November 2012 Newsletter

It's November, and now I can truly confirm that my Ward 14 Communities BBQ was a huge success. Sept. 22 was a gorgeous, sunny fall day. Those of us who were on our feet, moving around, can certainly attest to how warm it was. In fact, it was the first day of fall and it was a great one to start the new season off on. Congratulations to David Woo, Walt Matthies, Nicolle Tokarek, Lenore Wilson, and Joan Corcoran who were all Ward 14 Communities prize draw winners.

By my calculation, we had almost 1500 people attend on that beautiful day. Spirited line dancers entertained us with their performance, classic car owners came for a Show & Shine, MLAs Jeff Wilson, Rick Fraser, and the Honourable Jonathan Denis came to mingle with their constituents, and there was even an appearance by the Mayor of this amazing city. There were fourteen City of Calgary business units, the Calgary Public Library, the Police on horseback, in a squad car and on motorcycles, and a HAWCS helicopter fly-by. Thank you so much to everyone who took time out of their day to attend.

All those people needed to be fed and although I've mentioned it before, those who provided and cooked the food made such a substantial sacrifice I think they deserve a second mention. M&M Meat Shops, with two locations in Ward 14 (Willow Park Village and Deer Valley Shopping Centre), provided delicious burgers and yummy peach juice for everyone in attendance. They did the bulk of the cooking and serving. COBS Bread of Willow Park Village and Calgary Co-op of Deer Valley Shopping Centre donated all the fresh buns we needed, and they were delicious too. Finally, the Safeway (located right in the Southcentre Mall complex) donated a variety of beverages for everyone to enjoy. I can't thank these local businesses enough for ensuring that we were all fed!

The point of the Ward 14 Communities BBQ was to get more people aware of and involved with their local Community Associations. Each Community Association was able to give away memberships for free on the day of the BBQ because of funds donated by generous, community-minded businesses. Southcentre Mall not only provided the location, but also funding. Canyon Creek Toyota, Jack Carter Chevrolet Cadillac and Southgate Chevrolet Buick GMC were all major sponsors of the event. I hope you were able to meet them and have a look at their fine products. Frontier Project Management, Genstar Development Company, Totem Building Supplies, Trico Homes, and United Communities also stepped up as sponsors. Ward 14's Community Associations were able to increase their membership and put we put thousands of NON-taxpayer dollars to their benevolent work because of these corporate sponsors.

Again I would like to leave off by thanking the volunteers from Ward 14 Community Associations. From the management of community facilities, to the watchful eye they keep on local development, to the sense of community they provide, Community Associations deserve our thanks.

I have used a lot of ink talking about the Ward 14 Communities BBQ over the past few months. That is because I feel very strongly about the communities that make up Ward 14, but I want you to know that if there is any other issue that you would like to speak with me about, I am always here to listen. I can be contacted by phone at 403-268-1653 or contact my office. 

Until next time!​