April 2023 Newsletter

Hello Ward 6!

With the warmer weather upon us it finally feels like spring! Spring is the season of growth and re-awakenings, which is what we are doing here at the City. In the April edition of the newsletter we discuss making transit safer, reporting traffic incidents, the Event Centre, compost updates and much more.

City Makes Transit Safer

To increase riders’ feelings of safety and confidence in taking Transit, we are deploying additional safety personnel.

We have already doubled contracted security guards at stations from 8 to 16, and will triple that to 24 by the end of April.

• We have increased overnight patrols, pairing police officers and community peace officers, from four nights to seven nights a week.
• We have redeployed peace officers from other operational areas to Transit areas of high concern along 7^th avenue.
• We will proactively be sending peace officers when we observe suspicious behaviour or gatherings, to increase our uniformed presence at that location as a deterrent for escalation into violence.
• We will continue to evaluate the impact of increased resources and will engage Council in discussion about further investment in May. 

The City also recognizes the way we design, maintain and run our Transit infrastructure can have an impact on crime prevention. Some changes that will take effect immediately include:

• running announcements at stations indicating the area is under surveillance and for Transit users only
• increasing cleaning of CTrain stations
• creating a rapid response to repairing infrastructure damaged due to vandalism, etc.
• removing benches in specified areas to indicate a ‘no waiting’ zone to reduce loitering

Calgary Transit Weekend Group Day Pass

Calgary Transit introduces new weekend group day passes! Starting now, the price of the weekend group day pass is $15 and it is valid for unlimited travel on a weekend day for groups of up to five people, including up to two adults. After April 15, the weekend group day pass will be available every weekend on My Fare, the Transit trip planning app, or from ticket vending machines at CTrain stations.

Report Incidents

The City of Calgary has partnered with Waze to report traffic incidents to Calgarians quicker. This app will let you know real-time traffic alerts to avoid “real-time headaches”.  You can help the City using this hands-free feature to report traffic incidents when you see them. Download the app here https://www.waze.com/apps

Resource for Stolen Vehicles    

The Ward 6 office received an insightful article shared by Calgary Police Service. It provides great information on how to keep your vehicle and identity safe.

https://amainsider.com/auto-theft-not-just-your-car-they-want/

The Event Centre

I am in principle pleased to support this important community development that has been agreed upon by The City of Calgary, the Province of Alberta, Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation and the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. This project is more than just an Event Centre. The agreements include a number of improvements to the area that support Calgary’s Downtown Plan, Calgary in the New Economy, The River’s District vision, and the future Culture and Entertainment District:

• New mobility connection: A new 4-lane underpass under the CP train tracks with wide sidewalks at 6th Street S.E., providing pedestrian, wheeling, and vehicle connections
• Community rink: Shared facility for public booking and training facility for CSEC teams with seating for 1,000
• Outdoor and indoor gathering spaces: More opportunity for community events onsite and in The District
• Event centre: New City-owned building, capable of accommodating “A-class” events and additional hosting space on a 10-acre parcel of land
• Street and public realm improvements: Improvements to 5th Street S.E and 15th, 17th and 25th Avenues S.E.
• Land: Potential commercial development parcels that can accelerate development and growth in Calgary’s downtown core and The District

Calgary and Calgarians are getting benefits in return

• The City of Calgary’s contribution is 44% of the total cost, with the Province of Alberta and CSEC contributing the remaining 56%
• For every $1.00 invested by The City of Calgary, the Province and CSEC together will invest $1.28

It is an investment that supports the completion of the Rivers District and Calgary’s Culture + Entertainment District, directly contributing to the downtown recovery

More than an Event Centre, the financial framework and cost estimates reflect an overall investment to The District:

The cost will be shared among public and private investment partners as follows:

The City:

• $537.3 million to fund the development of the Event Centre, parking structure, the enclosed plaza, and 25% of the community rink.

