April 2024 newsletter

Thank you to those who have taken the time to email the Ward 1 Office, attended the Ward 1 Rezoning Townhall, and who have signed-up to speak or submitted a comment for the Rezoning Public Hearing scheduled for April 22, 2024. Your active participation and valuable feedback are essential to make sure that the voices of the Ward 1 residents are heard and taken into account by all Councillors. Additionally, Councillor Sharp will be reviewing all submissions ahead of the Public Hearing to ensure that your concerns and opinions are reflected in the decision-making process. If you would like to view the Public Hearing live, visit calgary.ca/publichearing.

On January 30, 2024, City Council started the process to review the present Single-Use Items Bylaw after considering several factors that affect the residents, businesses, and waste reduction efforts in the City. Due to legal requirements, final approval to repeal the Single-Use Items Bylaw will be discussed at the Public Hearing on May 7, 2024. Until the repeal process is complete, the current Single-Use Items Bylaw remains in effect, and businesses are expected to follow it as they would any other bylaw. For more information, visit calgary.ca/singleuse.

The Calgary City Council has directed Administration to form a commission to review the effectiveness of the city's 14-ward system. A public engagement process will be conducted to gather feedback from Calgarians, which will be used by the commission to make recommendations to Council. In Ward 1, there is a public engagement opportunity on April 20, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Calgary Farmers' Market West located at 25 Greenbriar Drive N.W. For more information, visit calgary.ca/heard. 

The Bowness Park wading pool is undergoing repairs from January to June. The pool is expected to reopen to the public on Father's Day, Sunday, June 16. However, timelines may change due to weather or construction delays. During the repairs, the park will remain open, but park users will see ongoing construction activity in the fenced-in area. Workers will be moving large equipment, and construction activity will take place in the pool area. To ensure safety, fencing will be secured around the wading pool area, and visitors are advised to watch for signs and avoid the immediate area. For more information on the reopening dates, please visit calgary.ca/outdoorpools or call 311.

The City's Spring Clean-up (SCU) program, or street sweeping, removes debris and leftover materials from winter on the roadway. The program will begin April 15, 2024, and will run through until June, with community sweeping happening Mondays through Fridays, between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Calgarians can stay notified by watching for signs in their community, using the address lookup, or signing up for the e-mail and/or text notifications. For more information, visit calgary.ca/sweeping.

The City of Calgary and the southern region of Alberta are currently facing drought conditions. As the snowpack is below normal and temperatures are expected to be above average this spring, we must be mindful of our water consumption to avoid putting excessive pressure on Calgary's water supply. At home, you can conserve water by doing laundry and using the dishwasher only when full, taking shorter showers, and turning off the tap while brushing your teeth. In the yard, consider using drought-tolerant seeds and plants, adding mulch to reduce evaporation, and using rain barrels to capture and use rainwater. Find areas of potential water savings at work or business, such as fixing leaks or installing water-efficient fixtures. To learn more tips on how to use water wisely, visit calgary.ca/drought.

On March 17, 2023, the Government of Canada announced funding the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF). This $4 billion fund is intended to help municipalities with new and transformative changes and aims to construct 100,000 homes in Canada by 2026. Under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) Action Plan approved by Council, the City has received $228.5 million to support seven initiatives aimed at delivering 6,858 additional housing unities above their three-year average growth. Meeting the housing supply growth target is a requirement for receiving HAF funding, and the target to create a total of 41,858 units by October 27, 20206. Of these, 6,825 units will be incentivized under HAF, while the remaining units will be baseline at a rate of 11,200 units per year. 

• From April to October, green carts will now be collected every week. To ensure you never miss a collection day, you can download the Calgary Garbage Day app on your phone. With the app, you can easily view your collection schedule on the go and set up notifications to remind you of your blue, black, and green cart collection days. For more information, visit calgary.ca/waste-recycling. 
  
• Since 2010, the City of Calgary and Green Calgary have been working together to offer a Rain Barrel Sales program. Rain barrels collect rainwater for watering your plants and reduce untreated rainwater runoff into rivers and creeks. Information on where you can purchase rain barrels can be found at calgary.ca/rainbarrels. 
• The City of Calgary's Branching Out Free Tree Giveaway is scheduled to make a comeback late this spring. Stay tuned for updates and keep an eye out for more information at calgary.ca/branchingout.
• The Customer Review period for property assessments has concluded and the 2024 Property Tax bills will be mailed in May. Visit calgary.ca/assessment or log into Assessment Search for more information or use the property tax calculator to understand your tax obligations beforehand.