Young Calgarians hailed as heroes

Six young Calgarians who called and spoke with 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Officers are being hailed as heroes.

Husky Energy and its partners the Calgary Emergency Medical Services Foundation and The City of Calgary’s Public Safety Communications awarded these “Husky Heroes” today.

These children include a five -year old girl who called 9-1-1 when a family member had a breathing emergency at home; another five-year old girl who called 9-1-1 when a family member sustained an injury; and a nine-year old girl who called for her friend when she had a medical emergency.

“The Husky Heroes Program is an important initiative that educates children on how to save lives and respond in emergency situations,” said John C.S. Lau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Husky Energy.

Mike Plato, Vice Chair, EMS Foundation said: “The Husky Heroes program is a wonderful opportunity to recognize these individuals, and for all youth to learn about calling 9-1-1 better preparing them to assist others in an emergency situation.”

The Husky Heroes Program exemplifies the importance of teaching children when to phone 9-1-1, for their own safety as well as others, says Doug Odney, Program Manager for Public Safety Communications.

The program is supported by Husky Energy, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Foundation and The City of Calgary Public Safety Communications.

For more information on when to call 9-1-1, visit The City’s website at www.calgary.ca/911.

Take a tour on a Calgary Police Service HAWCS helicopter

Here's a bird's eye view of a Calgary Police Service HAWCS helicopter team in action.

Barry Duffield pilots the helicopter with tactical flight officer, Kelly Oberg assisting ground units to nab the bad guys - a tremendous example of the teamwork and the know-how needed by our city's finest to keep Calgary safe.

Of course, if you really want to see What it's Like to be a Chopper Cop, you could always ask Rick Mercer or watch this video (Can you spot our pilot, Barry in both videos?).

Calgarians urged to "Stuff a Bus" for charity

This Saturday Calgary Co-op, Calgary Transit, and XL 103 FM will try to “Stuff a Bus” to the brim with much-needed food donations for local food banks

“We are very pleased to once again assist the community with our stuff a bus campaign,” said Calgary Transit spokesman Ron Collins. “It is a great volunteer effort by our staff and others with all donations of groceries and cash going to the Calgary Food Bank.”

Stuff a Bus is one of Calgary’s premier fundraisers to help our community.

Representatives from Calgary Transit,, the Calgary Food Bank, and Calgary Co-op will be on hand on November 28th at the Calgary Co-op Shawnessy Centre (250 Shawville Blvd. S.W.) to speak with the media from 11 a.m. to 12 noon.

Bronze leaf disease infecting Calgary's trees

A fungal disease is killing trees in Calgary, often within three to five years of being infected.

Bronze leaf disease attacks poplar species and hybrids; particularly trembling aspen, Swedish columnar aspen and tower poplar. Because of the rapid and high kill rate among infected trees, early detection and treatment is important and may not only save trees but prevent the disease from spreading. There are currently no known chemical controls for this fungus.

“The City is in the process of identifying the scope of bronze leaf disease in Calgary and is monitoring, diagnosing and treating blighted City-owned trees,” said Russell Friesen, Calgary’s urban forestry coordinator.

Friesen added that The City needs the cooperation of the public to fight this deadly fungus.

“Citizens need to recognize symptoms and contact a local tree care professional for diagnoses and treatment,” he said.

Bronze leaf disease spreads from one tree to the next via airbornespores, which disperse in early spring.

Infected trees can be recognized by these symptoms:

- Diseased leaves often first show up in the lower crown but may be scattered throughout the crown of the tree or isolated to a few branches.

- Leaves become dark reddish-brown, chocolate brown or bronze although the veins and the leaf stem may remain green for some time.

- Infected leaves remain on the tree through winter.

- Once the disease spreads, browning may be observed under the bark of diseased branches.

- New leaves on infected branches may appear underdeveloped in subsequent years.

Infected branches should be taken to a City of Calgary landfill for proper disposal. They should not be chipped, composted or used for firewood.

Here is a video of Russell Friesen explaining bronze leaf disease and how to combat it. For more information please visit Calgary.ca/Parks

City Council approves 2010 - 2011 Business Plan and Budget Adjustments

The City of Calgary continues to have the lowest residential property taxes among major Canadian municipalities after City Council adopted the 2010 operating and capital budgets yesterday.

