Calgary Police Service Forensic Centre Opens

Crime scene analysis in Calgary is making its mark with the grand opening of a new Calgary Police Service Forensic Centre today.

“Crime scene analysis is a critical part of our most complex investigations and we need to ensure these members have the equipment and workspace to do the job properly,” said Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson.

“Investigations have evolved, as have the expectations of the justice system of police services in terms of providing evidence, communicating and explaining scientific findings.”

Located at 1010 26 Ave. S.E., this 22,000 square-foot-facility was built to accommodate the work of the CPS Forensic Crime Scenes Unit. It includes a state-of-the-art forensic lab, six doublewide drive-through bays, two major crime vehicle exam bays, a stolen vehicle bay, an arson bay, biological drying facilities, office space and a photo lab and studio.

Construction of the Forensic Centre began in October 2008 and staff of the Forensic Crime Scenes Unit began moving into the facility in July 2010. It is the home of 33 staff members, including sworn officers, photographic technicians/professional photographers and civilian identification specialists.

The cost of the Forensic Centre was approximately $9 million, funded by The City of Calgary with money from the Government of Alberta’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative.

The building was designed to meet the requirements for a Silver LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation from the Canada Green Building Council.

“This new centre will improve police operations and enhance crime lab work in our city, making Calgary an even safer place to live”, said Calgary Police Commission Chair, Mike Shaikh.

Calgary Police Service Forensic Crime Scenes Unit 2009 Statistics

• Attended more than 5,500 calls for service
• Conducted more than1,500 property exhibit exams
• Completed just under 800 vehicle exams
• Executed just under 700 DNA Orders
• Attended nearly 160 Major Crimes calls
• Conducted close to 550 fingerprint identifications

View Larger Map

Public Data Catalogue now available on Calgary Online Store

The City of Calgary is encouraging citizens to utilize the Public Data Catalogue.

"This is a pilot program with the aim to increase public access to data managed by The City," said, Heather Reed-Fenske, an IT Manager with The City.

"This catalogue is implemented in the hope that the data provided will be used to benefit all citizens."

The Public Data Catalogue is available on the Calgary Online Store.

The Data is available in a number of formats, primarily geospatial information. Data sets relate to City services, facilities and amenities.

Users are welcome to make further suggestions and vote for ideas in the Idea Forum on the online store.

Get the data and tell us what you think at http://calgaryonlinestore.com/publicdata.asp

Related Calgary City News Post

• Open data catalogue to be piloted

Advance Vote and Blind Voter Template Information for 2010 Calgary Civic Election

All eligible voters can vote during the Advance Vote at any advance voting location, say Election Officials, as The City of Calgary announced that the Advance Vote has been expanded by one day with seven additional voting locations.

The Advance Vote for the 2010 General Election will take place October 6-10 and 12-14, between noon and 7 p.m.

“Advance Vote is an opportunity for eligible voters to get out and vote early but remember you must bring acceptable ID,” says Barb Clifford, The City’s Returning Officer. All voters must show identification in order to vote. A complete list of acceptable forms of ID can be found at calgary.ca/election.

"At the Advanced Vote will also be the blind voter template - it is there so blind voters can vote unassisted," says Clifford.

Templates for those with vision loss are available ONLY at the Advance Vote. The templates and special ballots allow voters to mark their ballots without assistance.

For the 2010 General Election advance voting locations include the following:

• Municipal Building Atrium (City Hall), 800 Macleod Trail SE*
• St. Basil Elementary/Jr. High School, 919 Tuscany Drive NW
• St. Maria Goretti Elementary School, 375 Hawkstone Drive NW
• Ascension of Our Lord Elem/Jr. High School, 509 Harvest Hills Drive NE
• St. Hubert Elementary School, 320 72 Avenue NE
• John Paul II Elementary School, 119 Castleridge Drive NE
• St. Margaret Elementary/Jr. High School, 3320 Carol Drive NW
• St. Thomas Aquinas Elementary School, 4540 26 Avenue SW
• St. Peter Elementary School, 720 58 Street SE
• St. Bernadette Elementary School, 55 Lynndale Crescent SE
• St. Anthony Elementary/Jr. High School, 4811 6 Street SW
• Monsignor J.S. Smith Junior High School, 2919 Douglasdale Boulevard SE
• St. Benedict Elementary School, 10340 19 Street SW
• Mother Teresa of Calcutta Elementary School, 121 Midlake Boulevard SE

To facilitate student voting, advance voting will also be available on select days at the following locations between noon and 7 p.m. each day.

• October 7 and 13 at SAIT Polytechnic, 151 Carpenter Circle NW (SAIT Residence Tower)*
• October 6 and 12 at Mount Royal University, 4825 Mount Royal Gate SW (Mount Royal Recreation, S5 Parking Lot)*
• October 6, 7, 8, 12 and 13 at University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW (251 MacEwan Student Centre, southwest entrance)*
• *Please be aware that there is a charge for parking at City Hall, SAIT Polytechnic, Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary.

