Mayor Jeromy Farkas has convened a special meeting of Calgary's city council for Wednesday afternoon. The session will focus on the findings of a crucial independent report investigating the 2024 failure of the Bearspaw south feeder main and the city's handling of the subsequent crisis.
Urgent Review of Critical Infrastructure Failure
The report in question was commissioned by the previous council just two weeks after the critical water artery first ruptured on June 5, 2024. Leading the investigation is retired ATCO executive Siegfried Kiefer. It is important to note that this third-party review is separate from the city's own internal analysis of the pipe burst, which was released in early 2025.
Farkas announced the 1 p.m. meeting in a social media post early Tuesday, stating that council members would receive Kiefer's complete report later that same evening. "On Wednesday, council and Calgarians will hear directly from the panel," Farkas said. He emphasized that the city would "take the findings seriously, and move swiftly informed by the facts" to bolster Calgary's water infrastructure and future preparedness.
Independent Panel Led by Industry Veteran
Siegfried Kiefer, who spent nearly four decades with Calgary-based ATCO, was appointed in December 2024 to lead the comprehensive review. At the time of his appointment, Kiefer expressed his approval of the city's decision to pursue a fully independent investigation, stating it was necessary for an event of such significant and unexpected impact.
By May 2025, Kiefer had assembled a team of five senior leaders from the business and oil and gas sectors to assist in the probe. While public updates on the review had been scarce over the past year, interest was dramatically reignited last week following the second rupture of the same feeder main on December 30.
Report Timely for Current Crisis Response
Since the latest failure, Mayor Farkas and other councillors have been vocal in demanding the report's public release as soon as possible. Farkas outlined the report's broad scope, which was designed to examine not just the 2024 incident itself, but also the underlying operations, maintenance, asset management, and governance of Calgary's entire water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.
Originally slated for completion by the end of January 2026, the report's findings are now available at what Farkas calls a "critical moment." He stated the insights will help guide the city's current emergency response and the immediate decisions required to protect public safety and strengthen the water system's resilience.
The special council meeting promises to be a pivotal moment for Calgary as it grapples with the repeated failure of a key piece of infrastructure and seeks a path forward to ensure a reliable water supply for its residents.
