Open this photo in gallery:
Crowds attend Family Day at the Calgary Stampede July, 2023.Jeff McIntosh/The Canadian Press
After a week of accusations and sharp language between the Alberta government, the City of Calgary and local concert organizers, Mayor Jeromy Farkas appeared to emerge the winner in a fight over new noise bylaws, which will be in place during this year’s Calgary Stampede.
While Premier Danielle Smith may still choose to intervene in the city’s decision, her government showed signs it is backing away from the conflict with city hall.
The heated debate over a months-old decision by the City of Calgary to trim the allowable noise limits and hours for downtown concert tents was an unexpected, lengthy diversion from issues that have roiled Alberta politics for months – namely, the upcoming vote on whether the province will work toward holding a binding referendum on secession.
The dust-up over decibel levels peaked early in the week, after Ms. Smith on Monday wrote in a letter to city councillors that her government would consider intervening if the city didn’t change course. In a video posted to social media the next day, Mayor Jeromy Farkas snapped back at critics that included Ms. Smith and federal Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who had accused the city of tossing cold water on Stampede culture.
The Stampede attracts about 1.5 million visitors to the city for the annual rodeo and festival, which runs from July 3 to 12.
“A few operators do not get to treat neighbours like garbage and damage the reputation of an event that belongs to all of us,” Mr. Farkas said in a video that featured a handful of expletives.
That Tuesday, Calgary City Council voted to stick with the new festival noise rules, making only a minor tweak that would allow temporary downtown venues to play quieter “cool-down” music on Sunday to Thursday nights for an hour following concerts, instead of the city’s proposed half-hour period.
The city’s new rules were in response to years of vocal frustration from downtown residents over the noise created by the outdoor venues off Stampede grounds. In previous years, privately run tents were allowed to play music until 1:30 a.m. for the entire festival, with a quieter “cool down” period until 2 a.m. The city’s new rules, first introduced in February, moved up the curfew to midnight between Sunday and Thursday, with a half-hour cool-down until 12:30 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, music can still be played until 1:30 a.m.
Shortly after city council’s vote (with nine in favour and six against the amendment) on Tuesday, Mr. Farkas claimed victory in another social media post, writing: “WE DID IT!”
Paul Vickers, CEO of Penny Lane Entertainment Group, which runs Cowboys Music Festival, started the latest kerfuffle last week by publishing his frustrations in the Calgary Herald. He thanked city hall for the changes.
Ms. Smith’s chief of staff, Rob Anderson, wrote on social media that the Premier was “happy council and the festival folks are working through the issues.”
But the drama continued.
On Wednesday, Country Thunder Alberta, a three-day music festival scheduled for this weekend, said it was cancelling the event due to “active construction, loss of critical infrastructure and a restrictive noise bylaw.”
Alberta referendum is a ‘dangerous bluff,’ Carney says ahead of Stampede appearance
Mr. Farkas responded with another social media video, saying concert organizers were “plainly trying to take advantage of the noise and misinformation around this,” positing that Calgary’s rainy weekend forecast and the festival headliner’s cancellation were two driving factors – not the noise bylaw.
Gerry Krochak, an executive with Country Thunder Alberta, stood by his festival’s position in his own Calgary Herald opinion piece, adding that Mr. Farkas’s comments “only add insult to injury.”
Sam Blackett, Ms. Smith’s press secretary, wrote in a statement that Country Thunder’s cancellation “reinforces our view” that the city and stakeholders should reach a solution that works for businesses and surrounding communities.
Mr. Blackett did not respond to questions about whether the Premier was considering intervening by June 30, the date she previously earmarked as the deadline for her to assess if “there is a role for the province” to resolve the issues.
Lisa Young, a political science professor at the University of Calgary, said Mr. Farkas’s “deft” use of social media and clear communication throughout the week likely won him points among Calgarians. Mr. Farkas has enjoyed strong polling numbers since being elected mayor last October.
Meanwhile, fighting the bylaw changes was an awkward position for Ms. Smith, Prof. Young said, given her government’s emphasis on upholding law and order.
Prof. Young added that the battle over a local issue was an example of how niche issues, including noise bylaws, can evolve into contentious culture-war issues.
“There is that left-right dimension that reminds us that on a whole set of issues, we live in a very polarized political moment, where something that is as mundane as a noise bylaw is being dressed up in this kind of language,” she said.