CSEC

• $40 million upfront and $17 million per year (increasing 1% per year) over 35 years to offset Event Centre costs, parking, the enclosed plaza, and 25% of the community rink
  • $356 million in present value; $750 million+ over the 35 year term
• $1.5 million per year to community sports
  • $25 million in present value; $52.5 million over the 35 year term

The Province

• $330.0 million
  • $300 million to fund transportation improvements, land, infrastructure and site enabling costs, including off-site and on-site utility servicing costs, public realm and site clearing/demolition
  • $30 million to fund 50% of the community rink 

For more detailed information click here

Homeowner Water Guide – Spring checklist

Protecting Calgary’s precious water resources is a shared responsibility among The City, businesses and Calgarians. There are many actions you can take to ensure your home is using water efficiently.

Inside

As a part of your regular home maintenance, take the Leaky Toilet Test to find the most common cause of household leaks:

• Remove the tank cover.
• Put several drops of food colouring (or another coloured liquid, such as coffee or tea) into the tank.
• Wait 15-20 minutes.
• Look in the bowl. If the water changes colour, you’ve got a leak.

Most toilet leaks are silent and go unnoticed for long periods of time, so the sooner you find and repair leaks, the better.

Outside

With warmer weather here, it’s time to think about outdoor water efficiency. Add these items to your spring checklist:

• Check your outdoor taps, irrigation system and water features (e.g. ponds or fountains) for leaks.
• Consult the YardSmart plant list before planning this year’s garden.
• Set up your rain barrel.
• Clean and repair downspouts, directing stormwater away from your house, ideally towards your lawns or garden.

Being water efficient means you’re helping protect Calgary’s water resources by:

• Keeping our rivers healthy by using less water
• Saving money and energy on treating and delivering water
• Extending the use of our water treatment plants
• Making drought less impactful to our homes and businesses
• Increasing our resiliency to climate change

To learn more about water efficiency, visit calgary.ca/waterguide.

Green Cart Collection Moving to Weekly Schedule

• Starting the week of April 24, 2022, green cart collection will return to its weekly pickup schedule. Green carts are picked up weekly from April to October.
• This seasonal adjustment ensures efficient collection of food and yard waste during the warmer months, when we see an increase in the volume of yard waste.
• There's no need to worry about changes to pick up days, or to the blue or black cart frequencies.
• Residents can visit calgary.ca/collection or download the Calgary Garbage Day app to check their schedule and sign up for free reminders.

Green Cart Seasonal Changes (calgary.ca)

Green Cart Food and Yard Waste program (calgary.ca)

Seasonal Yard Waste

• Residents can bring yard waste to a City landfill for free from Friday, April 14, 2023 to Sunday, May 28, 2023.
• This is useful for residential households that would like to dispose of extra material quickly or for yard waste that is too large for the green cart:
  • Loads should only have leaves, branches, plants and grass clippings.
  • We do not accept sod or food scraps. Put these items in your green cart.
  • Shake the soil off plants and roots.
  • Any loads containing garbage or sod will be subject to regular landfill fees.
  • Composting for sod is not available at City landfills. If you take sod to the landfill, you will be charged the basic sanitary rate​.
  • Commercial customers with yard waste will be subject to regular landfill fees.
  • Commercial loads are not accepted at Shepard.
• Preferred payment methods are credit card (Visa, Mastercard and American Express), debit card or cash.
• For faster service, we suggest visiting the landfill on a weekday, or before 9 a.m. on Saturdays, when wait times are shorter.
• For hours and locations, visit Landfill Locations and Hours.

Seasonal yard waste cleanup options for 2023 (calgary.ca)

Community Cleanup Schedule

Starting your spring purging? Save yourself time and money going to the City dump and mark your calendars for the community cleanup nearest you. For more info visit calgary.ca/cleanup

Energizing Spaces powered By ENMAX

Energizing Spaces powered by ENMAX is back! Do you want to replace inefficient appliances or bring in new ones? Do you need outdoor safety or rink lighting? Maybe you don’t have a facility and want to explore the world of market lighting!

