November 2023 Newsletter

Hello Ward 6!

I would like to take the time to thank those of you who attended our Battalion Park Remembrance Day ceremony. We were lucky enough to have the presence of so many of you commemorating with us. We were joined by special guests Chief Crowchild and his mother Vera Marie Crowchild, representing the Tsuut’ina Nation. As well, we were blessed with a fly-past Spitfire by pilot Tim Wall during the moment of silence. I will never forget that special moment as we heard the engine purr past us in such an emotional moment.

Thank you to the King’s Own Regiment, MP Ron Liepert, and MLA Mike Ellis for your contributions to the ceremony. It is a pleasure to work with you all to put together such a meaningful event.

In this edition of the November newsletter you will read about budget week, secondary suite engagement, the Federal Accelerator Fund, Ward profiles and much more. 

COUNCIL UPDATES

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Service Plans and Budget Adjustments 2023

Yesterday, I voted to approve the adjustments to The City of Calgary service plans and budgets. Council saying “yes” to the budget adjustments showcases that we have confidence in our City and we will invest in it. Our City of Calgary motto is “Onward”, and I have committed to continue to drive our great City forward. The recurring concerns that I hear from you are the crucial need for more affordable housing, public safety and transit. The adjustments to invest in those areas are as follows:

Housing:

• To fully fund the Housing Strategy, which Council approved in September, with a goal to scale up development of 1,000 additional new market and 3000 non-market homes annually.
• $81.5M to fund a secondary suite incentive program, additional downtown office conversions, and a land fund to make more City sites available for development
• To respond to the housing crisis, $90 million in capital funding, $27 million in annual ongoing funding and $54.5 million in 2024 one-time funding

Public Safety & Wellbeing:

• Permanently fund the Transit Safety Strategy- which includes a $15M increase in the base budget.
• Maintain the police budget and reduce pressure on the police by coordinating dispatch with Peace and Bylaw Officers to ensure the right situational response.
• Fund 65 additional Transit Peace Officers
• $6M to permanently fund the Addictions and Mental Health Strategy
• $3.4M increase to the Fire Department for additional staff and a second Medical Response Unit
• Fund additional crisis response team to support people experiencing vulnerabilities.

Transit:

• Keep transit for children 12 and under free
• Improve transit frequency on the BRT lines
• Green line acquisition for the north leg
• Design work for the Blue Line extension and airport connector

Transportation:

• $16.4M to build safer routes to schools, pathways, and install rapid flashing beacon lights
• $30M to improve pavement quality of our roads and walkways.

Community Spaces & Places

• $18M for parks and playground upgrades
• $20M for lifecycle investments in City facilities

We have also supported our business community by shifting to homeowners 1 per cent tax each year until 2026 to help stimulate our economy. Calgary is known for its supportive community spirit, and we are asking our residents to aid our business community by absorbing this tax increase. Helping the business community will in turn promote our economy growth and increase job opportunities. With the 7.8% increase City Hall is right sizing City operations, back from post pandemic cutbacks and putting forward capital dollars to get projects completed that Calgarians rely on. Total municipal costs for the median house with a value of $610,000 are approved to increase by approximately $16 per month, helping to address the housing crisis, improve transit and public safety.

For more information visit www.calgary.ca/adjustments

To see the presentation package click here

Secondary Suite engagement

The City is focused on encouraging people with existing secondary suites to bring them up to the minimum safety standards and get them on the registry. To facilitate improvements to the registration process, The City wants to hear from registered and unregistered secondary suite owners about the issues, challenges and barriers to registration they face. They also want to hear from people who rent secondary suites.

The information gathered will help create more supports and incentives to encourage people to register their secondary suites. More registered secondary suites will help create more safe and affordable housing choices for renters and owners.

To participate in the online survey, visit Calgary.ca/suitesfeedback, November 6 to December 15, 2023.

Federal funding helping build more homes faster in Calgary

On November 14, the Government of Canada and The City of Calgary announced that they have reached an agreement to fast track more than 6,800 housing units over the next three years. This work will help spur the construction of more than 35,000 homes over the next decade.

The agreement, under the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF), will provide more than $228 million in funding to support seven initiatives.  They range from prioritized and accelerated approvals, to zoning bylaw amendments (that allow for more missing middle rowhouses, townhouses and infill housing in established neighbourhoods), to inclusive and affordable housing development. During the past two years, The City of Calgary has seen a substantial increase in its housing growth, and HAF’s investment is expecting to keep the trend alive.  

Through HAF, the federal government aims to cut red tape and fast track at least 100,000 new homes for people in towns, cities, and Indigenous communities across Canada.