Next year's property tax hike sits at 4.79 per cent after the approved adjustments to the 2010-2011 business plans, budgets and performance measures or about $4.50 per month.

The approved adjustments respond to the local impacts of global economic change. Given the economic downturn Council approved measures that balance 2010 spending with projected reductions in revenues.

This is the toughest budget that we have had to deliver in years." Mayor Dave Bronconnier said. "It comes with layoffs.It also comes with some program changes, yet we have preserved our key priority areas of public safety, mobility and environmental protection."

The approved adjustments include more than $20 million in cost reductions from tax-supported programs, utilities, and self-supported operations, to help reduce the financial impact on citizens.

Key highlights of the proposed 2010 adjustments to business plans and budgets include:

• A reduction to short-term downtown parking rates.
• Elimination of Park n' Ride fees at Bus Rapid Transit parking lots.
• Retention of an additional 67 positions in the Calgary Police Service budget.
• An addition $2 million for a two-year snow and ice removal pilot project.
• An addition of $200 thousand for graffiti abatement on private property in 2010.
• Maintain 2009 rates for low income transit passes.
• Reductions in all City departments, including removal of 125 full-time equivalent positions.
• Addition of 83.7 positions with no net budget impact, more than 60 of which are funded by the provincial government for public safety communications and road maintenance.
• Additional costs to respond to provincial legislation for the Assessment Review Board.
• No change in the business tax rate for the 17th consecutive year.

Calgary's Grey Cup Events

Here are some family fun events for the 97th Grey Cup Championship in Calgary. The big game is Sunday, Nov. 29 at 4:30 p.m. at McMahon Stadium. Here are a few things to do, leading up to the big party.

Friday Nov. 27

8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Calgary Herald Olympic Plaza Family Fun Fest (Olympic Plaza)

• A daily pancake breakfast, exhibits, family entertainment, music

11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Scotiabank CFL Experience (TELUS Convention Centre)

• The perfect spot for CFL fans of all ages to interact with their favourite CFL all stars and alumni players, as well as participate in various interactive CFL camp drills, games and experiences.

12 p.m. – 6 p.m..
ENMAX Street Festival and Stage (Stephen Ave.)

• The “midway” of the Grey Cup Festival. Displays, vendors, activities, and live stage performances.

5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
ENMAX Illuminate Calgary (Stephen Ave)

• An extraordinary outdoor display of contemporary light installations. Good for all ages.

Saturday Nov. 28

8:30 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Calgary Herald Olympic Plaza Family Fun Fest (Olympic Plaza)

• A daily pancake breakfast, exhibits, family entertainment, music

1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m.
CFL/NHL Alumni Ball Hockey & Skills Tournament

11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Safeway Grey Cup Parade (Downtown)

11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Scotiabank CFL Experience (TELUS Convention Centre)

• The perfect spot for CFL fans of all ages to interact with their favourite CFL all stars and alumni players, as well as participate in various interactive CFL camp drills, games and experiences.

12 p.m. – 6 p.m.
ENMAX Street Festival and Stage (Stephen Ave.)

• An extraordinary outdoor display of contemporary light installations. Good for all ages.

5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
ENMAX Illuminate Calgary (Stephen Ave)

• An extraordinary outdoor display of contemporary light installations. Good for all ages.

Sunday, Nov. 29

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Calgary Herald Olympic Plaza Family Fun Fest (Olympic Plaza)

• A daily pancake breakfast, exhibits, family entertainment, music

11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Scotiabank CFL Experience (TELUS Convention Centre)

• The perfect spot for CFL fans of all ages to interact with their favourite CFL all stars and alumni players, as well as participate in various interactive CFL camp drills, games and experiences.

12 p.m. – 4 p.m.
ENMAX Street Festival and Stage (Stephen Ave.)

• An extraordinary outdoor display of contemporary light installations. Good for all ages.

3 p.m.
SportChek Grey Cup Family Viewing Party (Saddledome)

• Pre-purchase tickets at SportChek or Safeway for $10
• Presented by TSN, the Calgary Flames and the Calgary Stampeders at the Pengrowth Saddledome the doors open prior to kicking off of the big game. The viewing party and interactive zone will allow everyone who does not have a ticket to the Grey Cup to watch the game on the big screen
• Football activities on the floor.

