Housing takes centre stage as Calgary council debates 2026 budget

The City of Calgary’s housing-related programs went under the microscope Thursday morning, as city council continued its 2026 budget meeting.

Housing is one of administration’s four cited priorities in next year’s budget, which includes $4.6 billion in operating expenses and $3.6 billion in capital spending.

Housing-related line items include $40 million to continue the city’s downtown office-to-residential conversion incentives, and $26.2 million for a 260-unit affordable housing project in Southview.

Many councillors grilled chief housing officer Reid Hendry and downtown strategy director Thom Mahler on the justification for the downtown office conversion incentives, which provide owners of vacant office buildings up to $75 per square foot to rehabilitate empty properties into residen