New council gets first taste of secondary-suite debate

Another day, another marathon set of public hearings at Calgary city council — again dominated by secondary-suite applications.

"I think council is being reminded of how awful this is," said Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

The mayor started off Monday's council meeting by reminding everyone that only planning issues are to be considered on land use matters.

"So we can talk about massing. We can talk about shadowing. We can talk about transportation impacts and parking. We cannot talk about the use of the facility," said Nenshi.

Twenty secondary-suite applications were on the agenda.

Council zips through some in minutes with little discussion. Discussion on other applications drag on an hour.

Every applicant has a story

Danny and Nha Wong were among the applicants.

Nha Wong has lupus and both of her legs were amputated earlier this year.

They have bought a house in the northwest community of Collingwood. They want a secondary-suite zoning so an elderly parent can live in a basement suite.

Danny pushed his wife into the chamber in her wheelchair for the presentation.

She feels it would be odd to make any application without answering the most basic question of why a property owner wants a change in land use.

"It's hard not to make it personal," said Nha Wong. 

"Just because mine just happened to be health related. If I said I wanted it as a secondary income, that's personal information as well."

The application was approved unanimously.

"We're happy of the results so we can carry forward with our project," she said.

Applicants have their reasons

It's not unusual for applicants to speak about wanting a renter in the basement to help them with their property taxes or to supplement an income after losing a job.

It's also common for applicants to explain they want a separate space for a family member, either an elderly parent or keeping university-aged children at home.

Although most secondary-suite applications get approved, Nenshi and other council members have acknowledged in the past that applicants who tell a story of woe can improve the odds.

"I think that's true. I think that's actually true," said Nenshi.

Councillor suggests some information be redacted

Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart asked the law department to consider having any personal information withheld from future agendas.

"When I look at the letters that are here, there are statements made in there that are irrelevant. That should be redacted," said Colley-Urquhart.

But Nenshi pointed out that taking things out of agendas can be a touchy issue.

"At some point last year, we did have a legal opinion on whether we could get rid of hateful comments, and even that is a bit challenging," said Nenshi.

"So to rely on city administration to determine what is or is not acceptable, I don't think council will actually stand for that."

Reform always around the corner

The mayor said he really doesn't know why reforming the system is so hard, but as he made clear during the recent election, Nenshi expects another attempt to change the process will come forward.

"I'd love to see something happen before the end of the year."

Any serious reform would require a bylaw change, and Nenshi said that would require a public hearing in early 2018 as well as a majority of council to support any change in the rules.

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