Calgarians feel safer downtown, office conversion projects working: city report

A pedestrian wearing a mask walks through downtown Calgary, Alta., Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Hundreds of millions of dollars and dozens of projects later, officials with the City of Calgary say downtown revitalization is starting to come together.

A ‘State of Downtown Report,’ released on Tuesday, shows people are feeling safer in the core, office conversion projects are well underway and transit ridership is booming.

“True revitalization means we’ve changed how people experience downtown,” said Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

“It’s about creating a place where people feel safe, welcomed, and proud.”

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The city has put about $350 million towards downtown revitalization since 2021, with money going towards increasing peace officers on transit, funding improvements to Arts Commons and Olympic Plaza and helping boost office-to-residential projects.

There are 11 office conversion projects underway, officials say, creating nearly 1,500 new homes.

Calls to police and peace officers downtown are also down about 12 per cent compared to last year.

“Last year, 73 per cent of Calgarians said that they feel safe (downtown) and this year we’re seeing that 85 per cent of Calgarians feel that they are safe,” said Kay Choi, the director of partnerships with the City of Calgary.

“But please understand that we still have a lot more work to do,” she added.

Calgarians agree there have been improvements, but key issues still need to be addressed.

“We want to feel safe. And we want to end the class at 9:30 in the night and go out and take the train and feel safe. Right now, we don’t feel that safe,” said Niko Florez, who lives and works downtown.

“But I think it’s something that we need to work around and it’s something that is a group effort – we need to work with the government, the police, but also the communities, the colleges, universities.”

Business groups say stakeholders have noticed more of a presence of police and peace officers over the last three years but note that issues remain.

“There’s still more work to do. We still have encampments, open consumption, a lot of graffiti. So, we’ve got to go after those things as well,” said Mark Garner with the Calgary Downtown Association.

The full State of Downtown 2025 report is available on the City of Calgary’s website.