After two pedestrians were killed over the Family Day long weekend, Calgary city councillors are awaiting a response from the provincial government to find new measures to help improve traffic safety.
A toddler in a stroller was killed after being hit in a marked crosswalk in the city’s southwest Sunday afternoon, and a senior was also struck in a marked crosswalk less than 24 hours later in northwest Calgary.
They were Calgary’s seventh and eighth fatal collisions in 2026 — a concerning trend, according to the Calgary Police Service, after 38 fatal crashes were recorded in 2025 including the deaths of 15 pedestrians.
“We did see an increase overall last year so to see the year start at this volume is definitely concerning for how the rest of it is going to go,” said A/Insp. Shelby Stewart told reporters Monday.
During city council’s meeting Tuesday morning, Ward 3 Coun. Andrew Yule asked the mayor about any progress in advocating the provincial government to restore photo radar enforcement.
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Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said he spoke with Alberta Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen late last year about improving traffic safety, but is waiting for a response to a formal letter he sent the minister on Feb 12.
In that letter, Farkas said the removal of photo radar “has led to an upswing in speed-related collisions,” noting there were more than 900 pedestrian collisions and 27 fatalities between 2024 and 2025, which he said is a “critical public safety crisis.”
Farkas called on the province to restore the municipal share of traffic fine revenue, which was clawed back in 2020, as well as a review of the decision to restrict photo radar enforcement.
According to Farkas, any restored revenue would be allocated to traffic-safety improvements, including safer intersections, crosswalk upgrades, school-zone protections, and traffic-calming measures.
“That’s the way I think this solves the problem, it takes the politics out of the issue and lowers the heat,” Farkas told reporters. “If the fine revenue is being earmarked specifically for road safety improvements, it makes a lot more sense to me as a Calgarian, and I think we can help build the case with the public that this isn’t just another cash grab.”
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Farkas said the move could unlock upwards of $30 million annually for the city to invest in traffic safety.
In a statement to Global News, Dreeshen said the province, “has no plans to expand photo radar beyond the current framework.”
“I am scheduling a meeting with Mayor Farkas in the coming weeks to discuss support for safer streets through targeted infrastructure improvements,” Dreeshen said in a statement.
“Our government established the $13 million Traffic Safety Fund, which municipalities can access to improve high-risk intersections through measures like better signage, signal timing, lighting, and road redesign.”
During budget deliberations last year, city council approved funding for each ward to install two new rectangular rapid flashing beacons at a location of their choice.
Another $7.5 million was also approved to fund traffic and pedestrian safety improvements in the city’s Vision Zero plan, which aims to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities by 25 per cent by 2028 through street design and crosswalk improvements.
Yule told reporters that city council is aligned in its goal to invest in pedestrian safety
“We’ve got our four-year budget coming up and you’re going to see a lot of investment from our side,” Yule said.
“Definitely looking for other levels of government to make sure that we have all the tools at our disposal.”
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