Calgary councillors debate whether a ‘war’ on cars is brewing in the city

Discussion centred on new Marda Loop development with few parking stalls

A proposed redevelopment in Marda Loop prompted a debate on city council this week about whether there’s  a “war on the car” being waged in Calgary.

But coming on the heels of a pair of pedestrian deaths, Ward 8 Coun. Nathaniel Schmidt called the claim “irresponsible.”

The debate stems from a proposed land use change that city council discussed on Tuesday for a six-storey redevelopment on 34th Avenue S.W. in the city’s Marda Loop community. The development would include 44 housing units as well as commercial space, but its applicant asked the city to relax its minimum parking requirements down to 12 stalls, arguing more than half of households in the area own one or zero cars.

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Source: Andrew Jeffrey, “Calgary Councillors Debate Whether a &Apos;War&Apos; on Cars Is Brewing in the City,” CBC, February 22, 2026, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/war-cars-debate-marda-loop-9.7101291.