Calgarians could be facing a double-digit property tax increase next year as the four-year budget is presented to city council with spending focused on infrastructure and public safety.
The budget proposal, the first year of a four-year spending plan, includes nearly $600 million in new spending in 2027 as well as a total $4.4 billion in capital funding for city infrastructure like water, roads and recreation facilities.
It proposes a 15 per cent property tax increase in the first year, a 10 per cent increase in 2028, a 7.7 per cent hike in 2029 and a 6 per cent increase in the budget’s final year in 2030.
Those figures are subject to change during budget deliberations later this month.
As proposed, the budget would result in an extra $53 cost per month for the typical residential property assessed at the median of $688,000 in 2027, which includes an additional $16 per month due to a proposed increase in waste and recycling fees as well as water bills.
Calgary Transit fares are also set to increase by 3.8 per cent, and adult leisure centre admission is expected to cost Calgarians an extra 3.1 per cent in 2027.
Get daily National news
Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.
The proposed property tax increase is set to pay for a portion of the slew of investments included in next year’s budget including $188 million in new funding for the Calgary Police Service and Calgary Fire Department, a $134 million boost for Calgary Transit, as well as $256.3 million in ongoing operating and one-time funding for infrastructure.
The four-year budget also proposes $21 billion in recommended capital spending over four years, including $13 billion in new capital infrastructure.
The four-year capital budget includes $1.7 billion for the Pine Creek and Fish Creek wastewater treatment plant, $420 million for roadway improvements, $102 million for new fire and emergency response stations and $300 million to purchase new transit buses.
The Calgary Police Service is also projected to receive its entire $192 million requested increase to its capital budget, a jump of 73 per cent over four years, as well as its full operating budget request.
According to the budget proposal, city debt is expected to rise from $4.2 billion in 2027 to $10 billion in 2030 to help pay for long-term infrastructure, including major water utility projects and the Green Line.
The budget document warns that although debt remains within council-approved limits, more debt will increase the amount required for debt payments and “reduce the funding flexibility available for future priorities.”
Property values in Calgary are expected to decline slightly in 2027, with preliminary figures showing the assessed value of a single residential property is expected to drop 2.5 per cent from $706,000 in 2026 to $688,000.
The typical condo assessment is also projected to drop 5.6 per cent in 2027 to $327,500.
The lower assessments are expected to result in a reduced education property tax payment for Calgarians after the provincial government announced a standardized rate that is frozen for the next three years.
According to city officials, the provincial property tax is expected to drop 6.4 per cent due to the change in assessments and projected to result in $125 in savings for the typical homeowner in 2027.
More to come…
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
