Council to be briefed on water main report: councillors
The province says Calgary’s water failures stemmed from weak oversight and poor planning, and it recommends a municipally owned utility.
- On Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, the Alberta government released an independent assessment of Calgary's water system, identifying "long-standing systemic weaknesses" in governance, infrastructure risk management, and accountability.
- Former Alberta Energy Regulator chair David Goldie led the nine-month investigation, finding that in 2015-16, the mayor's office withheld five of nine recommendations from a consultant's report from city council.
- Goldie described the oversight lapse as a "significant governance failure," noting it would have better positioned the system despite uncertainty about preventing later pipe ruptures.
- Disputing the findings, Naheed Nenshi, provincial Opposition leader, contended the provincial government commissioned the report to find a "smoking gun" regarding his past tenure as mayor.
- The report makes 20 recommendations, including the potential creation of an arm's-length water utility corporation, though Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams will need months to determine future actions.
14 Articles
14 Articles
'Big questions': Calgary councillors past and present react to provincial feeder main report
The province's new report into the Bearspaw South feeder main reflected communication gaps in how information flowed from administration to council, agreed Calgary city council members.
Calgary staff acted 'improperly' after water recommendations didn't reach council: report
A new report commissioned by the provincial government into Calgary's water system in the wake of two catastrophic water main breaks concludes that there was a "significant governance failure" related to recommendations made in a 2015 report that never reached council for consideration.
Nenshi had the warnings. Calgary paid the price.
November 5, 2026: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Calgary, AB – A report released Thursday reveals that Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi, while serving as mayor of Calgary, received an independent expert report warning of serious governance, accountability, and financial shortcomings within Calgary’s water utility, but chose to hide the majority of recommendations in the report from […]
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