City of Calgary offers clarity on the role councillors should play in local emergencies

New updates to Calgary's emergency management plan were designed to offer some clarity about city councillors' role during emergencies.

The revisions were presented to council's emergency management committee on Thursday, just over a year after 2024's catastrophic water main break. A state of local emergency was declared after the water main break, and in the wake of the crisis, the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) found better clarity was needed about councillors' role during city emergencies.

"There was, to me, lack of clarity or lack of involvement by the associated members of council," said Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong on last year's crisis.

Susan Henry, chief of CEMA, told the committee that councillors have a key role to play during emergencies by "being the voice" delivering city messaging to constituents, as well as through using local contacts to assist the city's efforts.

Calgary's updated emergency management plan highlights that the role of city councillors includes providing approved messages to ward contacts, using formal and informal community networks to share information and maintain connections with constituent businesses and organizations, and sharing relevant issues with CEMA.

"We really put some strong language around the intersection with [councillors] and [their] constituents," Henry said.

The mayor has the added responsibilities of representing council to the media and participating in two other disaster groups: the local emergency committee and disaster consultation group.

Different emergency groups

The local emergency committee, Henry clarified, is made up of the mayor and one designated councillors. It holds the authority to declare, renew or rescind a state of local emergency, and is separate from the emergency management committee, which offers direction and guidance of emergency planning.

The newly created disaster consultation group is included in the proposed updates to the act. This group may be convened by the city when additional political and financial guidance is needed, only operating when requested by the director of emergency management.

The disaster consultation group's membership varies depending on the emergency, but it may include the mayor, councillors representing wards impacted by the situation and other senior leaders with the city.

Politics vs. operations

The updated plan also clarifies the distinction between municipal politics and city operations, or what Wong called "undue influence from council members to tell [CEMA] what to do."

The plan stipulates that councillors may participate in city media availabilities at the request of the director of emergency management, and that attendance at the emergency site falls outside of their purview unless specifically requested.

"It's very, very important in an emergency that we're able to respond … in the best interest of the community quickly, without often a lot of consultation with the political environment," said Henry.

"That consultation happens in the emergency operations centre with our 55 agency members, and then we provide a united front forward."

The emergency management committee voted unanimously to approve the updated emergency plan. It will be discussed at a regular meeting of city council later this month.