N環球 
Alberta orders Calgary to keep rezoning repeal; councillors decry provincial overreach
Premier Danielle Smith announced Thursday that the province is intervening in municipal zoning: Edmonton must scrap its zoning bylaw and revert to pre-2024 rules, while Calgary is directed to maintain its repeal of blanket rezoning, prompting pushback from councillors.
Why it matters
The Alberta government moved on Thursday, October 8, to directly shape housing zoning policy in the province's two biggest cities. Premier Danielle Smith announced that Edmonton must repeal its zoning bylaw and revert to pre-2024 rules, while Calgary is directed to maintain its repeal of blanket rezoning passed earlier this year. The province also set provincewide expectations: new infill development must be "appropriately scaled" and supported by adequate utilities and water infrastructure.
What the province wants
Calgary must identify properties that reverted to lower-density zoning after the repeal, and both cities are to review their land-use bylaws and develop a "more balanced" approach to high-density infill — work Calgary had already scheduled for completion next year. Blanket rezoning, introduced in 2024, allowed multi-unit housing such as rowhouses and fourplexes on lots previously zoned for single-family homes only. Council voted 12-3 to repeal it on April 8, 2026; the repeal took effect August 4, returning about 99 percent of residential parcels to their pre-2024 designations.
Council pushback
Ward 4 Coun. DJ Kelly questioned who defines "appropriate scale," arguing zoning has traditionally been council's jurisdiction: "I hear the provincial government talk about 'Ottawa needs to stay in their lane, cities need to stay in their lane.' This is them getting into our business quite a bit." Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt raised concerns about the political nature of the move and its impact on municipal planning. The intervention also puts Calgary's federal Housing Accelerator Fund eligibility back in question.
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