Farkas and Johnston clash at city hall over leaked budget figures

CALGARY - A public dispute broke out at Calgary City Hall on Thursday between Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston over a leaked preliminary budget document.

Johnston confirmed he released the confidential material. It showed that funding every current spending request would require a 20.2 per cent increase in property tax revenue in 2027 to cover roughly $510 million in additional operating costs. The same unconstrained scenario projected further increases of 8.5 per cent in 2028 and nine per cent in 2029 and 2030.

Johnston said he leaked the documents because he no longer wanted to keep financial information from the public. He also criticized the volume of closed-door discussions at council.

Mayor Farkas rejected the numbers as a planned tax increase. He described them as a “wish list” that simply adds up every department and partner request before council prioritizes spending. No tax increase has been formally proposed or adopted.

Council is scheduled to debate the actual 2027–30 budget in November. The city has said the complete proposed budget will be released in early November and that the leaked figures are not final or approved numbers.