Calgary Council: Emergency Contract Secures Water Supply

CALGARY — The city just handed Ward & Burke Microtunnelling Ltd. and Graham Construction a sole-source deal to replace the Bearspaw feeder main, the pipe that's burst twice in under two years and nearly left Calgary's water supply hanging by a thread.

The contract was finalized Friday, January 16, 2026. Crews hit the ground January 23, 2026.

City officials didn't have time for a competitive bid. The feeder main's track record speaks for itself: one catastrophic break that triggered a multi-week water crisis and a State of Local Emergency. Another failure would leave the Glenmore Reservoir with just six weeks of water.

$200 Million Price Tag—and Climbing

The initial estimate sits at $200 million, though nobody's pretending that's the final number. Accelerated timelines cost money. The city won't say what Ward & Burke and Graham are actually getting paid.

The cash comes from a $1.1 billion pot set aside by a previous council for water projects running through 2024-2031. That fund is now doing heavy lifting.

General Manager of Infrastructure Services Michael Thompson made the call after a Third-Party Expert Review backed the urgency argument. City Council signed off.

Your Water Bill Is Listening

Mayor Jeromy Farkas didn't sugarcoat it. The bill is big enough to hit property taxes and water rates. How hard? That's still being calculated.

University of Calgary Civil Engineering Professor Kerry Black said the one-year timeline is doable, but it'll take serious resources to pull off. Translation: expect disruption.

Premier Danielle Smith called the repeated breaks "unacceptable" and promised the province would keep the heat on Calgary until the problem is fixed.

What Comes Next

Site setup starts January 23, 2026. The city is already asking for more money to fund Phase 2 of the project.