Calgary water main break report to be released to council

Calgary City Council to Receive Independent Report on Water Main Break

Calgary city council is set to receive an independent report regarding the major 2024 water main break. This report comes after increased pressure from councillors and the mayor for answers about the incident.

Last week, there was another break along the Bearspaw South feeder main. Mayor Jeromy Farkas emphasized his commitment to transparency as the city prepares to review the findings.

“Every step of the way we will be transparent with Calgarians — the good, the bad and the ugly,” he stated. “And every step of the way we’ll be as honest with Calgarians as possible when it comes to the challenges we’re facing.”

Concerns about the report’s handling arose over the weekend. Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston noted online that council has not yet seen the document, while city administration has already received a draft.

“We have no idea how many people have seen the report or been in contact with the author,” Johnston wrote.

Both the mayor and senior administration officials denied any interference. Michael Thompson, the City of Calgary’s general manager of infrastructure services, stated that administration’s role has been limited to providing factual information.

“They asked with respect to some facts, we provided those back,” he said. “We are not editing the report. It is not our report — it is an independent panel report.”

The final version of the report is expected to be delivered to councillors late Tuesday evening. It will be formally presented at the Jan. 13 council meeting, where elected officials can question the panel chair and city staff.

Farkas expressed hope to release the report to the public as soon as possible. However, it is unclear if Calgarians will see it before the council’s Jan. 13 session.