Get ready for the Mayor's Christmas Food Drive

Christmas is fast approaching once again, and for the last 20 years, City employees have been giving generously to Calgarians struggling to make ends meet.

The 2009 Mayor’s 21st Annual Christmas Food Drive kicks off on Friday, Nov. 20 and runs until Dec. 23. The City of Calgary is one of many sponsor partners who come together every year to support the Drive, and now more than ever, Calgarians need our helping hand to enjoy the celebration of the holidays. Last year, more than 124,000 Calgarians came to the Calgary Food Bank, an increase of 40 per cent from the previous year.

“The Mayor's Food Drive is leadership from the top of our city,” said Calgary Food Bank CEO James McAra. “The involvement of The City conveys the importance Calgary has placed on caring for our community and ensuring there is food for families in crisis.”

Last year, Calgary Food Bank distributed $20 million worth of quality emergency food with up to 100 volunteers helping out each day. And for every $1 donated, the Food Bank can distribute $4 worth of food to those in need.

"Without the Mayor's and The City's leadership and support, the Calgary Food Bank could not meet the growing demand for our services," James added.

Donations can be made in the donations bin at the Mayor’s Office or in the Municipal Atrium. You can also find drop-off locations at the sponsor partner’s locations, including Safeway stores, Calgary Public and Separate Schools, community associations and more. Please visit the Calgary Food Bank website or call 403-253-2059 to find out about all drop-off locations, food items in need and how you can help.

The City begins first responder vaccinations

Some of The City of Calgary’s first responders rolled up their sleeves and got a shot in the arm as The City started to roll out its H1N1 vaccine program for essential service personnel.

About 60 personnel from Fire, Police and Bylaw attended the clinic in the city’s southeast yesterday for the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) orchestrated inoculations. The vaccine was provided by Alberta Health Services.

The City has been promoting prevention as the best defence for employees from the H1N1 flu said CEMA’s Deputy Chief Tom Sampson, adding that the vaccines are a welcome preventative next-step.

The City will formally roll out its essential services vaccination plan this week which is a combination of roving services and stand-alone clinics at City facilities. At this time the focus is on offering vaccination for Fire, Police, PSC (9-1-1 operators), Peace Officers, Water Services and Waste Services. Once additional vaccine supplies are available the next tier of essential support service personnel will be inoculated.

IMAGE: CEMA's Deputy Chief Tom Sampson administers an H1N1 shot to Calgary firefighter Randy Boryskiewch on Nov. 17.

Giving a pet for Christmas? Why not an adopt-a-pet gift certificate?

Every year after the holiday season, countless dogs and cats that were well-intentioned Christmas gifts are either abandoned or surrendered to shelters and pet rescue organizations says The City's Director of Animal and Bylaw Services, Bill Bruce.

In response to this tragic situation, The City of Calgary is encouraging citizens to give pet adoption gift certificates as presents, rather than buying a pet for the person on their shopping list.

“We encourage citizens to make educated decisions before buying or adopting a pet. We want Calgarians to do their research and thoughtfully choose a pet that matches their lifestyle and home situation,” says Bruce.

"Animal and Bylaw Services staff can then help customers find a cat or dog that will be a good fit for their homes, lifestyles and family."

Gift certificates are available now for Christmas and through 2010. They have no expiry date and are available in any denomination. The certificates can be used to cover all or part of the cost of adopting a dog or cat from Animal and Bylaw Services or to pay for pet licensing fees.

Gift certificates can be purchased by contacting 3-1-1 or by visiting the Animal Services Centre at 2201 Portland Street S.E.

There are currently 53 cats and 25 dogs at the animal shelter that are anxiously waiting to be claimed by their owners or to be adopted into new homes. Some of the cats have been in the shelter since June.

Calgarians looking for a companion pet for themselves are encouraged to view the pets available for adoption by visiting calgary.ca/animalservices or coming down to the Animal Services Centre.

City donates $4 million to The Mustard Seed

The City of Calgary is giving The Mustard Seed $4 million to construct affordable housing units for the homeless.

The grant, which is for capital expenditures, was given on the 5th Annual National Housing Day, Nov. 10, 2009.