Quick Facts:

• Through its Accelerating Housing in the Downtown initiative, The City of Calgary anticipates supporting 1,050 new units created by office space conversions in alignment with its Downtown Strategy and Plan.
• Over the next three years, HAF will incentivize the creation of 400 housing units on City-owned land in proximity to transit stations.  
• Other initiatives by The City of Calgary include:
  • Streamlining Approvals
  • Incentivizing Secondary Suites
  • Promoting Missing Middle Land Use Districts, including the addition of a new Housing-Grade-Oriented (H-GO) District and exploring making changes to the Residential-Grade Oriented Infill (R-GC) District to allow for more flexibility and missing-middle options such as rowhouses and townhouses.
  • Building Inclusive and Equitable Affordable Housing Programs
  • Promoting Infills in Established Areas
  • Launched in March 2023, HAF is a $4 billion initiative from the Government of Canada that will run until 2026-27. The HAF is part of Canada’s National Housing Strategy (NHS), an $82+ billion plan that has already committed to the creation and repair of over 400,000 units. Progress on programs and initiatives under the NHS are updated quarterly at www.placetocallhome.ca. The Housing Funding Initiatives Map shows affordable housing projects that have been developed through the NHS.
  • Since the creation of the NHS, the Government of Canada has committed over $36.82 billion to support the creation of more than 113,467 units and the repair of over 126,011 units. These measures prioritize those in greatest need, including seniors, Indigenous Peoples, people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, and women and children fleeing violence.

 Associated Links:

• Housing Accelerator Fund
• Housing Accelerator Fund – Building more homes, faster
• Building more homes, faster
• Making housing more affordable for Canadians
•  National Housing Strategy

The City of Calgary releases community and ward profiles

Calgary’s ward and community profiles have recently been updated with data from the 2021 Census of Canada, so Calgarians can learn more about the communities and wards that make up our city. There are 206 communities, up from 197 in 2016.  Along with communities, Calgary is comprised of 14 wards (the number of wards remains unchanged).

The profiles provide data per community and ward on several data points, including:

• Population and Dwellings
• Families and Households
• Languages
• Indigenous Identity and Languages
• Immigration and Population Diversity
• Education
• Employment
• Income
• Housing and Mobility
• Transportation to Work

To view community profiles, visit Calgary.ca/communities Ward profiles can be found at http://www.Calgary.ca/wards.

Parking Deals

Exciting news for all downtown drivers! Until December 31, 2023, you can park at selected lots on weekdays for just $10/day between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Getting this unbeatable rate is a breeze. Use your MyParking App or the Virtual Pay Machine to get the deal today.

Here are the lots where you can enjoy this fantastic offer:

• Lot 6 (Louise Bridge) - Zone #9006
  • 311 8 St S.W.
  • Savings: Save 38% off the regular rate!
• Lot 55 (East Village) - Zone #9055
  • 724 4 St S.E. (enter off of 4 St)
  • Savings: Get an incredible 25% off the regular rate!
• Lot 58 - Zone #9058
  • 935 4 Ave S.W.
  • Savings: Enjoy a fantastic 33% off the regular rate!
• Lot 61 (Millenium Park North) - Zone #9061
  • 701 11 Street S.W.
  • Savings: Save 17% off the regular rate!
• Lot 75 
  • 401 4 Ave S.E.
  • Savings: Get a whopping 50% off the regular rate!
    

Whether you're headed to work or just enjoying the downtown scene, this $10 parking rate is your ticket to more savings. Take advantage of this limited time offer to make your downtown parking experience more affordable.

Just one more reason there’s lots to love about Calgary Parking.

Remember, this special rate is not available at physical pay machines.

Winter is coming!

Winter is a time for family fun, but there can be several risks associated with the changing weather. Knowing the risks ahead of time will help keep you and your family safe this winter.

Winter storms increase the risk of car accidents, hypothermia, frostbite, carbon monoxide poisoning, and heart attacks from overexertion. Winter storms and blizzards can bring extreme cold, freezing rain, snow, ice and high winds. They can last a few hours or several days, knocking out heat, power and communication services. These storms can also place seniors, young children, and sick individuals at greater risk.

Here are some ways to prepare for a winter storm ahead of time:

• Know the risks. Include your kids in the discussion and use it as a way to talk about emergencies, how you will communicate with each other about your whereabouts and how to evacuate the house if needed.
• Winterize your home.

• Pay attention to weather reports and warnings from Environment Canada. Sign up for Alert Ready for notifications.
• Gather supplies in case you need to stay home during a power outage. Keep in mind each person’s specific needs, including medication. Don’t forget the needs of pets. Have extra batteries for radios and flashlights.

• Create an emergency kit for your car: include jumper cables, sand, flashlight, blankets, water, and non-perishable food. Make sure always to keep your gas tank at least half full!

For more information on how to prepare for other emergencies? Visit calgary.ca/getready to learn more.

