Good ‘ole Reddit. Whatever the problem you have, chances are some Redditor faced it 10 years ago and posted detailed instructions on handling it. Aside from seeking answers to life’s little mysteries, the web platform is also a great place for viewing (and for some, causing) online conflict, spreading and reading news, and discussing topics of interest.
The Calgary subreddit has plenty of the latter, and while it’s easy to fall down a rabbit hole of complaints, one Redditor proposed a more positive question: “What does Calgary do better than other major cities?”
Here’s what users are saying — and how perceptions stack up with reality.
311
The top comment gives a shout-out to 311, a service common across major North American centres that allows users to call in non-emergency concerns related to city services. Although the user admits they haven’t used a similar service outside of Calgary, they express appreciation for Calgary’s 311 app and call-in experience.
The facts: In 2023 and 2024, Calgary 311 implemented new measures aimed at lowering wait times and improving services, such as on-call staffing and a call-back feature, which saw 311 wait times decrease by 50 per cent during the first quarter of 2024 compared to 2023. An app launched in May 2025 also made it easier for Calgarians to report concerns.
At the time of writing, 2025 has seen over 300,000 service requests, most commonly regarding missing and broken carts, property tax account inquiries, and tree concerns. In total, 58 per cent of these were made by phone, while the remaining were split evenly between web intake and the app.
Traffic congestion
A perk of being a car-centric city is that traffic congestion isn’t nearly as bad compared to places like Toronto and Vancouver, one user points out.
The facts: The TomTom Traffic Index reported that Calgary ranked eighth on a list of 13 major Canadian cities for worst traffic congestion in 2024. The cities with less congestion than Calgary also have lower populations.
The completion of the Calgary Ring Road in 2024 has likely contributed to easing traffic. The 101 km of free-flow freeway surrounding the city reduces congestion, improves access to places of interest during busy traffic hours, and provides an important route for the movement of commercial goods.
A clean city
Another Redditor says it’s “crazy” how clean Calgary is compared to other cities, with an Ontario transplant replying in agreement.
The facts: Condorchem Enviro Solutions, an environmental engineering firm, put out a 2023 ranking of the cleanest cities in various countries around the world. Calgary was acknowledged as Canada’s cleanest city, due to factors such as protection and preservation of natural areas, protection of water resources, improved air quality, and reduced pollution.
And these strengths are no accident. The City of Calgary has an environmental strategy dedicated to making the city healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable for residents. Plenty of programs, services, policies, strategies, and guidelines are in place to help see that vision to fruition.
Soak up the sun
A few users point out that Calgary is among the sunniest cities in Canada. Just, maybe not this summer.
The facts: In January, the Weather Network released a list of the sunniest cities in Canada, and Calgary was ranked number one. An average of 52 per cent of Calgary’s daytime hours are sun-filled, and 333 days of the year are sunny.
Despite our reputation as the sunny city, Calgarians likely aren’t feeling the warmth this summer. July saw 245.5 mm of perspiration, making it the city’s third-wettest July on record. Sunshine is one of those things that’s hard to truly appreciate until you have an extra-gloomy summer.
So much to love in Calgary
Other commenters praise Calgary for its airport, beautiful skyline, liveability, family-friendliness, public green spaces, and less elitism amongst social classes compared to other major cities.
Yes, there are many things that Calgary could improve upon. But at the end of the day, there’s also so much to enjoy and appreciate!
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