“This new building represents more than a roof over their heads for the men and women who will live there,” said The Mustard Seed CEO Pat Nixon. “City Council and The City’s administration team have provided valuable advice and support over the past two years. We’re determined to work together to create a legacy for all Calgarians for decades to come.”

The Mustard Seed Street Ministry is a non-profit Christian humanitarian organization that has been caring for Calgary's homeless for 25 years. It helps meet the essential needs of the less fortunate through food, clothing, and shelter provisions. The Mustard Seed also provides education and employment training programs.

The grant will pay for the construction of an 18-storey modern mixed-use apartment building with permanent supportive housing in 196 studio apartments and 28 one-bedroom suites.
There will also be extensive on-site programs and services, public meeting spaces and a conference facility.

More affordable housing in Calgary has been funded this past year than in any previous year for more than a decade. The Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, and generous Calgarians also contributed to these achievements.

Today’s grant is part of the Alberta Government’s Municipal Block Funding Grant for capital development of affordable housing. The City of Calgary received block funding from the provincial department of Housing and Urban Affairs in the 2007, 2008, and 2009 budgets, and has assigned funds for specific areas of affordable housing development, including providing grants to community housing agencies, such as The Mustard Seed.

The City has responded to the critical issue of homelessness and affordable housing for several years – along with the major rent subsidy program, lands have been made available for shelters and housing development. The City continues to develop innovative strategies to increase – and sustain - the supply of affordable housing in Calgary. For instance, The City is channelling $7 million per year (2008-2010) into the New Start rent subsidy program, creating access to another 1,034 dwelling units.

City of Calgary's Tax Talk Website Launched

The City of Calgary has launched a new interactive website to help Calgarians understand how their tax dollars are spent on city services.

Calgary.ca/TaxTalk provides an explanation of the 2010 operating budget which was approved by City Council last fall. This fall City Council will consider recommendations to adjust business plans and budgets to ensure the books remain balanced, especially in a recessionary economy where The City’s revenues have declined.

"The site will provide citizens with information about how taxes work in the three levels of Government along with information on what services are offered to citizens with their municipal tax dollars," said Cindy Pickett, The City of Calgary's Customer Service and Communications Director.

Pickett added that Citizens can input their tax amount into an online calculator and see the services that they receive in return for their tax dollars, how much is allocated to those services, along with highlights on the value those services bring to their community.

For example, if you submit your annual property tax amount, say $2,138 - which is the average residential tax bill, the tax calculator shows where that money is being spent by The City. Forty-seven percent which is collected is given to The Province. The remaining 53 per cent ($1,186) goes to city services, and in this case that means that one household pays annually $242 for Police, $71 for parks and $145 for the fire department among other expenditures.

Citizens will also see how their municipal taxes compare to 20 other major cities across the country. For example, the $1,186 Calgary municipal tax bill compares to a bill of $1,501 in Saskatoon, $2,416 in Vancouver and $3,025 in Ottawa.

As you click on the site it delves down further into exact expenditures. It also links to The City’s new Capital website so individuals can see all the projects underway and the costs for various initiatives.

The Website has been translated into five languages, and is fully accessible for the deaf and blind.

What are your thoughts on The City's new website, calgary.ca/taxtalk? Does it help to clarify where your tax dollars go and what city services they support?

City of Calgary Facilitates Good Neighbour Agreement Signing

The City of Calgary has assisted in facilitating a good neighbour agreement in the communities of Highland Park and Thorncliffe-Greenview and the Fresh Start Addiction Centre Society, the first of its kind in Calgary.

A good neighbour agreement is an arrangement in which communities and special care facilities pledge to work towards a stronger relationship between the two parties. While these agreements are not legally binding, they are created in the hopes of encouraging a strong working relationship responsive to the needs of each group, resulting in benefits on both sides of the equation.

Each agreement is unique and work on this good neighbour agreement began in 2008 when Fresh Start Addiction Centre Society began working with the two community associations.

“We approached the community associations with the hope that we could create a long-term working relationship, where everyone’s concerns could be heard and addressed," said Stacey Petersen, Executive Director for the Fresh Start Recovery Centre.

Both community associations were happy to have an opportunity to voice their concerns and any potential impacts in a collaborative environment. “The open dialog process shows the possibilities of what can happen when everyone is engaged and concerns are resolved," said Leslie Degagne, President of the Thorncliffe-Greenview Community Association. "It was really a win-win for everyone.”

