio to 48:52 in an attempt to lower the tax burden on non-residential ratepayers.

“We’ve heard it loud and clear from the Calgary business community that the current tax regime is severely detrimental,” said Councillor Jeff Davison. “The City of Calgary cannot continue to provide band-aid solutions to a systemic problem. I hope that our partners in the Province hear our call for reform to the system”.

“This problem is systemic,” said Councillor Ward Sutherland. “Provincial law, specifically the Municipal Government Act and other regulations establish the tax system. We need help from our partners in the Province to make meaningful change to the system”.

Councillor Davison and Councillor Sutherland both believe that tax assessment reform would create certainty and assurance for taxpayers. Both Councillors are of the opinion that tax assessment reform would help reduce red-tape and costs associated with appeals.

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Media contact:

Frano Cavar, Ward 6 Office – Councillor Jeff Davison

E: [email protected] T:403-519-6046