Calgary Council: Transit Talks with Tsuut'ina Hit Snag

CALGARY — Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Xàkújághá (Minor Chief) Zachary Manywounds sat down at City Hall on Monday, January 26, 2026, to hash out what cooperation between Calgary and Tsuut'ina Nation actually looks like when billions of dollars and bus routes are on the table.

Both leaders are fresh to the job. Farkas won in October 2025. Manywounds took his seat on the Tsuut'ina Nation Council in November 2025, alongside Head Chief Ellery Starlight. Now they're trying to lock in a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) covering economic development, transit, water, and emergency services—a process kicked off after a late 2024 request landed with Calgary's Intergovernmental Affairs Committee.

The Transit Fight Nobody's Talking About

Here's where it gets real: Calgary Transit wants to extend service into Taza, the sprawling multi-billion dollar development eating up over 1,200 acres of Tsuut'ina land. A "Heads of Agreement" was supposed to be wrapped by May 2025, with buses rolling in 2026. That deadline came and went.

Who pays for the extension? Still being negotiated. Calgary's already running a 3.6% tax revenue increase for 2026, and every new financial commitment—transit infrastructure, utilities, emergency response—means someone's budget takes the hit. Meanwhile, property taxes from Taza? Those go straight to the Tsuut'ina Nation, not City Hall.

Taza: The Billion-Dollar Bet

Taza isn't a subdivision. It's a statement. The "Taza Park" village launched in March 2025 and is slated for 6,500 homes and over one million square feet of commercial space, with first residents expected by summer 2026. The Tsuut'ina Development Authority (TDA), which has run construction since 2018, governs all three villages within Taza. ENMAX Power is already sinking capital into new electrical infrastructure.

But connecting this sprawling project to Calgary's grid—transit, water, power—requires coordination neither government has fully figured out yet.

What Happens Next

The MOU framework remains a work in progress. Cost-sharing models for transit and utilities are still being hammered out between councils and their respective administrations. Calgary's Indigenous Relations Office, guided by the "White Goose Flying Report," is leading the City's side of the negotiation.

Monday's meeting was the handshake. The real test is whether both sides can agree on who pays for what—and when the buses actually start running.