eNews - News At A Glance - Issue 03
State of the City 2007
2006 was a year in which Calgary was firing on all cylinders, setting records one month, then breaking them the next. Now, thanks to a commitment from Premier Ed Stelmach to provide new funding for Alberta's municipalities, 2007 should be even better.
Premier Stelmach promised the growth-stressed municipalities $1.4 billion every year for 10 years, 'no strings' funding the municipalities can spend as they see fit, on local needs and local priorities. The Premier's commitment will stand as one of the most significant promises ever made to Albertans; following through on the commitment will be a turning point for the whole province.
This city, and this province, are global players, competing in the worldwide market for skilled workers, business, and investment capital. To compete successfully, Calgary must be a place that's affordable, safe, and exciting, a place that's easy to get around in, where people want to live, and business wants to be.
Calgary's share of these new dollars will go toward building the west leg of the LRT, recreation centres and parks, downtown infrastructure, transit and road upgrades, and support for arts and cultural facilities.
This very welcome new provincial funding, plus the drive and imagination for which Calgarians are justly famous, will ensure our community is the place everyone wants to be.
The Calgary Committee to End Homelessness
Senior business leaders, representatives of social agencies, the faith community, and all three orders of government have joined together in an all-out effort to end homelessness in our community.
The Calgary Committee to End Homelessness, which had its first meeting in January, is being chaired by Steve Snyder of TransAlta, and modeled after similar community initiatives that have been successful in several large cities in the United States.
The end-homelessness programs in New York and Philadelphia have been so successful, in fact, that they have actually been able to close two of their largest homeless shelters.
The committee has an ambitious goal: over the next 18 months, draft a plan for ending homelessness in Calgary within 10 years.
The strategy is clear: continuing to manage homelessness is not good enough for Calgary. We're developing a plan to end it.
Mayor's 2006 annual report on its way to Calgarians
Watch for your copy of my 2006 Annual Report, scheduled to be delivered to all Calgary homes the last week in February.
It's a summary of the highlights and key city issues last year, and where our priorities will be in 2007. Reporting to Calgarians on the activities of your municipal government is in keeping with Council's commitment to open, transparent government. You have a right to know what's being done with your tax dollars, and we have an obligation to keep you informed.
The annual report is bring produced and delivered for less than 19 cents per copy.
eNews - News At A Glance - Issue 04
The revitalization of The Rivers district: Tomorrow starts Monday, April 16
After decades of neglect and decay, the redevelopment and revitalization of The Rivers district, including the long-troubled East Village, will soon be underway. One of the most ambitious urban renewal projects ever undertaken in all of Canada, the redeveloped Rivers will give Calgary an inner city that is truly world class, and will mark our emergence as a global city.
The area is Calgary's birthplace and now takes in all the east end of downtown. Some of the most popular attractions in the city are here: the soon-to-be-expanded Zoo, Fort Calgary, and the proposed new TELUS World of Science. The University of Calgary is planning to build an urban campus in the district, and the Stampede's expansion and redevelopment is already underway.
The redevelopment will be 'kick started' by public infrastructure improvements – including East Village upgrades and the building of a riverwalk that links to the existing river pathway system – that will be the catalyst to attract private sector investment.
These improvements will be funded through a Community Revitalization Levy (sometimes called Tax Increment Financing – TIF). This is a new (to Canada) municipal financing tool that is self-sustaining, and will not increase taxes either within or beyond the Rivers district.
You are invited to attend a Public Hearing on Monday, April 16. The public hearing, scheduled for 9:30 am in Council Chambers, will be on the proposed Rivers District Community Revitalization Levy.
Independent community board to oversee Rivers District development
To implement The Rivers district revitalization, a new independent entity has been established: the Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation (CMLC). Governed by a board of business and community leaders, including myself, the CMLC will be bringing forward their business plan to City Council on April 16.
Clean to the Core one year later: We've made downtown a safer, more appealing place to be
We kicked off the Clean to the Core initiative in the late spring, 2006, bringing the efforts of many City departments together to clean up and spruce up some parts of downtown that were getting decidedly shabby.
In particular, we launched an all-fronts campaign against the graffiti, street crime, and general seediness that had taken over the 7th Avenue LRT platforms, inner city public parks, and back alleyways.
We set out to make our downtown once again a place people wanted to visit, explore and enjoy, even after working hours. We hired more police officers and assigned them to patrol key trouble spots, improved security on the LRT platforms and on the trains themselves, and dedicated resources to cleaning and maintaining the downtown streets, sidewalks and open spaces.
