November 2022 Newsletter

Hello, Ward 14!

This is a big month for the City of Calgary, and City Council. I have been alluding to the upcoming decisions to be made about service plans and budgets at City Hall for a while now. November is here, and it is time to get down to business.

2023-2026 Service Plans and Budgets

Starting on November 21 Council will sit for potentially a week to make budget decisions that will guide the next four years of your municipal government. We will start with presentations from all areas of the City of Calgary’s administration and then go into amendments, debates, and decisions.

My hope is that you will reach out to let me know what the proper places are to spend. But first, I hope you will check out some resources that will perhaps inform your opinions. The first is the City’s property tax breakdown. I haven’t seen anything like it anywhere else, and I am very proud of it because it was my idea. Visit calgary.ca/taxbreakdown to enter your 2022 property tax amount and see how much of it goes to each City service. This is the exact reason for its existence: to let you know where your money goes so you can let me know what you think.

Secondly, I encourage you to visit calgary.ca/budget and poke around a little bit. You might find some information on there that you were aware of. Calgary.ca/ourfinances has some good information too. There is quite a bit of info in both places. If you have any questions about it do not hesitate to contact me, but regardless, please let me know your opinions.

Green Line LRT update

As the largest infrastructure investment in Calgary’s history, with $5.5B in unprecedented contributions from all three levels of government, the Green Line LRT will shape mobility for generations. Phase 1 of the Green Line, from Shepard to Eau Claire, will connect the Southeast to Downtown.

When does construction start? The answer is that it already has. Construction mega projects, like the Green Line, start with early works construction to make way for the main infrastructure. Phase 1 early work includes utility, road, sidewalk, pathway and other infrastructure upgrades and projects such as remediation of two landfill sites and a tunnel under existing railway tracks. Early works in the southeast are complete with the focus now on the Beltline and Downtown. For more information and to sign-up for updates, visit calgary.ca/greenline.

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Do not forget to take a moment this month to think about the sacrifices made by so many to make the incredible quality of life we enjoy possible. Feel free to contact me any time, and remember to visit calgary.ca/ward14newsletter for the full version of this column. The best way to contact me is by visiting calgary.ca/contactward14 or calling (403) 268-1653.

-Councillor Peter Demong