Is Mental Illness in Calgary On The Rise?

Mental health issues, mental illness, depression, OCD, PTSD, the list goes on, and we’ve all seen the signs, whether behind bus shelter windows, plastered across the dusty sides of buses, on depressing, two-tone billboards, or in our own relations; so the question is, are we all losing the plot, if I may veer slightly away from politically correct diction?

Or is there more at play here, underlying causal factors, sociological and socioeconomic conditions, dragging 1 in 5 Calgarians down to the point where they say, either to themselves or to a doctor usually to both—I am mentally unwell? But maybe it’s more simple than that, perhaps society is focusing its attention on an age-old aspect of the human condition, relabelled and redefined, repackaged by media outlets hungry for another sad story, and dressed up by advertising agencies representing corporations and governmental and non-governmental organizations and societies—perhaps not.

To elucidate this complex and stigmatized societal issue, I spoke with my stepfather, Dr. Ken Fryatt of the Alberta Worker’s Compensation Board. He stated that in his meeting with and diagnosing those who have been injured on the job, in his opinion, approximately 30 percent suffer from underlying psychological issues, which, he explained, are more often than not unrelated to the reported injury itself.

When asked the most common form of mental illness he sees in his patients, his answer was quick and to the point: without skipping a beat, he declared, “depression and anxiety.” I further pressed him for information regarding the underlying cause(s) of these illnesses; though not wishing to speculate, he stated that with the down-turned job market, there are fewer workers doing the task of what once were more, thus increasing workload, resulting in greater stress in the workplace.

He further expounded that substance abuse and addiction are, in his opinion, major issues within Calgary, Alberta, and the nation on a whole. He is also of the belief that mental illness rates have risen drastically in the preceding decade or two; however, a large portion of this increase is due to greater societal awareness and more effective diagnosing.

The author of this article, though never having dealt with a patient, mentally ill or otherwise, is of the opinion that addiction certainly plays a major role in the apparent increase in the number of mentally unsound Calgarians; though we must be cautious when defining this word: addiction.

And we must ask if it is possible, that in this digital age, an overload of information could be placing greater stress on each individual mind? I certainly don’t want to downgrade the significance of substance abuse in Calgary, it is as obvious as the innumerable homeless men and women mournfully scattered across the proud face of our city centre, residing in the unseen yet nearby shadow of our highest urban peak, the windswept Nose Hill.

But in my jogging beneath the shadows of our downtown core’s tall-standing structures this warm, sunny afternoon, one societal phenomenon stood prominently above all others, a phenomenon that is new and untried in a historical sense; and that is, the faces of the masses buried deep within the screens of their cellphones and with advertising abounding, online and offline, maybe we are being lured into a psychological realm that at its heart cares nothing for the mind, but one that exists primarily for profit.

Humans are not naturally digital creatures; and when living in a world of digits, bits and bytes, numbers on paper and in bank accounts, and flashing dollar signs, perhaps we are misusing our minds, like the skilled craftsman who, in want of a screwdriver, applies his utility knife to the job at hand, resulting in the dulling or snapping of his blade. Such existential questions are far beyond the scope of the mind of this writer.

But one thing that remains evident is, from whichever angle we view this foggy and confusing issue, the significant overall societal prevalence of mental illness cannot be denied. The unanswered question remains, from what source(s) does it stem; only once we are capable of answering this question, will we be able to solve the problem.

Read more stories on Todayville Calgary.

Dylan Darroch

Follow Author

Is Mental Illness in Calgary On The Rise?

Alberta

Calgary mayor should retain ‘blanket rezoning’ for sake of Calgarian families

Published on November 17, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Austin Thompson

Calgary’s new mayor, Jeromy Farkas, has promised to scrap “blanket rezoning”—a policy enacted by the city in 2024 that allows homebuilders to construct duplexes, townhomes and fourplexes in most neighbourhoods without first seeking the blessing of city hall. In other words, amid an affordability crunch, Mayor Farkas plans to eliminate a policy that made homebuilding easier and cheaper—which risks reducing housing choices and increasing housing costs for Calgarian families.

Blanket rezoning was always contentious. Debate over the policy back in spring 2024 sparked the longest public hearing in Calgary’s history, with many Calgarians airing concerns about potential impacts on local infrastructure, parking availability and park space—all important issues.

Farkas argues that blanket rezoning amounts to “ignoring the community” and that Calgarians should not be forced to choose between a “City Hall that either stops building, or stops listening.” But in reality, it’s virtually impossible to promise more community input on housing decisions and build more homes faster.

If Farkas is serious about giving residents a “real say” in shaping their neighbourhood’s future, that means empowering them to alter—or even block—housing proposals that would otherwise be allowed under blanket rezoning. Greater public consultation tends to give an outsized voice to development opponents including individuals and groups that oppose higher density and social housing projects.

Alternatively, if the mayor and council reform the process to invite more public feedback, but still ultimately approve most higher-density projects (as was the case before blanket rezoning), the consultation process would be largely symbolic.

Either way, homebuilders would face longer costlier approval processes—and pass those costs on to Calgarian renters and homebuyers.

It’s not only the number of homes that matters, but also where they’re allowed to be built. Under blanket rezoning, builders can respond directly to the preferences of Calgarians. When buyers want duplexes in established neighbourhoods or renters want townhomes closer to work, homebuilders can respond without having to ask city hall for permission.

