𝔾𝕣𝕒𝕖𝕞𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕡𝕖𝕣

🎉Willie Nelson turns 93 today

Today I voted against Calgary’s proposed Water Efficiency Plan. Let me be clear: I support responsible water use, protecting our rivers, and investing in long-term infrastructure resilience. But I could not support a plan that asks residents to permanently change their behaviour before City Hall fully addresses its own system failures. Right now, Calgary is losing approximately 115 million litres of treated water every single day through leaks in the system — roughly 42 billion litres per year. Based on the City’s own residential consumption figures, that is equivalent to the annual water use of more than 260,000 Calgary households. Fixing leaks and aging infrastructure must be the top priority. The City’s own advisory group acknowledged that Calgary’s water system remains in a precarious position until critical feedermain upgrades are completed, and that leak detection, repair, monitoring, and preventative upgrades need to be prioritized. I also remain concerned about:
• vague timelines and unclear performance targets for reducing water loss,
• a history of approved infrastructure projects being delayed or rolled forward year after year,
• the fairness and practicality of proposed tiered water rates,
• and the possibility that permanent restrictions on residents become normalized while the City continues to struggle with core infrastructure delivery. Calgarians stepped up during the water main crisis. People conserved water when it truly mattered, and I believe voluntary conservation during emergencies makes sense. But permanent behavioural restrictions and additional costs on residents should not come before measurable accountability from the City on fixing the infrastructure it already owns. My position is simple:
Get the basics right first.
Fix the leaks.
Repair and replace aging infrastructure.
Improve accountability and transparency.
Then evaluate what additional measures are truly necessary. That is why I voted no today.

Connor McDavid is a "game time decision" for the Oilers tonight, per Kris Knoblauch