The City’s role in these agreements is to help initiate the discussion between stakeholder groups and The City may facilitate the agreement during the negotiation process. The development of a good neighbour agreement is not part of the development permit process but is encouraged by The City as an informal part of the procedure.

“There was a need for tools that communities and special care facility providers could use to find common ground and help foster good relationships. The signing of this agreement is a shows that it can work very effectively" said Paul Cochrane, Manager of Citywide and Intermunicipal Planning, Land Use Planning & Policy.

More information on Special Care Facilities, including Good Neighbour Agreements and the Planning Principles, is available online.

CalgaryInfrastructure.ca recognized for innovation at the 2009 Minister’s Awards for Municipal Excellence

A City of Calgary website that maps and tracks infrastructure projects and dollars has received Honourable Mention at the 2009 Minister’s Awards for Municipal Excellence.

Ray Danyluk, Minister of Municipal Affairs, presented the award on Nov. 6, at the annual Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) conference at the Telus Convention Centre.

“These awards help us celebrate innovation and ingenuity in our municipalities and the work each of you do to make our communities thrive,” said Danyluk to hundreds of municipal leaders comprising Alberta’s 69 counties and municipal districts. “There is some very good work being done by our municipal leaders. Your ability to see the bigger picture, to think beyond the single projects helps build solid foundations in our municipalities.”

Launched in June, the calgaryinfrastructure.ca website features an interactive map that identifies most of the 600 capital projects funded by The City’s approved 2009 – 2013 capital budget. The projects’ details, construction schedule and progress status, sources of funding and project costs can all be tracked via the mapping tool. In some instances photos and videos of construction progress are also available.

“The purpose of the site is to provide The City of Calgary’s five-year, $6 billion capital investments, for citizens, federal and provincial stakeholders as well as our industry partners to see what Calgary’s doing over the next five years and to demonstrate transparency and accountability,” said Terry Wong, the website’s Project Manager.

“This Website gives the citizens of Calgary as well as our funding partners the ability to see exactly where our money’s being spent and how it’s being spent and where the stimulus is going in the economy.”

Ron Singh, the web project lead, said that he’s most proud of the infrastructure website’s accessibility.

“The site is Web 2.0 enabled and uses advanced technologies such as Flash, Java Script, Flex mapping - but we’re most pleased because we adhered to stringent accessibility guidelines while still being able to create an engaging user experience,” said Singh.

“I am extremely proud of the team that created this website and in an incredible time span of just five weeks from concept to production.”

The calgaryinfrastructure.ca was developed and built entirely in-house at a cost of $25,000, also won a prestigious international award called The Interactive Media Award for Outstanding Achievement in September for exceeding the “highest standards of excellence in website design and development” under the category of ‘Government.’

Calgary's October building permit values way up

October’s permit-application activity was booming compared to last year and the five- and ten-year average according the director of Development and Building Approvals with The City of Calgary.

“Permit activity remains strong in a number of sectors. As well, this month shows significant gains when compared to October of 2008 when we experienced a significant slowdown in permit activity,” said Stan Schwartzenberger. “This is very encouraging news.”

The estimated construction value of building permit applications for the month of October 2009 was $532 million - more than double October 2008 ($248 million) and up 19 per cent compared to the five-year average (October 2005-2009; $449 million) and up 64 per cent compared to the ten-year average (October 2000 to 2009; $325 million).

Schwartzenberger said that building permits are a barometer of intentions in the construction industry and are not actual construction starts.

Residential values for the month of October are up 123 per cent to $164 million compared to the same period last year, led by $131 million in new single family construction, which represents 525 new residential dwelling units.

Non-residential values for the month are also up compared to the same period last year - 111 per cent to $367 million, led by $283 million in new institutional spending including the new $117.6 million Bow Valley College South Campus, SAIT’s Trades and Technology complex or Centre Wing ($104.7 million) and the new $61.1 million SAIT Trades and Technology complex or West Wing.

The strong October values have significantly closed the year-to-date gap compared to the previous year, with total permit values down 14 per cent to $2.9 billion compared to $3.4 billion in 2008.

