April 2022 Newsletter

Understanding rights-of-way and your property

Did you know that part of your yard is made up of rights-of-way, and your property line doesn’t begin at the edge of the road or sidewalk closest to your home?

The City of Calgary is responsible for managing access to municipal rights-of-way in Calgary. A right-of-way is an area that gives The City space to install infrastructure (e.g. street light poles and trees), while also giving shallow utilities (i.e. power, gas and telecommunications providers) a place to install and maintain their critical infrastructure. When utility work is required in your community, crews can apply for the permits required to access the right-of-way to install infrastructure, both above and below ground. All properties contain a road right-of-way, but only some properties have a utility right-of-way on them. In most cases, the utility right-of way starts at your property line and extends inward, toward your home. The space the right-of-way takes up in a yard will vary and it can also be located along the side of your home or at the back.

As a homeowner, you are responsible for mowing and general maintenance, but it is technically the road right-of-way and is considered public land.

For more information or to learn where the right-of-way is located on your property, visit Calgary.ca/row.

Improvements to the Secondary Suites Amnesty Program

To increase the number of safe and compliant suites in Calgary, the Secondary Suites Amnesty Program has been extended until December 31, 2023. At present, there are over 7,100 registered legal suites in Calgary. The City's goal is to register an additional 5,900 for a total of 13,000 legal suites by the end of the amnesty. To improve application timelines and enable applicants to be self-directed in their legalization journey, we have updated the application process for existing secondary suites. An improved existing secondary suite information sheet has replaced the owner-initiated pre-inspection program, saving applicants four to six weeks in the overall application journey. Applicants will continue to submit the required documentation to apply.calgary.ca. Once all forms and photos are received, the review of each application will begin. 

You can submit any comments via the Development Map Tool.

Responsible Pet Ownership

As the weather warms up, it’s the perfect time to get outside with your four-legged friend. Calgary has 157 public off-leash areas with a combined area of 1,145 hectares for you and your dog to enjoy. We are lucky to have 7 public off-leash areas in Ward 6. The City of Calgary has a map that shows the location of off-leash dog areas in Calgary. It can viewed at https://maps.calgary.ca/OffLeashDogAreas/.

Off-leash area rules

• Dogs must be on-leash in all public spaces in Calgary unless otherwise indicated by a posted sign that the area is an off-leash area.
• Dogs must be under their owner's control at all times. In off-leash areas, this means dogs must be able to respond to their owner's voice, sound or visual commands. This will help protect your dog from unforeseen hazards such as cars, unfriendly dogs or coyotes.
• In on-leash and off-leash areas, dog owners must pick up and properly dispose of their pet's feces. Dog owners are also required to carry a "suitable means" (e.g., plastic bag) for picking up their pet's feces.
• All parking lots are on-leash, including parking lots for designated off-leash areas.
• Dogs are not permitted within five meters of "No Dog Areas" whether a sign is posted or not. No dog areas include: play structures, school grounds, wading pool/swimming areas, sports fields, golf courses or cemeteries.

Weekly Compost Pick-up & Giveaways

Reminder: At the end of April, green cart collection will return to weekly pickup until October.

The City of Calgary is offering complimentary compost for residents to use in their yards and gardens this spring. The compost is made from the food and yard waste collected through the Green Cart program.

• Compost will be available for pickup, by online appointment only, from April 25 to June 11 at Shepard (South) and Spyhill (North) landfills during operating hours.
  • April 25 – May 14 appointments: Available to book starting April 18
  • May 16 – May 28 appointments: Available to book starting May 9
  • May 30 – June 11 appointments: Available to book starting May 23
• The appointment booking tool will be available starting April 18 on /content/www/en/home/waste/residential/green-cart-compost-giveaway.html.
  • When the appointment booking tool is live, select which location you will be picking up your compost.
  • Select a date and time to pick up compost – appointments are booked in 15-minute slots.
  • Save the confirmation email, on your smartphone or printed, as you will be asked to show it to the site attendant when you check in.
  • Please arrive on time for your appointment.
  • If you are unable to make your scheduled appointment time, you can cancel your appointment through your confirmation email and rebook a timeslot at a later date.
• To ensure there is a fair opportunity for all citizens to pick up compost, households may pick up compost once for the 2022 year.
• Participants should bring:
  • Shovel
  • Gloves
  • Containers to hold compost (buckets, tubs, etc.)
  • Tarps

Spring Street Sweep Clean-up

The City’s Annual Spring Clean-up Program is set to begin next week. We wanted to pass along some helpful information about the program as sweeping in residential communities will commence shortly. The information and schedule below will assist your office with communicating and informing communities in your ward of scheduled dates and to ensure the public supports making this a successful annual program. We greatly appreciate your support efforts to promote this program every year. 

Highlights this year:

• Flexibility: Daytime crews will sweep in communities Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking bans are in place when signs are present.

• No schedule changes: City crews will not be pre-sweeping in communities. Any delays due to weather, equipment or other issues will only be rescheduled to the end of the program (end of June).

• Avoid parking tickets by planning ahead and moving vehicles: Enforcement will occur this year through partnership with Calgary Parking. Vehicle owners that have not moved before sweepers are operating in their community may receive a parking tag but there are multiple way to plan ahead and be prepared.

• If debris is left behind because a vehicle or cart has not been moved: Residents can sweep up missed debris. It is recommended to use garbage bags (heavy debris needs to be double-bagged) when cleaning up gravel, dust and rocks. Do not leave debris loose in your black cart.

We are communicating with citizens in a number of ways so that they can get information about when their areas will be swept. The best option is to visit Calgary.ca/sweep to find:

• Address look up tool
• The “RoadBot” Virtual Agent
• Email notifications
• Online map showing progress/schedule
• Program information
• FAQ’s

Please watch for these signs:

Why we sweep?

• Environment: To help the environment by keeping material out of our storm and river system
• Safety: To keep safe on our roads when walking, cycling or operating a motorized vehicle
• Clean Air: Make our communities clean and reduce airborne particles

Ward Community Schedule

*Please note some communities have several sweeping dates listed as some areas require this for operational purposes. Residents in these communities are encouraged to check their respective address for exact dates and please excuse any discrepancies below.

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