Dalhousie LRT Shooting: What it Costs Calgarians, Beyond the Headlines
People are talking about a dramatic incident at Dalhousie LRT involving a knife and police response. A man was charged after a serious encounter, sparking ongoing investigations.
When Transit Safety Hits Home
A quiet Tuesday morning commute in Calgary's Dalhousie community turned jarring on December 16, 2025, as a confrontation at the Dalhousie LRT Station parking lot escalated into an officer-involved shooting. Calgary Police Service (CPS) officers, responding to reports of a man allegedly wielding a knife and acting aggressively towards a peace officer, located 23-year-old Cody Duquette. An altercation ensued, resulting in a CPS member discharging their firearm, striking Duquette, who was then transported to hospital in serious but stable condition. Duquette now faces a litany of charges, including three counts of assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, one count of possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, and two counts of failure to comply with a release order. While these charges move through the courts, the officer-involved shooting itself remains under independent investigation by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT).
This incident, unsettling as it is, resonates far beyond the immediate scene, directly impacting the daily lives and wallets of Calgarians. The Dalhousie LRT Station, a vital artery on the Red Line for numerous northwest communities, experienced a multi-hour shutdown during the investigation. Such disruptions aren't merely an inconvenience; they ripple through our city, costing thousands of commuters time, impacting productivity, and fueling a collective frustration with Calgary's public transit system.
The Steep Price of Public Trust and Safety
From a financial standpoint, the costs associated with incidents like this are substantial and ultimately borne by you, the Calgary taxpayer. ASIRT, the independent body tasked with investigating serious incidents involving Alberta police, is entirely funded by provincial taxpayers. This isn't a small line item; it's a critical component of ensuring accountability. Furthermore, the broader expenses of policing weigh heavily on the city's balance sheet. City council recently had to allocate a hefty $28 million from the Fiscal Stability Reserve to cover a shortfall in the Calgary Police Service budget, largely due to lost photo radar revenue following new provincial rules. This dips into funds intended for city-wide emergencies and opportunities, potentially affecting other services or leading to future property tax increases or fare adjustments for transit users.
The City of Calgary has already committed a significant annual investment of $15 million into transit safety initiatives. Efforts include hiring more transit peace officers, deploying them from decentralized hubs, and modernizing systems for quicker response times. While official surveys indicate some improvement in perceived safety, nearly half of Calgarians still admit to avoiding public transit due to safety concerns. Informal community discussions on platforms like Reddit consistently highlight ongoing anxieties about unpredictable behaviour on CTrains and at stations, often linked to mental health and substance abuse issues, reinforcing a reluctance to use public transit despite increased security presence.
Scrutiny on the Badge and Beyond
While the swift police response in Dalhousie is framed as protecting public safety, it also casts a spotlight on the complexities of police use of force and the mechanisms designed to hold them accountable. The Calgary Police Service's own data for 2024 reveals that force was used in approximately one in every 702 officer-public interactions, or a mere 0.14% of cases. Yet, these same reports acknowledge a disproportionate representation of non-white individuals in use-of-force incidents, a critical concern for equity and justice within our city.
ASIRT's role as an independent, arms-length agency, led by a civilian executive director, is to meticulously investigate serious incidents involving Alberta police officers. They have the authority to recommend criminal charges against officers if warranted. However, the system is not without its critics. Concerns have long been raised about ASIRT's resourcing, case backlogs that can lead to significant delays, and the timeliness of investigations. There are documented instances where ASIRT has recommended charges against officers, only for Crown prosecutors to decline to proceed, sometimes citing "no public interest" or lengthy delays, leading to public outcry and questions about accountability and transparency. The very composition of ASIRT's investigative teams, which include both civilian and seconded police officers, has also drawn scrutiny regarding potential biases. A provincial review of ASIRT and Crown prosecution policies in charging police is currently underway, led by a retired judge.
The Unanswered Questions Hanging Over Calgary
The Dalhousie LRT shooting serves as a stark reminder of the intricate tension between immediate public safety needs, the actions of law enforcement, and the ongoing demand for robust accountability. As ASIRT diligently investigates the officer's actions, the incident forces Calgarians to grapple with a critical question: how can our city truly protect its citizens, ensure genuine accountability for its police, and foster a genuinely safe and accessible public transit system without continually passing the escalating financial and social burden onto its residents?