“At the end of September, permit values were down 24 per cent year-to-date. In the span of one month, that gap has closed to 14 per cent,” said Schwarzenberger commenting on the October spike in estimated construction values

Check out the City of Calgary's projects on our award winning website calgaryinfrastructure.ca

Remembrance Day events and City of Calgary closures

If you are looking to attend Remembrance Day, Wednesday, Nov. 11, celebrations, there are a few options for you and your family.

• The Central Memorial Park Cenotaph (1221 2nd St. S.W.) will be holding it's annual Remembrance Day service at 11 a.m., followed by a more extensive wreath-laying ceremony at 12:15 p.m. There is free parking and admission for this event.
• Union Cemetery (28th Ave. and Spiller Rd. S.E.), Friendly reminder: the oldest burial ground in Calgary, will not be holding their annual Remembrance Day Cemetery Tour, where you can walk through the Fields of Honour of Union and Burnsland Cemeteries to hear about some of the people, regiments and battles that make up Calgary's military past.
• The Military Museum (4520 Crowchild Tr. S.W.) is hosting their annual Remembrance Day service at 10:50 a.m. Guests are advised to dress warmly, and there is free parking, complimentary hot beverages and free admission for this service.
• The Jubilee Auditorium (1415 14th Ave. N.W.) begin their service at 10 a.m. (doors open at 9:30 a.m.).
• The Naval Museum of Alberta (1820 24th St. S.W.) 11 a.m. ceremony on HMCS Tecumseh Drill Deck.
• CPR service, Gulf Canada Square, 10:45 a.m.
• Battalion Ridge, overlooking Westhills Towne Centre. Ceremony with scouts from Dover and Victoria Park starts at 9 a.m.

The City of Calgary will be adjusting its hours of operation for services and facilities on Remembrance Day. Please keep in mind that The City's Remembrance Day cemetery tour is cancelled.

All administrative offices will be closed on Remembrance Day and will reopen Thursday, Nov. 12., including The Animal Services Centre (inquires may be directed to 3-1-1). However, various Recreation facilities will be open on Wednesday, Nov. 11 as well, including leisure centres, indoor pools and The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary. For a list of what is open, please visit the calgary.ca.
In addition, Calgary Transit will run on a Saturday level of service on Wednesday.

Please call 3-1-1 if you would like to find out more about tomorrow's facility closures or for City Remembrance Day services.

Clean to the Core: a safer inner city, and more

Calgary’s Downtown safety initiative, Clean to the Core, is paying huge dividends according a recent Calgary Police Service report.

At the annual review of the Clean to the Core and Centre City Safety Impact Team (CCSIT) on Nov. 5, it was announced that downtown crime has reduced significantly.

The report shows that from January to August, crime against people in downtown dropped from 655 during the same months in 2008 to 543 in 2009.

"When Clean to the Core was created three years ago, we were experiencing issues around safety and cleanliness in Calgary's Centre City," said Lorna Wallace, Centre City Implementation Project Manager. "Now, thanks to collaboration and the hard work of over 30 dedicated partners, including The City and many businesses, workers and citizens, we're seeing the positive results that only come about when we work together.”

It’s this holistic approach that has lead to a drop in crime in 2009 compared with the previous three years.

“We’ve tried to break down silos and work constantly together with our partners to work toward a greater Centre City, “said Wallace.

Since its inception in 2006, the Clean to the Core program has added 68 downtown beat officers, 29 bylaw officers, 10 Calgary Transit peace officers and 20 EMS personnel at a cost of a bout $4 million annually. These resources coupled with 16 surveillance cameras installed in three downtown locations and improved C-train lighting equates to a price tag of just over $16 million to date.

At the annual review, Mayor Dave Bronconnier told the crowd that the budget will include another million dollars in funding next year.

The Clean to the Core initiative also includes keeping Centre City’s streets clean. In 2009, Tomkins Park Automated Public Toilet has received about 40,000 uses, 727 kilometres of sidewalks have been swept of almost 11,000 kilograms of debris and 50,000 kilograms of newspapers are estimated to be recycled in the core with new paper recycle bins.

Over 10,000 graffiti tags have also been removed.

“The Centre City is a great incubator for new ideas,” said Wallace, using the successful litter and cigarette-butt bins being used in the core as an example.

