Bell: Danielle Smith breaks down the Trudeau-Gondec city redevelopment plan for Calgary

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Danielle Smith is back from a Conservative love affair – with the Alberta premier in Ottawa last weekend.

Back home, Smith made it clear where he stood on take-it-or-leave-it days after he said it would be impossible for the cities to cut money deals with Ottawa without his government's support.

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Smith goes after the Prime Minister. Hitting Justin Trudeau is pure gold for his supporters. They love it.

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When Trudeau allows Smith to “get out of the way” and let him and his crew handle the housing crisis, he's more likely to backfire and backfire.

Smith is furious that the Trudeau government bypassed his UCP government and made a direct deal with Mayor Jyoti Gondek and Calgary City Hall.

The feds said if Calgary wanted the $228 million, they would have to approve a city-wide rezoning, where four-plexes, townhouses and townhouses could be built in any low-density residential area, including areas that currently have single-family homes.

Calgary City Council will begin a debate on this brainwave at City Hall on April 22nd. Next week.

Smith is not amused.

“I don't think it's reasonable for the federal government to come to Calgary on the basis of giving $228 million and take away one of the core powers of the municipality,” the premier said on his weekend radio show.

“They're basically rewriting zoning laws. It's not a federal jurisdiction.”

Smith is just warming up. He's up against big-time change across town, and when Trudeau gets involved, you know where this movie is going.

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“These are the kinds of strings that hang when the federal government comes. They are not just there to help. They are not here just to try to be a financing partner and make a good deal. They are here to implement their agenda.”

Smith says he doesn't know public support for the citywide redevelopment agenda and accuses the Trudeau government of “imposing severe restrictions” on the city.

The Prime Minister will definitely not support it.

Personally, Smith likes to live in mixed territory. He lives in a complex of four blocks.

It's his choice.

But he understands that other people would choose a different kind of neighborhood, and the premier believes they should be allowed to continue living in that kind of neighborhood.

Smith also sees an avalanche of discontent over rezoning across the city. We'll see where this goes.

The premier said the city should take a crack at disgruntled Calgarians coming together to voice their opinions, and he said “some of these meetings seem pretty brutal.”

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While in Ottawa, Smith was hanging out with his Conservative friends when he made national news by saying that the federal government was giving Alberta the short end of the stick.

He told them Calgary and Edmonton made indirect deals with Trudeau, but outside the big cities, almost everything else was tough.

It's an important statement for Smith, as he talks about rural Alberta, communities outside of Calgary and Edmonton, places that will lead him to victory in the UCP leadership race and victory at the polls in the general election.

“For years, unrepresented Liberal governments in Ottawa have imposed their destructive agenda on Alberta taxpayers through direct funding agreements with cities and provincially regulated and funded entities,” the premier said.

A citywide rezoning vote could come down to the wire next week.

That could be due to the vote of a single councilor who some expected to vote Yes on the city-wide rezoning.

That could be due to the vote of Evan Spencer, a councilor representing Calgarians from McKenzie Town and Cranston and Mahogany.

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Spencer surveyed his area.

Question. Are you in favor of rezoning the city as a whole?

Answer. No, 71 percent. Yes, 25 percent. Maybe four percent.

By the way, there's bad news for those who want Smith to ride to the rescue and legislate on this rezoning issue.

Too late to play. Smith's comments don't mean the province will reach an agreement between Trudeau and the city of Calgary.

“Our intention is not to adversely affect the agreements,” says the prime minister.

“This is something Calgarians have to deal with.

“Calgary council will decide if $228 million is worth handing over all zoning powers to the federal government.”

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