Dispatches from Rezoning for Housing: Day 1
Rallies, humour, and shenanigans.
by Willem Klumpenhouwer
Hello from the Good Earth cafe at City Hall! (Which is apparently open until 9pm this week — I wonder why?)
I spent most of my Monday in the white chairs of Council Chambers’ public gallery listening to administration’s presentation and the first several panels of what is currently showing as 137 panels of five speakers each (though it is probably higher). So far - probably because of the delays throughout the day - panels have been going roughly two at a time. I’m doing my best to keep track and predict the next panel times using this spreadsheet.
What that means for how long this public hearing is going to go is beyond me, and as a reminder you can sign up to speak until the hearing closes.
Administration’s presentation covered a lot of important ground on the purpose and argument for Rezoning for Housing, and if you have been following along with us you might notice a few of the arguments there reflect what we feel also.
A couple of gatherings happened outside, folks supporting housing gathered outside at noon, and held a press scrum. Here’s a quote from Kathryn:
“We need to do everything to address the housing shortage in the city of Calgary right now and this is one step towards that solution,” [Kathryn] said. “It’s in place in a lot of Canadian cities and jurisdictions and a lot of American jurisdictions are moving in this direction. It’s making a bit more room in established communities to create more housing.”
If you want a recap and wrap-up, check out the video below as Alex, Kathryn, Chris, and Christian talk about Day 1.
Onward to Day 2!