According to Mayor Farkas, higher-density housing should instead be concentrated near transit, schools and job centres, with the aim of “reducing pressure on established neighbourhoods.” At first glance, that may sound like a sensible compromise. But it rests on the flawed assumption that politicians and planners should decide where Calgarians are allowed to live, rather than letting Calgarians make those choices for themselves. With blanket rezoning, new homes are being built in areas in response to buyer and renter demand, rather than the dictates of city hall. The mayor also seems to suggest that city hall should thwart some redevelopment in established neighbourhoods, limiting housing options in places many Calgarians want to live.

The stakes are high. Calgary is not immune to Canada’s housing crisis, though it has so far weathered it better than most other major cities. That success partly reflects municipal policies—including blanket rezoning—that make homebuilding relatively quick and inexpensive.

A motion to repeal blanket rezoning is expected to be presented to Calgary’s municipal executive committee on Nov. 17. If it passes, which is likely, the policy will be put to a vote during a council meeting on Dec. 15. As the new mayor and council weigh changes to zoning rules, they should recognize the trade-offs. Empowering “the community” may sound appealing, but it may limit the housing choices available to families in those communities. Any reforms should preserve the best elements of blanket rezoning—its consistency, predictability and responsiveness to the housing preferences of Calgarians—and avoid erecting zoning barriers that have exacerbated the housing crisis in other cities.

Tegan Hill

Director, Alberta Policy, Fraser Institute

Austin Thompson

Senior Policy Analyst, Fraser Institute

Alberta

Gondek’s exit as mayor marks a turning point for Calgary

Published on November 1, 2025

Todayville

This article supplied by Troy Media.

By Michael Taube

The mayor’s controversial term is over, but a divided conservative base may struggle to take the city in a new direction

Calgary’s mayoral election went to a recount. Independent candidate Jeromy Farkas won with 91,112 votes (26.1 per cent). Communities First candidate Sonya Sharp was a very close second with 90,496 votes (26 per cent) and controversial incumbent mayor Jyoti Gondek finished third with 71,502 votes (20.5 per cent).

Gondek’s embarrassing tenure as mayor is finally over.

Gondek’s list of political and economic failures in just a single four-year term could easily fill a few book chapters—and most likely will at some point. She declared a climate emergency on her first day as Calgary’s mayor that virtually no one in the city asked for. She supported a four per cent tax increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many individuals and families were struggling to make ends meet. She snubbed the Dec. 2023 menorah lighting during Hanukkah because speakers were going to voice support for Israel a mere two months after the country was attacked by the bloodthirsty terrorist organization Hamas. The
Calgary Party even accused her last month of spending over $112,000 in taxpayers’ money for an “image makeover and brand redevelopment” that could have benefited her re-election campaign.

How did Gondek get elected mayor of Calgary with 176,344 votes in 2021, which is over 45 per cent of the electorate?

“Calgary may be a historically right-of-centre city,” I wrote in a recent National Post column, “but it’s experienced some unusual voting behaviour when it comes to mayoral elections. Its last three mayors, Dave Bronconnier, Naheed Nenshi and Gondek, have all been Liberal or left-leaning. There have also been an assortment of other Liberal mayors in recent decades like Al Duerr and, before he had a political epiphany, Ralph Klein.”

In fairness, many Canadians used to support the concept of balancing their votes in federal, provincial and municipal politics. I knew of some colleagues, friends and family members, including my father, who used to vote for the federal Liberals and Ontario PCs. There were a couple who supported the federal PCs and Ontario Liberals in several instances. In the case of one of my late
grandfathers, he gave a stray vote for Brian Mulroney’s federal PCs, the NDP and even its predecessor, the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation.

That’s not the case any longer. The more typical voting pattern in modern Canada is one of ideological consistency. Conservatives vote for Conservative candidates, Liberals vote for Liberal candidates, and so forth. There are some rare exceptions in municipal politics, such as the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s populistconservative agenda winning over a very Liberal city in 2010. It doesn’t happen very often these days, however.

I’ve always been a proponent of ideological consistency. It’s a more logical way of voting instead of throwing away one vote (so to speak) for some perceived model of political balance. There will always be people who straddle the political fence and vote for different parties and candidates during an election. That’s their right in a democratic society, but it often creates a type of ideological inconsistency that doesn’t benefit voters, parties or the political process in general.

Calgary goes against the grain in municipal politics. The city’s political dynamics are very different today due to migration, immigration and the like. Support for fiscal and social conservatism may still exist in Alberta, but the urban-rural split has become more profound and meaningful than the historic left-right divide. This makes the task of winning Calgary in elections more difficult for today’s provincial and federal Conservatives, as well as right-leaning mayoral candidates.

That’s what we witnessed during the Oct. 20 municipal election. Some Calgary Conservatives believed that Farkas was a more progressive-oriented conservative or centrist with a less fiscally conservative plan and outlook for the city. They viewed Sharp, the leader of a right-leaning municipal party founded last December, as a small “c” conservative and much closer to their ideology. Conversely, some Calgary Conservatives felt that Farkas, and not Sharp, would be a better Conservative option for mayor because he seemed less ideological in his outlook.

When you put it all together, Conservatives in what used to be one of the most right-leaning cities in a historically right-leaning province couldn’t decide who was the best political option available to replace the left-wing incumbent mayor. Time will tell if they chose wisely.

Fortunately, the razor-thin vote split didn’t save Gondek’s political hide. Maybe ideological consistency will finally win the day in Calgary municipal politics once the recount has ended and the city’s next mayor has been certified.

Michael Taube is a political commentator, Troy Media syndicated columnist and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He holds a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics, lending academic rigour to his political insights.

Troy Media empowers Canadian community news outlets by providing independent, insightful analysis and commentary. Our mission is to support local media in helping Canadians stay informed and engaged by delivering reliable content that strengthens community connections and deepens understanding across the country