How many people does it take to run a city? In Calgary, it's about 15,000
CBC
The number of employees working for the City of Calgary has swelled over the past few years.
The higher headcount comes with increased demands on services as Calgary is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. Still, all the new positions are raising questions about the overall need and cost.
The city's total number of administration staff has grown by nearly 17 per cent since the end of 2022.
As of Dec. 31, 2022, there were 13,483 people — excluding on-call, student and seasonal employees, as well as police and civic partners — working for the City of Calgary. That number grew to 15,751 people as of Sept. 30, 2024, according to data provided by the city to CBC News.
After Calgary's 2025 budget was approved last month, which included a 3.6 per cent property tax hike, there has been an increased focus on where the money is being spent.
When asked what factors contributed to the significant headcount growth over the past few years, a spokesperson for the City of Calgary said there are multiple, but notably 2022 saw staffing levels rise up back to pre-pandemic levels following a decrease during the COVID-19 years.
Then, 2023 growth was a result of integrating the Calgary Parking Authority into the city, as well as hiring in Calgary Transit and the department of recreation and social programs.
In 2024, growth came primarily from the Calgary Fire Department, Calgary Transit and the department of emergency management and community safety.
The statement did not clarify how many staff members each category accounted for.
While the city was unable to co-ordinate an interview with CBC News, it did provide a statement.
"Calgary is Canada's fastest-growing city.… Within the next decade, we're anticipating our population to reach two million. This rapid growth has and continues to increase the demand for city services, which also requires additional investments to maintain service levels, including staffing levels," it reads.
"The city's staffing levels continue to be below population growth."
One former city councillor believes the city needs to be more forthcoming with detail about the growth in its ranks.
"There's no one easy answer in terms of how many people should be working at city hall," said Jeromy Farkas, former city councillor for Ward 11.
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The number of employees working for the City of Calgary has swelled over the past few years.
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