June 2016 Newsletter

Happy June Ward 14

Ward 14 Wordsmith Award

Every year I hold an essay contest for the Grade 6 students in Ward 14. Every year they write abo0ut what municipal government means to them, and every year I am blown away by the calibre of the essays.

For four years the winner of the Ward 14 Wordsmith Award, and their entire class, have joined me at a City Council meeting. I read the winning essay on TV during a Council meeting—so everyone can be just as impressed as I—and present the winner with the Ward 14 Wordsmith Award.

This year Ian Samuel Benham of Prince of Wales School became the winner of the fifth annual Ward 14 Wordsmith Award. He and Mrs. Armstrong-Shaver’s class will join me in Council on June 13 and he will receive a very special prize in addition to the traditional trophy: a signed Johnny Gaudreau jersey courtesy of the Calgary Flames!

Congratulations Ian! It is great to see young people who understand the importance of democracy. Thank you to all of the teachers who instil that importance, and to all the students who participated! I can’t wait to see what the students have in store for next year.

For those of you who would like to read Ian’s essay, you can find it at calgary.ca/ward14.

Counciltalk

I will be holding one more Counciltalk session before summer. It will be at the ATB in Walden (300-151 Walden Gate S.E.) on June 25 from noon to 2 p.m.

This has been the most popular year for Counciltalk yet, and that makes me happy. As good as it is to see young people who understand the importance of democracy it is equally as good to see adults participate in it.

Thank you to everyone who joined me at one of my Counciltalk sessions this year. Keep an eye out for the next one on calgary.ca/counciltalk.

Ward 14 Communities BBQ & Walden Community Association

I think people must be getting familiar with my community BBQ. I will speak about it in a little more detail in the coming months, but for now you should mark it in your calendars. It will be a great time.

The BBQ is on September 24, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and I will be officially welcoming Walden’s brand new community association for the first time. It will be in the same location as always: the Southcentre Mall parking lot. You can find out more about the Walden Community Association at waldenyyc.ca and more about the BBQ at calgary.ca/ward14bbq.

Deerfoot Trail Engagement

I want to briefly mention a couple of opportunities to give your input on the future of Deerfoot Trail.

You will have to keep an eye on calgary.ca/engage to get the fine details of the first opportunity, but in general it will be a chance to share your thoughts on what you want to see on Deerfoot. Watch for the Deerfoot Trail Corridor Study on the City’s website.

The second opportunity will be focused specifically on the south section of Deerfoot. I will be at the First Alliance Church (12345 40 Street S.E.) on June 23 from 7 to 9 p.m. with area MLA Richard Gotfried, other area councillors, and other interested parties to listen to what the citizens of Calgary’s south have to say.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to contact me any time.

- Councillor Peter Demong​