As the City of Calgary gets set for another busy construction season, leaders are working out a series of approaches to help make that work more friendly for local businesses.

On Wednesday, city councillors debated the best way to move forward with large construction projects while supporting businesses affected by the work.

It comes as the city embarks on an ambitious project to replace a large section of the Bearspaw south feeder main in Calgary — work that would normally take up to four years, according to Mayor Jeromy Farkas, will be completed in just a year.

Previous water main breaks along that pipe, as well as the new construction project, have disrupted and even permanently displaced some local businesses.

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A report sent to the city’s Infrastructure and Planning Committee says the Business-Friendly Construction Policy “clarifies what Calgarians can expect from City-led construction projects,” setting clear objectives to guide how aspects like customer access are considered when construction projects are planned and put into action.

A one-time grant to support businesses in Marda Loop, named the Main Streets Business Support Grant, was piloted in 2024 to help those businesses prepare for construction disruptions — but the report found the program didn’t achieve its stated intent.

“Most businesses (71 per cent) self-reported using funds for general operating costs, while one-third used funds for intended business-led initiatives,” the report said.

However, any level of support comes with some risk.

“There is reputational risk that the Policy could create an unrealistic expectation that construction impacts can be fully avoided given construction inherently being disruptive,” the report outlined.

Calgary’s capital construction program includes $3.8 billion in projects in 2026.

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