Mayor Jyoti Gondek has faced a barrage of criticism as she guided Calgary through a water main break that forced city residents and businesses to limit their water use for over a month.
Crews continue to work to repair a major water main break and five other weak spots in Calgary on June 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
Gondek said she hears people talking about how their habits have changed to better conserve water, and that they're just happy their water is back on.It all began June 5, after a massive water main supplying 60 per cent of the drinking water for the city ruptured and flooded streets. A directive was issued to have Calgarians cut their indoor water use by 25 per cent with fewer showers and toilet flushes. Car washes and indoor pools were also closed.
Gondek has apologized for communication flubs in the first few days following the infrastructure failure.“It was one of those things where people couldn't see it, and so if they couldn't see what was wrong, it was hard for them to comprehend that all of us needed to save water.” As council plans to appoint an independent panel to investigate how and why the water main ruptured, Gondek said the post-mortem probably won’t assuage her most vocal detractors.
“We don't always get it right, but we are open to listening to the public and we are moving forward," she said, adding it is more difficult now than when she was first elected as a councillor in 2017 to have a rational, civil public conversation.
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