This holiday season –don’t let cooking fat, oil & grease go down the drain

Submitted by: The City of Calgary

When cleaning up after holiday gatherings, remember no amount of fats, oil or grease should go down your drain. This includes turkey drippings, gravies and food scraps. It’s all compostable food waste, so scrape it into the green bin instead.

City sewers collect wastewater from thousands of kitchens in your neighbourhood, so even small amounts of fat, grease and oil can add up and clog pipes. They cling to the inside of pipes and cause nasty sewer back-ups.

Take simple steps to keep your drains healthy.

1. Wipe cooking equipment and scrape dishes before washing. Use a spatula or reuse a paper towel and toss it in the green cart, too.
2. Cool larger amounts of grease in a container or bowl until it solidifies, then scrape or wipe it into your green bin.
3. Scrape small amounts of dairy, like expired sour cream and yogurt, into your green bin. Only put in what can be absorbed by the contents of your green bin (fuller green bins can absorb more liquids than emptier ones).
4. Use a kitchen strainer to help prevent food residue from going down the drain.

Remember, hot water and soap might appear to melt the grease and wash it down the drain, but sewer pipes in the ground are cold, so eventually fats, oil and grease will cool and harden on the walls of the pipe.

To learn more, visit calgary.ca/protectyourpipes.

SEASON OF GIVING

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Council Food Bank Challenge

Starting December 1 – 11, we need your help in participating in the Council Food Bank Challenge in support of the Calgary Food Bank. Once again this year, Councillors and residents from all 14 Wards will be competing to see who can donate the most.  Non-perishable donations in Ward 6 will be accepted at the following locations:

• Signal Hill Library 5994 Signal Hill Centre SW
  • Monday-Thursday 10 am - 9 pm Friday-Sunday 10 am - 5 pm
• SCA Community Association Centre 277 Strathcona SW,
  • Weekdays 9 am - 7 pm in foyer
• Westgate Community Association Centre- 4943 8 Ave SW
  • ​​​​​​​Mon-Thurs. 8:30 am - 11:30 am
• George Blunden & Optimist Arena-  5020 26 Avenue S.W.
  • 6am to 11:30pm
• Westgate Community Association Christmas Stroll- 4943 8 Ave SW
  • Friday, December 8

Holiday Wish List (no glass jars):

• Cereal
• Canned Meat
• Canned Veggies
• Canned Beans
• Baby Formula
• Pasta Sauce

If you are unable to make it to the in-person location, you can also donate monetary contributions here on our donation page. Help us feed fellow Calgarians who need our assistance this holiday season.

Calgary Firefighters Toy Association

The Calgary Firefighters Toy Association works on a referral basis in consultation with various social services and both school boards to determine their recipients. Recipients 12 and under will be informed of the program and invited based on the referral. Help make a child’s Christmas special by donating an unwrapped toy at any Firehall in the City of Calgary, or our donation bin on behalf of the Calgary Firefighters Toy Association at Chinook Centre.

Cash donations with tax receipts are accepted here https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=XN4ZX9C6PSHDJ

For more information go to https://cfdtoyassoc.org/

Closer to Home Community Services: Adopt-a-Family this holiday season

Each year, ADOPT-A-FAMILY, driven by Lexus of Calgary, provides gift cards to vulnerable families in Calgary so that they can purchase food, basic necessities and gifts during the holiday season.

When you adopt-a-family, you can make the season brighter for a vulnerable family in our City. The last day to donate to adopt-a-family is on December 15. https://closertohome.com/ways-to-give/adopt-a-family/

Support Local

This holiday season consider supporting local businesses while doing your gift shopping. There are many reasons to support local, such as supporting the local economy, supporting your neighbourhood’s uniqueness, and you can find one-of-a-kind goods, just to name a few. To find out more information on #SupportLocalYYC visit https://www.calgary.ca/major-projects/buy-local.html

If you have a local Ward 6 business, send your information to clward6@calgary.ca so we can help promote it on our social channels and newsletter.

EVENTS

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Glendale/Glendale Meadows Community Association- 4500 25 Ave SW, www.myglendale.ca

Santa Claus Toy Drive is Dec. 9 from 10-12pm. Follow them on Facebook and visit their website for more information.

West Springs/Cougar Ridge Community Association- www.wscr.ca

Santa is coming! 🎅

WSCRCA proudly presents our annual holiday event with Mr. and Mrs. Claus on Saturday, December 2, 2023, from 1 pm -5 pm at West Springs Church (816 78th Street SW). 

Registration is now open at https://wscrca.member365.com/.../373fb1fd7e9a750a3b784b.../1.

We need volunteers! If you would like to volunteer for this event, please visit https://wscr.ca/ to sign up.