August 2017 Newsletter

​​Greetings!

Are you enjoying the summer? I hope you are! Summer is part way through, but I am sure some of the best weather is still to come. 

Ward 14 Communities BBQ

The Ward 14 Communities BBQ is about one month away. Things are starting to fall into place—although I am sure there are still many surprises in store. This year the BBQ will be on September 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the parking lot of Southcentre Mall. Visit www.calgary.ca/ward14bbq for more info, or www.calgary.ca/ward14connect for email updates.

As for potential surprises, the list of exhibitors continues to grow along with the list of kind sponsors. To start, Spolumbo’s is the newest food sponsor. Instead of the traditional burger, you can have one of their delicious sausages on a bun.

I also want to introduce Pacific Developments as the newest financial sponsor. They join United Communities, Mattamy Homes, No Bull Bookkeeping, Genstar, and Great News Publishing on the list at this early point. Another big thank you is also owed to Waste Connections of Canada (formerly Progressive Waste Solutions) for donating money, and for helping clean up afterwards.

Thank you to all of them, and Southcentre Mall for the venue

Ward Boundary Changes

In case you weren’t aware, there is a municipal election coming on October 16. Because Calgary is continually evolving and changing shape, ward boundaries must constantly change shape too. 58 communities will find themselves in a new ward next Council term. It is important that you check your ward so that you know what candidates are running in your ward and where to find your designated voting station. To check your ward, visit www.electionscalgary.ca, or call the Elections & Census Office at 403-476-4100 (Option 2).

Unfortunately, Ward 14 will be losing three communities: Maple Ridge, Silverado, and Willow Park. I can’t overstate what a pleasure it has been to serve these communities. I spent many nights meeting the people there, and many days advocating for them at City Hall. More importantly, within them I have made many friends

Thank you to all the residents, and volunteers of those beautiful communities for joining me in the endeavor of making them the best they can be. I look forward to doing the same with Douglasdale and McKenzie Lake as we welcome them into Ward 14. 

New rules for fire pits in Calgary

I can confidently say that building a good relationship with your neighbours is very important. Not only is it nice to have the friendly mood in the community, but it is maybe the best thing you can do to keep the area safe.

Everyone should try their best to be a good neighbour, but there is just no way that everyone is going to agree about everything. That is why we have set some rules—that we call Community Standards Bylaws—as guidance for being a good neighbour.

We have recently finished a review of those bylaws, and there have been some changes. Perhaps the most notable of those changes is to rules about fire pits. For example, you must now make sure your flame is extinguished by midnight on weekdays, and 1 p.m. on weekends.

If you are interested in learning more, I suggest you visit calgary.ca/firepits. If you have a concern or complaint about fire pits, call 311.

I will write again for September. Until then, feel free to contact me at any time.

-Councillor Peter Demong​​​​​