***Graph shows property crime's drop from Sept. 2008 to Aug. 2009 compared to the previous three-year average. Social Disorder and Person crime also trend downward.

New turf fields at Shouldice ready to go

This past weekend, every amateur football city championship game - Pee Wee to high school - was played on new artificial turf fields at Shouldice Athletic Park for the first time in Calgary’s history.

For the past four years, a coalition of local amateur football organizations has been working with The City of Calgary and several other community and government partner to replace three natural turf football fields with three artificial turf fields at Shouldice. On Saturday, all three fields were open and ready for the biggest games of the season - the city finals.

The City of Calgary owns Shouldice Athletic Park which was designated as the home-base for Calgary’s 6,000 or so amateur football players in 1986 by City Council.

All of the work completed thus far on the Shouldice Athletic Park artificial turf project has been done on schedule and within budget. The City expects that the fields will be fully operational in spring 2010.

Gardens scream 'Hooray' for leaf and pumpkin recycling

City of Calgary Parks would like to thank the citizens of Calgary for providing them with so much yummy and nutritious rich black soil from composted leaves and pumpkins.

“Suffering through the cold and ice isn’t so bad, knowing that in Spring I’m going to get churned with some of the good stuff – the pumpkin composted soil,” said a flower garden in Confederation Park, who admittedly was looking a little worse for wear.

Lindsay Lofthouse, a Waste Diversion Specialist with The City, said that most parks will be beaming and brimming with life once they get their share of soil from composted material, which is at about 480 tonnes so far this year.

“There were mountains of leaves left for recycle last weekend,” said Lofthouse, “We’re hoping this weekend will be the same.”

Leaf and pumpkin recycling began on October 3rd and Calgarians have until Sunday evening, November 15th, to drop of their piles of raked remains and withered Jack-O-Lanterns.

Last year 2,200 tonnes of leaves and pumpkins were recycled in the program that began in 1989.

One patch of crumbly soil in Reader Rock Garden said she’s hoping other citizens follow the example of those in Confederation Park, North Glenmore, Crescent Heights and Bonavista, who are tipping the scales with their hefty bags of dried, donated leaves.

“It’s like being reborn,” said the frosty soil, “after the snowy flowerless days, and cold dark nights, once I feel that first shovel of composted sun-soaked soil, I know I’m in for another great summer of visits from people that literally come to smell my roses.”

***Image: Bags of leaves get ready for compost at the East Calgary landfill site and at a community depot.

Ipsos Reid discusses Calgary's Citizen Satisfaction Survey

Here is an interview with Ipsos Reid's Jamie Duncan, an associate vice president with the company.

Jamie describes how the Citizen Satisfaction Survey was completed and discusses the results.

You can view our survey and blog post here.

Calgarians give high grades in 2009 Citizen Satisfaction Survey

Calgarians enjoy a good quality of life and are satisfied with the overall level and quality of City services, according to a 2009 Citizen Satisfaction Survey.

City manager Owen Tobert said that he’s proud of Calgary’s civic employees’ effort to making Calgary a great city in which to live and work, by delivering quality public services.

“Calgarians overwhelmingly responded that the overall quality of City services is good or very good, a very encouraging statistic that shows our emphasis on providing citizens with the services they want, when they need them,” Tobert said.

The Ipsos Reid telephone survey of 1000 randomly selected adult Calgarians was conducted between August 31 and September 6, 2009.

According to the survey, quality of life has markedly improved this year with citizens providing The City with high performance ratings in a number of key areas.

Quality of Life:

• 76 per cent of Calgarians consider the overall quality of life to be “good” to “very good”, an increase over the 2008 rating of 69%.

Safety:

• Calgarians feel safer in their neighbourhood (78%) compared to 2008 (70%).

The Environment:

• Eight-in-ten (82%) Calgarians are satisfied with the job The City is doing to protect the environment especially the City-operated recycling programs (83%) which increased significantly (32 points) over last year’s rating of 51%.

The City of Calgary’s programs and services also continue to receive high marks:

• 91% of Calgarians say the overall quality of service provided by The City is “good” to “very good”
• The majority of Calgarians (84%) gave The City a “good” to “very good” rating for overall performance
• Almost eight-in-ten (78%) of citizens who have had contact with The City in the past year are “satisfied” to “very satisfied”

You can view the 2009 Citizen Satisfaction Survey’s Report on Calgary.ca. Results of the survey carry a margin of error of +/- 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.

