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“I mean let’s be honest here, that’s so dumb, I can’t even imagine people wanting to go there because there’s never been a mayor more accessible than this one.”

“Well, let’s see, this weekend I probably interacted with — without a word of an exaggeration, because I was at a bunch of very large Eid events — more than 10,000 Calgarians, none of whom paid a cent to hear me speak or to talk to me about it,” Nenshi continued.

The mayor said in addition to the now cancelled function on Wednesday, his team is organizing free coffee parties throughout the campaign at people’s homes and anyone who wants to meet with him can book a meeting, as long as they disclose who they are.

But Conacher said the fact Nenshi is accessible didn’t change the nature of the fundraiser at Kasian Architecture.

“Even though he meets with people for free, he is offering to meet with people who pay,” Conacher said. “The one does not excuse the other. It’s still cash-for-access.”

Fundraising and campaign expenses have exploded in recent Calgary civic elections, with much of the money coming from land developers, home builders and unions, all with their own preferred candidates.

Nenshi has long advocated for stricter campaign finance rules for what’s often referred to as a “wild west” system considered lax compared to other Canadian municipalities.

Nenshi said Monday he operates under a “much more stringent set of rules than the law actually allows,” and he releases campaign donors’ names before the election and doesn’t keep campaign surpluses.