The full report of what was accomplished in 2006 – and what will be done in 2007 – will be ready soon, and will be posted on www.calgary.ca.
eNews - News At A Glance - Issue 05
Calgary to have a 24-hour free family party on Canada Day
To celebrate Canada's 140th birthday on July 1, the City is hosting 24-hours of family fun that'll be the biggest free entertainment, multi-park party our community has ever seen.
This year, for the first time, the celebrating will go on 'round the clock. There'll be free concerts and special performances, free early bird breakfasts, crafts and games for the kids, plus food and merchandise kiosks. The party will be happening at several locations, including Prince's Island, Fort Calgary, Heritage Park, the Rocky Mountain Rail Society at the Ogden yards, EPCOR Centre, and for the first time ever, Olympic Plaza.
New party on the Plaza
Calgary's Canada Day party will end with a giant free concert on the Olympic Plaza stage, featuring past Juno Award winners and nominees, including the headliner, the Jim Cuddy band. So bring the whole family down to the Plaza, and enjoy some of the best entertainers in the country in a free concert that'll be a warm-up to the 2008 Junos, which we're hosting here in Calgary next April.
Canada Day will wrap up with the lighting of the Calgary Tower Olympic Flame and a spectacular show of fireworks, launched from the rooftop of the Municipal Building. The best place to view the fireworks will be Olympic Plaza, so come for the concert, and stay for the show.
It'll be easy to get around on Canada Day: buses and the C-train will be running on regular Sunday schedules, with free shuttle buses connecting the downtown locations during the day, and additional C-train service out of downtown between midnight and 1:30 pm. Street and meter parking will be free. Calgary's 24-hour Canada Day party is a community event, and has been made possible by the generosity of many individuals, corporate sponsors, and the Government of Canada.
We would like to thank our corporate sponsors and partners who include:
- Calgary Airport Authority
- Calgary Co-op
- Calgary Downtown Association
- Calgary Economic Development
- Calgary Herald
- Calgary Public Libraries
- Calgary Technologies
- Calgary TELUS Convention Centre
- Calgary Tourism
- Calgary Tower
- Chariot Express
- Calgary Marriott
- CityTV
- Culligan
- Enbridge
- EnCana
- EPCOR
- Fort Calgary
- Impark
- Newdog
- Olympic Plaza Cultural District
- Prairie Dog Concession
- TransCanada
For the full schedule of what's happening, where, and at what time please see the Canada Day Brochure (PDF - 1.17mb).
New affordable housing units and rent supplements less than half of what's needed
The City will be building 300 new affordable housing units, and providing rent subsidies for up to 1000 people, using the $63 million allocated by the Province in the budget brought down in April.
Although $63 million is a lot of money, it's less than half of what we need to begin to solve Calgary's affordable housing shortage. Right now, there are some 2,000 people on waiting lists with Calgary Housing Company alone, to get into homes or apartments they can afford.
The provincial money is committed for one year only, very short term funding for a long-term problem. However Council is taking steps to integrate affordable housing into the development of new communities as a long term strategy.
Council approved asking developers to integrate affordable housing in new communities
On June 12, Council unanimously approved my motion to ask the developers of three new suburban communities – Mahogany, Auburn Bay, and Walden – to set aside enough land for a total of 300 more affordable rental units.
Land use changes have also been proposed that would allow The City to integrate 88 affordable housing units, along with a fire and EMS station, into a new downtown apartment development in Eau Claire.
Ralph Klein Park honours Calgary's former mayor, a long-time environmentalist, and a true icon of this city.
Ralph Klein helped build our community. He was a three-term Mayor, provincial Minister of the Environment, and of course, the Premier of Alberta.
In recognition of his mayoralty leadership and public service, the Shepard Wetland Park currently under development in southeast Calgary, has been named the Ralph Klein Park. Developed as part of the ENMAX Legacy Parks program, the 75-acre Ralph Klein Park will include a major wetlands education centre, learning gardens, a 'green roof', and interpretive trails.
This marks the first time in Calgary's history that a City park has been named after a living mayor, certainly a tribute to all he accomplished during his colourful – and at times, controversial – years in office.
eNews - News At A Glance - Issue 06
September is Yellow Ribbon Month in Calgary, and Council approves a meaningful way to show our troops and their families how much we appreciate their sacrifices.
