Community and Business Relations General Support
Advancing Business-Friendly Construction Approaches
The City recognizes how important businesses are for the local economy. As we continue to invest in infrastructure, we are improving how businesses and customers experience City-led construction.
Business-friendly construction approaches
In recent years, The City has been testing business-friendly approaches. These efforts are meant to make it easier for businesses leading up to and during planned City-led construction. Including — parking management, business liaisons, impact assessments, improved signage and marketing campaigns.
Supporting businesses this construction season
While work to develop the Business-Friendly Construction Policy continues we’re using what we’ve heard so far to support businesses and customers on current projects.
This work is delivered by individual project teams. Have a question or comment? Visit the project webpage by clicking “Learn more about this project”.
Developing a Business-Friendly Construction Policy
As directed by City Council, work is underway to establish a business-friendly construction policy that will clarify The City’s approach to mitigating potential challenges from construction and improving how businesses and their customers experience City-led construction.
In 2025, we engaged businesses and Calgarians to understand how they feel about City-led construction. This is helping shape clear and effective policy objectives.
A policy recommendation and plan will be presented to Council in early 2026.
What we've heard so far
The themes below reflect what we heard from Calgarians during engagement, as well as related research. The themes are shaping Policy and how we support current projects.
Think about businesses from the start
Plan early for business and customer convenience
Build and maintain strong relationships
Share clear and timely information
Collaborate to support local businesses
Make it safe and comfortable for visitors
Deliver projects with a focus on improving business and customer experience
Keep getting better
Learn more about the Business-Friendly Construction Policy at Engage.Calgary.ca/BusinessFriendlyPolicy
Evaluating The Main Streets Business Support Grant Pilot
In 2024, at the direction of City Council, The City implemented a one-time Main Streets Business Support Grant pilot with the objectives of
- helping businesses prepare for construction and
- implementing strategies to encourage business patronage during construction.
We’re learning from this pilot and checking how well it worked. It is one of several business-friendly construction approaches The City has been testing.
For more information on the Main Streets Support Grant pilot visit Calgary.ca/MainStreetsGrant
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is The City helping businesses during construction?
The City recognizes how important businesses are to the local economy. Construction projects can create challenges for businesses and their customers. The City is committed to helping businesses prepare for and manage potential challenges.
What has The City already been doing to support businesses during construction?
- Recently, The City has tested many supports to help businesses prepare for and during construction. These include:
- alternative parking solutions
- BIA grants
- business liaisons
- improved directional signage for customers
- Support local marketing campaigns
- While we develop the Business-Friendly Construction Policy we’re using what we’ve heard so far to support on current projects.
How can Calgarians provide feedback on the Business-Friendly Construction Policy?
Visit Engage.Calgary.ca/BusinessFriendlyPolicy to learn more about the engagement process.
How will the Business-Friendly Construction Policy impact the overall City budget?
While creating the draft policy and recommendations, we will gather information on the potential budget impacts. This information will be shared with Council through The City’s budget process.