Some municipal leaders in B.C. have opposed the province's push to allow four units per lot in residential neighbourhoods, but this medium-density zoning is supported by most Vancouver political parties — with one notable exception

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A significant shift in Calgary’s municipal politics is being welcomed as a hopeful sign by some British Columbians who feel like their cities are building too much, too fast.

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Earlier this month, Calgary council voted to begin the process of repealing a major policy change implemented last year allowing up to four ground-level housing units on a single parcel of property previously zoned for single-detached homes.

Last year’s change, which they called a “blanket rezoning,” was hugely contentious. Before a public hearing began in mid-April 2024, the city received more than 5,500 written submissions from residents, totalling more than 13,000 pages of public feedback, a record level of engagement.

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Of the more than 700 Calgarians who addressed council, there was a noticeable generational divide. Younger residents largely supported the rezoning, which they said could help them find places they can afford to rent or even own one day. Many older residents, meanwhile, raised concerns that more density could alter their neighbourhood’s character and lead to problems with parking, traffic, and overburdened infrastructure.

Council eventually approved the rezoning by a 9-6 vote in May 2024, but it remained a polarizing issue, and became one of the top campaign issues in Calgary’s municipal election this past fall.

Many council candidates who campaigned this year on repealing the blanket rezoning were elected in October, including new Mayor Jeromy Farkas. So it was no surprise earlier this month when one of the first items the new council addressed was to move, with a 13-2 vote, to begin a

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