'That's not good practice': Smith flags Calgary City Hall closed-door practices amid municipal transparency debate

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsLocal News 'That's not good practice': Smith flags Calgary City Hall closed-door practices amid municipal transparency debate Smith said concerns about municipal transparency are "not just a Calgary issue," pointing to the recent resignations of two school board trustees in St. Albert amid a dispute over transparency and public access to board meetings. Author of the article: By Noah Brennan Published Sep 12, 2026 Last updated 22 minutes ago 3 minute read Join the conversation Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Municipal Affairs Dan Williams will be looking into a recent transparency issue at Calgary City Hall Postmedia Calgary archive Article content Premier Danielle Smith says her government is looking into concerns over the use of closed-door meetings at Calgary City Hall, arguing such sessions should be “very rare” and substantive debate should not take place in private before elected officials cast public votes. Article content Smith weighed in on Calgary’s municipal transparency debate during her Your Province, Your Premier radio show Saturday morning, days after Ward 14 Coun. Landon Johnston asked the province to review Calgary’s use of closed meetings and consider changes to confidentiality provisions under the Municipal Government Act. Article content Article content Article content Responding to a caller who questioned council’s frequent use of closed-door meetings and the treatment of advice from city administration as confidential, Smith said the provincial government makes scarce use of private deliberations. Article content Noon News Roundup Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content “I’d be hard pressed to find a time that we ever went in camera,” Smith said. “It’s just not something that you do when you’ve got your entire body together.” Article content Need ‘balance’ Article content While cabinet deliberations may be confidential, Smith said matters that ultimately move forward are documented and information is made public. “When we approve something, we have to have clear minutes, and we have to make that information available,” she said. Article content Smith said provincial committees may sometimes…