May 2016 Newsletter

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Greetings Ward 14!

Normally in May we would just be starting to venture out into the outdoors after our winter hibernation, but this year it feels like we have had several months of spring already.

Spring yard waste drop-off at City Landfills

There has also already been a month for you to bring your spring yard waste to City landfills free of charge. Why mention it now? Because you still have almost another full month left. All City landfills will be accepting leaves, branches, and plants until May 29, but make sure they are in a paper yard waste bag or left loose. Free mulch is also available at all City landfills until May 29. You can find details at calgary.ca/waste.

Preventing theft in Ward 14

I recently came upon some very interesting statistics courtesy of the Calgary Police Service. They broke down Calgary’s break and enter (B & E) statistics by community. In all, Ward 14 fared well in comparison, but a couple of salient points were apparent. Almost half of residential B & Es were unforced entries, and the vast majority of garage B & Es were unforced. Can you imagine how much crime we could stop by just locking our doors.

Here are some crime prevention tips from the Police:

• Do not leave garage doors open
• Keep the door to your attached garage locked
• Keep your front, rear, and patio doors locked, even when at home
• Do not leave valuables near the entrances in your home
• Do not leave your vehicles unlocked when parked outside
• Do not leave your garage door opener in your vehicle
• Close all windows and doors at night

They may seem like common sense, but sometimes that seems less common than it ought to be.
Two more key points: do not be afraid to report suspicious activity to the police, and get involved with your local community association. The police visit them regularly to share information and hear concerns. You can contact the police at (403) 266-1234 for non-emergencies, and at 911 for emergencies.

May Counciltalk

As always, thank you to everyone who turned out for my April Counciltalk meeting. I learn new things every time, and I hope others do too. There are only two more Counciltalks before the summer. We will meet on May 14 between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. at the Bonavista Downs Community Hall (1418 Lake Ontario Road S.E.). You will always be able to find details and future dates at calgary.ca/counciltalk, and I also send email reminders about upcoming Counciltalk sessions and other things. You can sign up for reminders at calgary.ca/ward14connect.

I hope you know that you can always contact me in a few different ways. For one, you can fill out the contact form at calgary.ca/ward14. You can also call or email. I do not usually include my phone number and email in the body of this column because they are shown in the header, but just in case they are: (403) 268-1653 and eaward14@calgary.ca.

Goodbye for now

- Councillor Peter Demong