Calgary's mayor and city council face record-low approval: survey

Canadian Press

Just over two years into her term as Calgary’s mayor, Jyoti Gondek’s approval ratings have descended to a historic low, according to a recent poll by public relations firm ThinkHQ.

Calgary City Council also saw similar public opinion.

As a whole, councillors saw negative ratings from surveyed constituents, with 37% saying they approve of their councillor compared to 41% saying they disapprove.

According to the poll, the mayor sits at 30% approval compared to 61% disapproval in December, a slide in popularity since June.

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“For as long as there has been municipal public opinion polling in Calgary, there has never been a city council this unpopular,” said ThinkHQ President Marc Henry.

“Gondek is running out of time if re-election is something she’s aspiring to.”

The number is a decline in councillor ratings over the past six months, down 6% since ThinkHQ’s last survey in June.

According to the firm, it also represents an all-time low in councillor ratings in Calgary.

“People are worried”: Gondek

The numbers, however, may not grasp the full scope of the situation.

Speaking to Daily Hive Urbanized in reaction to ThinkHQ’s recent poll, Gondek said that certain challenges that people are facing may have influenced their thoughts.

“I think it’s always important to remember the polls are a reflection of how people are feeling in a particular point in time,” she said.

“And it’s important to understand how Calgarians are feeling at a particular point in time.”

Calgary is in the midst of an affordability crisis, a housing crisis, and an influx of news about public safety issues.

“People are worried, and they’re concerned, and they want their local government to do everything they can to make their life better,” Gondek said.

“We’re not a council that is going to shy away from tough decisions that help people who, frankly, don’t even enter the polls because they’re unhoused and they’re sleeping rough or they’re marginalized, so we have to serve everyone in the city, and it’s not an easy task.”

ThinkHQ

According to the survey’s results, men tend to offer much harsher appraisals of the mayor than women.

Gondek ratings tend to decline with age, with those over 55 giving the most negative assessments of the mayor.

The report says that disapproval for the mayor is more concentrated in established communities and households earning more than $125,000 a year.

A bumpy year ahead

Henry said it’s not just the rising dissatisfaction with the Calgary City Council’s performance but the growing intensity of that dissatisfaction that tends to drive voters to the polls when the time comes.

While the next municipal election isn’t until October 2025, he said time is running out for them to change the public’s opinion.

ThinkHQ

“30% approval is not something that can be rehabilitated quickly, particularly when over four in 10 voters strongly dislike your performance,” Henry said.

“The year leading up to election year is likely to be bumpy for Council, but if they don’t find the path to turning these numbers around, a good portion of Council may not be returning in 671 days.”

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