On behalf of Council and all Calgarians, I proclaimed September Yellow Ribbon Month in Calgary, a time to honour Canadian men and women serving in our armed forces overseas, and their families serving here at home.
Then I joined with Ald. Diane Colley-Urquhart to ask Council to ensure City employees serving part-time in the military don't lose any pay, benefits, pension or seniority while training or participating in domestic or international operations.
Council gave unanimous approval in principle to the top-up policy, and directed City staff to develop an implementation plan by the end of the year, before the next rotation of Canadian troops leaves for Afghanistan in February.
At the moment, there are about 100 part-time reservists working for The City, who often have to use vacation time to take part in training or deployments. This policy makes The City of Calgary a leader among Canadian municipalities in the meaningful support we're giving our troops and their families.
And I'm encouraging other employers to do the same.
I'm also asking individual Calgarians to support the work of the Military Family Resource Centre, a community organization that provides support programs, services and morale-boosting activities for local families of troops posted overseas. For further information on how you can provide support, go to their website at www.calgarymfrc.ca.
A new police chief and new security services investment: Calgary is still a safe city, and I'm determined to keep it that way.
At our first formal meeting following the summer break, Calgary City Council took two giant steps toward boosting citizen confidence in the safety of our city.
Members of Council unanimously ratified the appointment of Rick Hanson to succeed retiring Chief Jack Beaton as Chief of the Calgary Police Service. His first priority will be to build Chief Beaton's efforts to clean up our downtown and inner city communities.
Chief-designate Hanson, who will be sworn in October 1, served 30 years with the CPS, most recently as deputy chief. During his term here, he was a senior officer with the 2000 World Petroleum Conference and the G-8 meeting in 2002. He moved to the RCMP in 2005 and rose to the rank of chief superintendent, in charge of plainclothes operations and joint-forces units.
Council also unanimously approved my Notice of Motion to boost the number of police and bylaw officers patrolling the downtown and beltline streets.
My motion directs The City's Administration to adjust the 2008 budget to cover the costs of hiring 10 additional police and 25 additional bylaw officers, as well as buying mobile video surveillance units to help in enforcement and investigation efforts.
These positions, to be over and above what would normally be added to keep up with the city's growth, will help provide the resources needed to ensure our inner city neighbourhoods are safe, clean, vital and appealing. These resources and new tools will also assist our protective services in staying on top of crime. If it migrates, they will stay on it.
Council's approval of the additional costs, coming just one year after we launched Clean to the Core, recognizes the significant improvements that have come about as a result of that program.
Increased presence of police and bylaw officers, improved security on LRT platforms and along 7th Avenue, faster removal of graffiti and enhancements to the overall aesthetics of the area are just some of the Clean to the Core achievements made in a short time.
Calgarians are concerned about safety in some areas of downtown, and I'm concerned, too.
So I'm working with other members of Council, the Calgary Police Service, and The City's Administration to do something about it.
At last, it'll be 'shovels in the ground' in The Rivers district.
It's taken about 30 years, but at long last things will soon be happening in The Rivers, which includes that perennial crime-ridden eyesore, East Village.
Council gave final reading on Monday to a loan bylaw that will provide the City-owned Calgary Municipal Land Corporation with the operational and infrastructure funding it needs to kick-start re-development of the area.
In July of this year, the Province approved our proposal to implement a Rivers District Community Revitalization Levy, a funding tool that will allow us to borrow the money to pay for the infrastructure upgrades necessary to attract private development to the area. This money will be repaid by the additional property taxes the re-developed community will generate.
What projects will be happening first? One of CMLC's first construction projects will be a stormwater treatment wetland on the northwest corner of the Fort Calgary site, a rare opportunity to improve Calgary's environmental footprint right in the heart of a big city.
Details of the plan, as it draws closer to City approval, include integrating the wetland into the pathway system, and adding interpretive and educational signage describing the history of the area.
Another 'early up' project will be a Riverwalk along the Bow and Elbow rivers, all the way from Eau Claire to Macleod Trail/Lindsay Park. The first public open house dealing with the Riverwalk is scheduled for Fort Calgary on Monday, September 24 from 3 to 6 p.m.
CMLC is also working on engineering drawings, legal plans and designs for 2008 construction work along Fifth Avenue and Sixth Street S.E.
For more information about what's planned for The Rivers, go to CMLC website, www.calgarymlc.ca.