No matter what your facility needs, if it’s in the realm of energy-efficiency, we’re here to help with our friends at ENMAX!

This year, we have brand new opportunities to offer to energize your space! Not only can you replace inefficient appliances, but you can also apply to bring in brand new appliances to a space that previously had none! Market lights also offer the opportunity for organizations without facilities to energize spaces with this energy efficient plug-in option.

But there’s more! Install day offers the unique experience to have The Federation and ENMAX come out to ONE great community building. ENMAX employees will come in early Fall to install energy efficient tools at no cost to you! This is also an educational opportunity to your residents. All you need to do is invite your members and open your doors! ENMAX and The Federation will do the rest.

ENMAX is passionate about supporting the growth of our local communities, and they want to see and hear how this grant will make a difference for your community. This round, we have an exciting workshop called How to get funded with Energizing Spaces on May 11 to teach you everything you need to know about the program. Learn more about Energizing Spaces powered by ENMAX today and get your application in before midnight on June 30. Register today

https://calgarycommunities.com/energizing-spaces/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=get_engaged_energizing_spaces_is_now_open&utm_term=2023-03-22

Public Hearing Process

An upcoming Council decision may affect you. Provide your views on the issue at a public hearing or committee meeting. You can provide your input in person, by phone, or by written submission. Here is a video on how:

https://youtu.be/alATMD-OavQ

This video will provide you all the information you need to participate in Public Hearings, and features the following sections:

1. What is a Public Hearing?
   
2. How are Public Hearings Advertised?
   
3. How do I Participate in a Public Hearing?
   
4. Tips for Submitting a Comment or Presenting
   
5. It’s Public Hearing Day
   
6. After the Public Hearing

For more info go to https://www.calgary.ca/council/meetings/public-hearing.html

QR Codes make Land Use and Development applications easier to find

Have you ever walked past a construction site or past an open field and seen a development sign and wondered what was happening? Or perhaps you were interested in a new building going up in your community but didn't know who to contact to find out more information? Well, The City has recently made things a lot easier by adding QR codes to land use and development posting signs!

With the use of QR codes, you no longer need to take note of contact information or search the internet to find out more about the projects in your community. All you need to do is scan the code using your smartphone's camera and you will instantly be directed to the City of Calgary’s development map.

The City’s development map shows proposed developments, including commercial and residential properties. It can also provide information on the status of each project, including whether it is under review, approved, or already underway.

By exploring Development Map, you can get a better understanding of what changes are happening in your community. You can see what new businesses may be coming to the area, what new housing options are available, and what recreation centres may be popping up. 

Small Businesses

Ward 6 is home to some incredible small businesses. These local businesses enrich the whole community and help sustain the vibrancy that Ward 6 is known for. It is important to support these enterprises as they help our local economy, as well as provide the uniqueness and diversity that residents desire. Do you know what businesses are open in your community, neighbouring communities and/or throughout Calgary? Has there ever been some special service that you needed and wondered if it existed in your community? You can now find any commercial business and business licence information in the Business Map. You can search businesses by area through community districts, local area plans and business improvement areas or by business licences through license type categories or tradename. This map is located at https://maps.calgary.ca/businessmap/.

Are you a business owner? The City of Calgary is here to make things uncomplicated and help you make your business a success. Go to https://www.calgary.ca/for-business.html for information and webinars to help make starting or running a business easier. A friendly reminder to business owners - license fees are waived until March 16, 2023.

If you would like the Ward 6 office to promote your business on my social media, please contact clward6@calgary.ca

Community Events

SCA Community Association- 277 Strathcona Dr SW, https://scacalgary.ca/

They say 10,000 steps a day is the golden rule to keeping fit! The SCA has started a walking group for the summer months, with the first walk starting on Tuesday, May 2 at 10 a.m. and meeting at the Good Earth within the Sobey's parking lot. No membership or fee required. Just send us an email at info@scacalgary.ca letting us know you'd like information on upcoming walks. Look forward to seeing you out there!