March 2016 Newsletter

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Hello Ward 14!

The transition from winter to spring brings out one of my favorite traits in the true Calgarian. The slightest reprieve from the harsh weather spurs a wave of activity in this beautiful City. The prohibitive weather seems to inspire a real respect for the ability to take an active role. It breeds appreciation for the chance to take part and be involved.

Citizens’ View

We need to nurture and harness Calgarians’ strong desire to be involved, which is why I am so happy to see the City of Calgary catching on with initiatives like Citizens’ View.

If you want to participate in shaping City of Calgary programs and services I suggest signing up at calgary.ca/research. As a member of the Citizens’ View panel you will be updated of opportunities to provide input. You will also receive information about upcoming events and service improvements. I signed up for Citizen’s View, and have been very impressed. You should too.

Action Plan Check-in: Mid-Cycle Budget Adjustments

You may have seen a City bus at Deer Valley Shopping Centre when you were out and about during February. It is another example of how the City of Calgary is catching on with some great new initiatives. It was a perfect opportunity for Calgarians to get involved. Are you noticing a theme.

We developed the Action Plan in 2014 as the City’s business plan and budget document for 2015 through 2018. It was based on one of the most robust public engagement efforts that I have seen in my time as a Councillor. Council tweaks the plan every November, but given economic events of the last year or so there is a clear need to revisit the plan in more depth for 2017-2018.

The bus visited several locations in the City during February to gather input from Calgarians on what matters most to them. The input will be used to advise adjustments to the City’s business plan and budget for 2017-2018. The chance to get involved in this is not over—although it will not be via bus. You can visit calgary.ca/check-in for other opportunities to share your opinion through the end of April, and I am always happy to incorporate your view. You can contact me anytime, or join me at Counciltalk.

March Counciltalk

The February edition of Counciltalk was great. Thanks for coming if you were there. If not, the next is on March 19 at the Deer Park United Church (77 Deerpoint Road S.E.) from noon to 2 p.m. All the Counciltalks are listed at calgary.ca/counciltalk, and you can sign up to get reminders for all the Counciltalk dates at calgary.ca/contactward14.

ATCO Gas Fish Creek Provincial Park System Improvements

You may have heard about safety improvements being made to ATCO Gas’ pipeline system or seen some work being done in Fish Creek Park. I won’t go into too much detail because it is best that you get your information straight from the source, but pipeline construction will continue and is scheduled to the end of June. I encourage you to visit atcopipelines.com to learn about the project in detail.

Have a great March!

- Councillor Peter Demong​