April 2019 Newsletter

Greetings Ward 14!

Welcome to my newsletter column. I certainly welcome some Spring topics this month.

Community Cleanup Season

Once again, it’s time to comb through your garage and purge your garden shed of that never-used stuff. Community Cleanup events run from April through September to help keep our city clean and safe while also saving residents a trip to the landfill.

These popular events are hosted by community associations with support from Calgary Community Standards and Waste & Recycling at The City. This year, The City is taking a slightly different approach. While every attempt was made to give communities their first choice of date, they may have been assigned their second or third choice based on proximity to an open landfill as not all landfills are open every weekend. This will help ensure trucks making drop-offs during events are travelling the shortest distance possible to save time and fuel.

Check calgary.ca/cleanup for the list of community associations hosting cleanup events and check your association web site or Facebook page for full details on the event in your community.

Please don’t bring:

• Car batteries
• Glass (e.g. window panes, glass table tops)
• ​Household appliances with Freon (e.g. refrigerators, freezers)
• Microwaves
• Liquids (e.g. cooking oils)
• Large metal items (e.g. lawnmowers, barbeques)
• Rail way ties
• Sod or dirt (other yard waste is OK)
• Household hazardous waste (see here for drop-off locations)

Visit calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere for items that are recyclable. While there is no charge for putting items in City Waste & Recycling trucks, some events may include fee-based recycling services as well. Citizens can attend any event across Calgary.

Changes to your Utility Bill (again)

If you haven’t already noticed, there have been some changes made to the way your utility bill is presented. Delivering safe and reliable drinking water, treating wastewater, providing flood protection, maintaining a system of pipes, plants and pumps, and providing waste and recycling services for a city of 1.2 million can be complicated. The point of the new bill is to make it less complicated to understand, but you should be the judge of that.

Here is what the City is aiming for with the new bill:

• To clarify the services are provided by The City of Calgary
• To include service descriptions with easy to reference icons to show what you pay for
• To show wastewater charge as percentage of water usage and to show why
• To separate wastewater and stormwater services to reinforce they are separate services (formerly shown under one heading “wastewater and drainage”)
• To identify clearly if the water usage is based on actual meter read or an estimate
• To uses an easier-to-read font

As you are reviewing your next bill, make a point to review the layout and the content as well. I want to hear what you think of it. You can find out more about the bill at calgary.ca/waterbill, and you can contact me at calgary.ca/contactward14.

2019 Census

Watch the mail for your access code, because you can complete your census on calgary.ca/census as early as April 1. We cannot make informed decisions without information and I am all about informed decisions, so I encourage you to take the census. If you are unable to complete your census online, contact 311 for assistance. Door-to-door census collection will begin April 22.

Now Open – Registration for City Programs

Day camps, swimming, arts, dance, fitness, sports, sailing, golf are just some of the activities you can sign up for in the City’s Spring & Summer Recreation Program Guide. There are over 35 types of day camps, and even a year-long playschool. You can currently register for all of these programs at calgary.ca/register.

Counciltalk

The next Counciltalk is on April 6 at the McKenzie Lake Community Centre (16198 McKenzie Lake Way SE) from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Visit calgary.ca/counciltalk for the other Counciltalk dates, times, and locations.

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Please feel free to contact me any time. The best way to do so is by visiting calgary.ca/contactward14.

-Councillor Peter Demong​