2025 Unpacked: Calgary's Growth Amidst National Shifts and Global Headlines
The year 2025 proved to be a watershed moment for Canada. A snap federal election on April 28 resolved months of parliamentary deadlock, ending the Trudeau era and ushering in a Liberal majority under Mark Carney, Canada's 24th Prime Minister. Domestically, the new administration immediately faced a complex economic landscape defined by a cooling but persistent cost-of-living crisis and strained Canada-U.S. relations following the start of Donald Trump’s second term.
Summer brought a wave of anxiety for travelers as Air Canada flight attendants issued a strike notice in August, threatening to paralyze the nation's transport network. However, a total grounding was narrowly averted on August 19, 2025. A last-minute tentative agreement secured a historic 40% wage increase over four years for staff, halting widespread disruption and setting a new benchmark for labor negotiations in the aviation sector. Calgary's Affordability Challenge Closer to home, Calgary continued to balance rapid population growth—now surpassing 1.35 million—with the urgent need for affordability. While the 2025 budget initially proposed a contentious 3.6% tax hike, City Council ultimately approved a much lower 1.64% property tax increase in early December.
By tapping into $50 million in investment reserves to shield homeowners, the Council kept the average increase to a manageable $4.50 per month for the typical household. This fiscal restraint was paired with the ongoing "Home is Here" Housing Strategy, which continues to expedite approvals for 3,000 new non-market homes annually to address the critical shortage in rental vacancies. Transformative Infrastructure The city also saw tangible, albeit complex, progress on the landmark Green Line LRT. June 2025 marked the official groundbreaking for the southeast segment (Shepard to Eau Claire), kicking off a six-year construction window.
However, the project's future through the core remains the year's biggest unresolved local story. While the southeast leg is proceeding, the province has paused the downtown tunnel portion to explore an above-ground alignment, leaving the final route through the city center in limbo as 2026 approaches.
Global Headlines and Progress Internationally, 2025 offered a mix of relief and ongoing struggle. A ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Hamas War finally facilitated crucial humanitarian aid and hostage returns, bringing a fragile hope to the region. Meanwhile, the Russia-Ukraine conflict ground into its fourth year with no clear resolution in sight.
On a brighter note, human rights saw a major victory in Southeast Asia: on January 23, 2025, Thailand officially enacted its Marriage Equality Law. By becoming the first nation in the region to legalize same-sex marriage, Thailand marked a historic step forward for global civil rights.
