Alberta’s provincial referendum is scheduled for October 19, 2026, with questions that could shape our province’s future, including issues related to immigration, federal relations, and constitutional change.

The Calgary Alliance for the Common Good is launching a campaign: Vote for the Common Good.

We believe Alberta’s future should be built on belonging, fairness, dignity, and the common good of all. At a time when some voices are promoting division and using immigrants and newcomers as scapegoats, we believe Albertans are strongest when we work together to address challenges rather than blame one another.

These referendum questions are not only about policy. They are also about values: how we treat our neighbours, how we welcome newcomers, how we care for one another, and how we build a future together.

Work on Environment/Climate change issues is being conducted by two of our outstanding member organizations: Calgary Climate Hub, and the Alberta Environmental Network. Individuals interested in taking action on issues of environment/climate change are invited to connect with these organizations to get involved in the very good work already underway. 

Good Jobs was chosen as a campaign at the Discernment Assembly on September 16, 2024 by a majority of members. This issue surfaced through a listening campaign that heard from hundreds of people about the pressing concerns in their life. Work should be dignifying, but for too many in our community, they experience barriers to good jobs. Nuances of the issue include low wages, lack of opportunities to get into the workforce, challenges with credential recognition, labour exploitation, unfair work practices, unsafe work conditions, and lack of knowledge of workers rights.

At this point we have convened a Research Action Team that meets monthly and will choose which specific sub-issues to advance. 

Calgary is experiencing rapid growth, but its housing supply has not kept pace. More families, seniors, students, and working households are struggling to find affordable homes. In response, the City Council adopted a comprehensive Housing Strategy in 2023 — a strategy the Calgary Alliance strongly advocated for — to increase housing supply and improve affordability across the full housing continuum.

Mental health funding is safety funding.

On May 26, Calgary City Council will consider Safer Together, the City’s Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. We strongly support this plan, and we are writing to make sure prevention is at its core. The most effective safety investment Calgary can make is in the upstream mental health care that keeps people from reaching crisis in the first place.

The safest communities are not the ones with the most enforcement. They are the ones where people get help before they are in crisis. Council’s own Mental Health and Addiction Strategy is already built on this idea, with three pillars: Being Well, Getting Help, and Staying Safe. Safer Together is the moment to embed that logic into Calgary’s safety infrastructure for the long term.