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Trust is improving in Calgary city hall, but how Calgarians feel about the services the city provides is on the decline, according to a new survey of Calgarians.
The City of Calgary conducts two surveys annually, one in the spring and another in the fall, with the results of the latest spring survey set to be presented to councillors on Tuesday.
According to the survey, 54 per cent of Calgarians now say they have trust in the City of Calgary, which is higher than previous surveys but not directly comparable due to changes in the questionnaire.
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas told Global News the new figures are more reflective of the current city council and direction more than six months into the job.
“The previous survey really reflected the previous council. We were inheriting numbers, but these numbers are all ours,” Farkas said.
“At a high level, it shows a real big rebound in the trust Calgarians have. It does identify a lot of areas for continued focus.”
The findings show satisfaction with the overall level and quality of services and programs offered by the City of Calgary sits at 62 per cent, down five per cent from the fall survey.
The Calgary Fire Department led all 15 city services evaluated in the survey with the strongest satisfaction rating at 90 per cent, followed by waste and recycling at 78 per cent and parks at 77 per cent.
Half of Calgarians, or 51 per cent, said they were satisfied with water services after the second rupture of the Bearspaw feeder main in less than two years.
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The pipe, which carries 60 per cent of the city’s drinking water, underwent a series of repairs and city crews are working on a replacement line to be completed by the end of this year.
Farkas pointed to significant investments into the water service in the weeks that followed the feeder main break.
“As we continue to make those investments and as we deliver the replacement water main in this calendar year, I’m confident that score is going to rebound,” he told Global News.
According to the findings, fewer than half of Calgarians are satisfied with four city services including transit, planning and development, roads, and housing services.
Calgary Transit is used by two-thirds of Calgarians, the survey said, but fewer than half of those users felt satisfied with the service.
“Users and non-users share similar views on all experience and quality aspects as well as most timeliness measures, with one exception where users are less sure that concerns are addressed promptly,” the survey noted.
Some riders who spoke with Global News on Monday noted safety concerns remain a top issue.
“People who I talk to don’t take the train, they don’t feel safe,” said Mitzi Godberson. “I’ve kind of come to be okay with the situation.”
There have been investments over the years to reverse the trend including a transit safety strategy, and most recently a $9-million safety pilot project to increase officer presence during peak afternoon and evening hours.
Others, like Rachel Benipayo, said additions like the opening of a convenience store at the Bridgeland LRT station help make the space feel safer.
“As of now, I’m satisfied with the Calgary Transit service,” she said.
Calgary Transit director Sharon Fleming told Global News the service takes the satisfaction figures seriously, but notes a continued funding gap must be addressed to improve service.
“We’re not meeting the expectations for that fast and frequent network that they need to get around,” Fleming said. “We’re continuing to look for more investment to ensure we can provide that service.”
Calgary city council will be getting an update later this week on RouteAhead, transit’s 30-year plan to improve service.
It comes after Calgary Transit received a $76 million funding boost in the previous budget to improve frequency across the system, purchase new buses, and expand funding for the low-income transit pass program.
Overall, the survey showed 76 per cent of Calgarians rate their overall quality of life as good, up five per cent from the previous survey.
The survey suggests there is cautious optimism in the economy with 60 per cent of respondents rating the city’s economy as good. Three‑quarters (74 per cent) of those surveyed said Calgary is a great place to make a life, while around two-thirds (68 per cent) said it is a great place to make a living.
Just over half, or 54 per cent of respondents, said Calgary is on track to be a better city in 10 years.
Ipsos Public Affairs conducted the survey for the city and interviewed 2,500 Calgarians over the phone from Feb. 17, 2026 to March 16, 2026, and the survey has a margin of error of ± 2.00 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
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