Standby tow trucks to line Calgary's busiest roads?

Drivers may see standby tow trucks along the side of the road during their rush-hour commute now that Council has approved a strategic report to quickly clear major traffic arteries.

Administration must now further study the costs, which could be half-million dollars, and logistics for having tow-trucks-in-waiting along Calgary’s busiest roads. The results will return to council in December.

Council was also concerned with paying for a Deerfoot Trail and ring road service which falls under provincial jurisdiction.

Remembrance crosses and Stars of David line Memorial Drive

Thousands of white crosses will line Calgary’s Memorial Drive until November 13 in memory of fallen soldiers.

"It's breathtaking," said George Bittman, Chairman of The Calgary Poppy Fund and organizer of this "commemeration Park."

Bittman and volunteers will install and maintain over 500 crosses and10 Stars of David on donated City of Calgary land, between 3 Street N.W and Centre Street. Each memorial with display a local soldier’s name that The Calgary Poppy Fund has traced to the Calgary area. Bittman estimates about 3000 local soldiers have fallen in battle and he's working to identify the others so their names can also adorn a cross.

"This is going to show the public how many people lost their lives from the First World War until today so we can live how we do now," said Bittman, adding that he's had emails and phone calls of support from across Canada.

Organizers plan to set this Memorial up every November. Calgary businessman Murray McCann donated up to $100,000 to pay for the project.

Council greenlights major inner city "West Village" redevelopment plan

Many Calgarians will have a new inner-city area to call home, shop and enjoy nature after council approved a comprehensive redevelopment of the west end of Calgary’s downtown.

Over the next 25 years the new 111 acre “West Village,” located between 11th Street S.W. and Crowchild Trail, and the Bow River south to the railroad tracks, will be completely transformed.

“This is some of the most valuable and strategically important land in Calgary; downtown real estate, right on the Bow River, right next to a new LRT station,” said Mayor Dave Bronconnier.

"It's a textbook case of what Community Revitalization Levy (CRL) was brought in for," said Bronconnier. “It’s a prime location for re-development, but that won’t happen without a comprehensive plan and a CRL – the upfront infrastructure costs are just too large.”

Mayor Bronconnier announced Council’s decision to redevelop West Village utilizing a financing mechanism called a CRL at a press conference this afternoon. CRLs are enabled through provincial legislation, and allow for new property tax revenues in a redevelopment area to be pooled for up to 20 years to pay for “up-front” infrastructure improvements that “kick-start” private sector re-development. A CRL is necessary for West Village as the area has significant environmental contamination and major transportation networks would need to be re-routed and re-constructed.

It is expected the land, currently scattered with light industrial uses such as car lots and bus terminals, will eventually become a new downtown mixed-use community and home to more than 12,000 people. The West Village Concept Plan also calls for enhanced parks and open space, a land bridge connecting a new SunAlta LRT station and users to the river park system, and sites for institutional facilities such as a new Alberta College of Art and Design and a Global Energy Centre.

The new “West Village” however, isn’t financially viable in conjunction with The City’s 2017 World Expo bid.

In May, The City of Calgary expressed an interest in hosting the 2017 World Expo, with the desire to not only locate the Expo site in West Village but to “lever” both projects. The concept was to use Expo as a means to accelerate redevelopment of West Village, and use land redevelopment to pay for hosting the 2017 Expo.

From a planning and development perspective, the two projects were an ideal fit, but financially, a very different perspective emerged.

“As a stand-alone project, using a CRL, West village is viable, and would provide for a net return of somewhere between $72 and $470 Million. However, even with that favourable return, it would not cover the costs of hosting Expo 2017,” said Bronconnier. “As a combined project, Expo and West Village, the result would be a net deficit of somewhere between $380 million and $1 billion.”

"If we can't deliver (the Expo) on a best business-case model, we shouldn't be asking (the provincial or federal governments for funding)," said Bronconnier.

It’s because of the potential $1 billion shortfall that Council approved the redevelopment plan for West village that will not include hosting a World Expo, said the Mayor. The mayor also said that the enviornmental remediation is estimated to cost $30 milion to $100 million and that the Pumphouse Theatre will remain at its current location.