As a campaign to recall Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek gains momentum, two female vandals have painted over a “Recall Gondek” sign to read, “Respect Gondeck.” Footage of the two middle-aged women vandalizing the sign circulated on social media Tuesday. One paints over the word "recall" with a paintbrush, the other uses spray paint to do the same on the other side of the sign. They smile proudly at the camera, displaying their faces. .Calgary Police Service (CPS) was called to the area of Parkdale Blvd. N.W. and 30 St. N.W., "for reports of property damage to a billboard that was displayed in the grassy median," CPS told the Western Standard. No arrests or charges have been made, but CPS said its "investigation remains ongoing" and are asking people with information to contact police. .Gondek’s office is reportedly preparing for the arrival of a large petition to recall the mayor, with the clerk’s office planning to hire 10 staff to help process the paperwork, according to CBC. Calgary resident Landon Johnston launched the Recall Gondek campaign in February and had 60 days, until April 4, to collect 514,284 signatures, or 40% of Calgary's population. Johnston said he is frustrated with the mayor's reckless spending and excessive taxes while residents are struggling to get by, according to CTV. The city's single-use plastics bylaw was the last straw, he said. Alberta's Municipal Government Act (MGA) allows citizens to recall a council member through a “recall petition process,” according to the city’s website. The petition to recall Gondek is listed, which means it has been “deemed compliant by Elections Calgary.” The city's website reads, “The City of Calgary has received a notice of recall petition against Prabhjot Kaur ‘Jyoti’ Gondek. The notice of recall petition has been reviewed and deemed compliant. The 60-day signature collection period will begin on February 5, 2024 and will end on April 4, 2024." A petition “is considered sufficient if it includes signatures from a minimum of 40% of the population.”.In Gondek’s case, the threshold is measured against a population total of 1,285,711, requiring 514,284 signatures to be considered sufficient..The Recall Gondek campaign is motivated to have the mayor removed due to the 2024 property tax increase of 7.8% while taking a personal raise, the $87 billion taxpayer costs for her “Climate Emergency,” voting to defund the police, implementing the “single-use” bylaw that charges for a paper bag and several other issues. Gondek “voted to defund the police by $20 million and now Calgary faces a crime crisis, including LRT stations across the city,” the campaign website states. .Further grievances Calgary residents who signed the petition have with the mayor include a tax on event tickets and residential parking in some neighbourhoods, banning Canada Day fireworks and calling it “colonialist and racist,” and “politicizing an important cultural celebration by refusing to attend the Menorah lighting ceremony.”Calgarians in the movement also criticized Gondek for writing “an open letter to oppose ‘parents rights‘ legislation of Premier Danielle Smith, though this matter is not a municipal issue and details of legislation not yet known.”
As a campaign to recall Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek gains momentum, two female vandals have painted over a “Recall Gondek” sign to read, “Respect Gondeck.” Footage of the two middle-aged women vandalizing the sign circulated on social media Tuesday. One paints over the word "recall" with a paintbrush, the other uses spray paint to do the same on the other side of the sign. They smile proudly at the camera, displaying their faces. .Calgary Police Service (CPS) was called to the area of Parkdale Blvd. N.W. and 30 St. N.W., "for reports of property damage to a billboard that was displayed in the grassy median," CPS told the Western Standard. No arrests or charges have been made, but CPS said its "investigation remains ongoing" and are asking people with information to contact police. .Gondek’s office is reportedly preparing for the arrival of a large petition to recall the mayor, with the clerk’s office planning to hire 10 staff to help process the paperwork, according to CBC. Calgary resident Landon Johnston launched the Recall Gondek campaign in February and had 60 days, until April 4, to collect 514,284 signatures, or 40% of Calgary's population. Johnston said he is frustrated with the mayor's reckless spending and excessive taxes while residents are struggling to get by, according to CTV. The city's single-use plastics bylaw was the last straw, he said. Alberta's Municipal Government Act (MGA) allows citizens to recall a council member through a “recall petition process,” according to the city’s website. The petition to recall Gondek is listed, which means it has been “deemed compliant by Elections Calgary.” The city's website reads, “The City of Calgary has received a notice of recall petition against Prabhjot Kaur ‘Jyoti’ Gondek. The notice of recall petition has been reviewed and deemed compliant. The 60-day signature collection period will begin on February 5, 2024 and will end on April 4, 2024." A petition “is considered sufficient if it includes signatures from a minimum of 40% of the population.”.In Gondek’s case, the threshold is measured against a population total of 1,285,711, requiring 514,284 signatures to be considered sufficient..The Recall Gondek campaign is motivated to have the mayor removed due to the 2024 property tax increase of 7.8% while taking a personal raise, the $87 billion taxpayer costs for her “Climate Emergency,” voting to defund the police, implementing the “single-use” bylaw that charges for a paper bag and several other issues. Gondek “voted to defund the police by $20 million and now Calgary faces a crime crisis, including LRT stations across the city,” the campaign website states. .Further grievances Calgary residents who signed the petition have with the mayor include a tax on event tickets and residential parking in some neighbourhoods, banning Canada Day fireworks and calling it “colonialist and racist,” and “politicizing an important cultural celebration by refusing to attend the Menorah lighting ceremony.”Calgarians in the movement also criticized Gondek for writing “an open letter to oppose ‘parents rights‘ legislation of Premier Danielle Smith, though this matter is not a municipal issue and details of legislation not yet known.”
