July 2022 Newsletter

Hello Ward 6!

In the July edition of the newsletter, you will read about road improvements, the Calgary parks amenities map, how to provide feedback on City services and downtown perceptions, and much more.

Bow Trail Operational Improvements

Many of you have noticed the construction of the Bow Trail U-Turn has been completed. The U-Turn lane and new traffic signals are now fully operational and open to vehicles. New pedestrian signals have also been installed at the intersection.

The City will continue to monitor the U-Turn lane traffic queues over the coming months to ensure appropriate signal timing is in place.

Updates will also be shared via the project webpage.

Up the hill and to the West you will see there is work being done at the intersection of Bow Trail & Old Banff Coach Road/Strathcona Boulevard SW. The South and West medians are being modified to accommodate new Northbound dual left turns, as seen in the picture.

If there are any concerns with either project, please contact 311 or our Ward 6 office.

COMMUNITY ASSOCITATION FEATURE:

Coach Hill/Patterson Heights Community Hub

Coach Hill/Patterson Heights Community Association has been planning an Outdoor Activity Hub for the last 5 years, which will provide a central neighbourhood gathering space. This multi-use, multi-season site is comprised of accessible spaces that will increase programming and services throughout the area. The Outdoor Activity Hub will feature a hard surface, multi-season sports court, an outdoor fire pit, tables and seating area. As well there will be a community garden and a natural playground. You can view more information here https://www.chph.ca/outdoor-activity-hub.

The Coach Hill/Patterson Heights Community Association board presented at Executive Committee in hopes in being approved for the Council Community funding. They were successful! The application will now go to a Combined Council meeting for final approval on September 13. If you want to tell City Council why you support this Outdoor Activity Hub, send your thoughts to www.calgary.ca/publicsubmissions or to clward6@calgary.ca

On behalf of myself and my Ward 6 staff I want to thank the Coach Hill/Patterson Heights Community Association for being community leaders and working so diligently to capture the passion and vision of the community in an incredible space that Ward 6 residents will be able to connect with, be active in, and have wonderful memories of for years to come.  Thank you to these extraordinary volunteers:

• Samantha Domagala
• Voula Martin
• Adrienne McGarvey
• Talena Klypak
• Marcie Miranda
• Smita Sharma
• Michelle Flemming

Thank you to James Runge, our City of Calgary Neighbourhood Partnership Coordinator, for helping them every step of the way.

Growth Strategy 

During the last economic expansion, a decade ago, Calgary grew by 100,000 people over a three year period.  For context, Lethbridge and Red Deer achieved those population levels after about 100 years of growth. 

The City forecasts growth of 20,000 people per year for the next four years.  The challenge is how to manage the supply of housing to support this growth appropriately.  A restricted supply will drive prices higher and affect affordability.  Too much housing will add needless municipal service and infrastructure costs.

The City Municipal Development Plan governs development policy which mandates that new housing development to be split 50-50 between established areas and new suburban development.  For example, Ward 6 has five established communities (essentially on the east side of Sarcee Tr.) engaged in a City local area planning process.   Many residents have expressed their concern about City enthusiasm for enabling increased density in their communities while others are more accepting of change.

Concurrently City Administration has released their plans with business case recommendations for an eventual build out total of 8 new suburban communities.  I supported the Administration analysis because we need to reasonably balance where new residents can choose to live.  This also makes provision for a broad range of environmental, economic, market, and transportation factors.  

Beat the heat with wading pools, spray parks and outdoor pools

Summer weather has finally arrived, and this July has been a hot one. If you are trying to beat the heat and have some outdoor fun, check out these City of Calgary wading pools, spray parks and outdoor pools.

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Parks Wayfinder: Map shows amenities in Calgary parks

Summer is in full force and it’s the perfect time for Calgarians to enjoy the outdoors by visiting the many parks in the city. The Parks Wayfinder Map shows amenities owned by Calgary Parks. You can search for the nearest washroom, drinking fountain, waste/recycling disposal, firepit, picnic table, off-leash area, sports field, park vendor and other amenities available in City parks. Visit the Parks Wayfinder Map at https://maps.calgary.ca/ParksWayfinder/.

To view more City of Calgary maps, please visit the Map Gallery at https://maps.calgary.ca.

Your passion needs a seat at the table

The City of Calgary is recruiting for vacancies on 21 Boards, Commissions and Committees (BCC’s). BCC members apply their skills, interests, and expertise to guide decisions across a wide range of urban issues – including social wellbeing, anti-racism, planning & design, community standards, climate, and other areas. If you value public service and would like to take part in the future decisions of our dynamic city, please go to our website: calgary.ca/boards. Recruiting opens at 8 a.m. Aug. 12 and closes at 4 p.m. Sept. 12.

Provide your input on how and when The City charges fees

If you ever use City services like transit or recreation, you likely pay a fee when you do. How much you pay to use these and other City services that require a fee is shaped by The City’s User Fee and Subsidy Policy and approved by Council each year.

The last time the User Fees Policy was reviewed was 2012. Since a lot has changed over the last 10 years, we are now reviewing the current policy with the aim of having an updated policy in place for 2024.

To make sure the updated policy meets the needs of Calgarians now and in the future, we need your input. Please visit engage.calgary.ca/fees to share your thoughts on how user fees should be determined in our city and to learn more.

Downtown Strategy perception survey

The Downtown Strategy Team is looking for your feedback. If you have yet to share your input on Greater Downtown Calgary, please take a moment to complete the survey, which should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your opinions are truly important to The City and all your responses will be kept strictly confidential.

TAKE THE SURVEY HERE: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GreaterDowntownCalgary (To access the survey in a different language, interpretation services may be provided by the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.)

Virtual Discussion Series

The Ward 6 Virtual Discussion Series have been a great success thus far. I would like to thank all our guest and constituents who have watched and sent in questions. We will be taking a break for the summer. To watch my previous “Discussion Series”, click on the links below:

• City Manager David Duckworth click here
• Calgary Deputy Fire Chief Mark Turik and CEMA Chief Susan Henry click here
• Calgary Police Service: Inspector Shanon Scott, Cst. Suzanne Sheppard and Cst. David Prajoux click here
• City Planning & Development: General Manager Stuart Dalgleish, Director Community Planning Debra Hamilton, Director Calgary Growth Strategies Josh White click here