For more election information, please visit calgary.ca/election. 

Related Calgary City News Posts:

• Calgary Receives New Voting Compartments
• Calgary City Council Election History - First Female Alderman
• 2010 Civic Election Nominee list - Calgary's Returning Officer talks about Nomination Day
• Four Ways to Vote on Election Day - October 18
• Municipal Nomination Day September 20
• Return of Mail-In Ballots for the 2010 Civic Election
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Municipal General Election Candidates’ Nomination Packages Now Available
• City Recruiting Workers for October 18 Civic Election

Burning Down the House at SAIT with the Calgary Fire Department

College students today saw first hand how violent and scary a house fire really is.

If you're a college student and living on your own for the first time you are in a high risk group for being a victim of fire.

"We want college students to know their rights, be prepared to handle the worst, and have working smoke detectors," said Brian McAsey, Fire's public information officer.

Today the Calgary Fire Department held an event at SAIT’s campus where they burned down a couple of fully furnished demo houses to demonstrate how fast and how violent a house fire really is.

The Fire Department encourages students to imagine waking up in the middle of the night to a fire in your new residence. It is pitch-black with smoke, hotter than an oven and you have only precious seconds to get out alive. It’s easy to think you can handle it, but what the Calgary Fire Department sees every day is the panic, problems and all too common tragedy that results from this hellish scenario.

Moving out of the family home and into off-campus housing is an exciting time for post-secondary students. It's also a time to reflect on the safety of your new residence.

You need to know if where you live is safe, a practiced escape plan and you need to have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors that work. You have rights as a tenant and you should know what that means in terms of your safety.

For more information please visit calgary.ca/fire

Calgary Receives New Voting Compartments

Voters will be checking their vote behind new, composite plastic voting compartments for the first time this year.

The 1,700 voting compartments cost $186 each and are expected to last for many years. According to Barbara Clifford, Returning Officer for The City, it was necessary to replace the aging wooden ones.

Here is a video interview with Barbara Clifford and images of the new voting compartments.

For more information please visit calgary.ca/election

Related Calgary City News Posts:

• Calgary City Council Election History - First Female Alderman
• 2010 Civic Election Nominee list - Calgary's Returning Officer talks about Nomination Day
• Four Ways to Vote on Election Day - October 18
• Municipal Nomination Day September 20
• Return of Mail-In Ballots for the 2010 Civic Election
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Municipal General Election Candidates’ Nomination Packages Now Available
• City Recruiting Workers for October 18 Civic Election

Calgary firefighters first in region, bested overall by European teams at North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge

Competing for the first time in an international vehicle extraction competition, City firefighters finished first place in the region on home soil last week.

Competing against in what’s called the “Olympics of rescue work,” The Calgary Fire Department's two teams faced-off against 28 international teams of firefighter rescue specialists.

The purpose of the North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge was to test and refine skills to rapidly rescue people trapped after motor vehicle accidents.

The Calgary Fire Department attends to thousands of fires every year but responds to seven times that number of vehicle collisions — many involving vehicle extrication.

Last year the department performed about 500 extrications.

In the four days of competition, held at The Coast Plaza Hotel in Calgary’s northeast, more than 100 vehicles were staged in a variety of crash scenarios with teams having to quickly and safely remove trapped occupants under extremely challenging conditions.

Specialty equipment, hand-tools, and electric and hydraulic tools were used by rescuers within time allotments of 10 and 20 minutes.

The Calgary Fire Department would like to thanks all competing countries and Calgarians who showed support at the free event.

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• Calgary Hosts and Competes in 2010 North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge
• 2010 North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge

Calgary City Council Election History - First Female Alderman

When our 100th council is elected on Oct. 18, it will be an important milestone in our history. Our past is full of important landmark moments, including the historic December 1917 election that paved the way for women in Calgary’s municipal government.

Hannah Elizabeth Rolinson Gale, better known as Annie Gale, became the first woman in Canada and the British Commonwealth, to be elected to a position in any level of government. She served as alderman for The City of Calgary municipal council.

Annie was born in Netherton, West Midlands, England. She was one of the first women to take the Oxford Entrance Examinations in the early 1890s. Although she passed, women did not actually attend Oxford University at that time.

She later married an engineer, William Gale, and the couple decided to immigrate to Canada. In 1912 with they arrived in Calgary with their two young sons.

Between 1912 and 1917, Annie became well-known for her volunteer work in Calgary. She was actively involved in the community, working to improve the quality and lower the cost of fresh vegetables, as well as issues related to the lack of affordable heat and free hospitals.

According to A Guide to Canadian Women in History The Canadian Magazine noted in a 1917 article about Annie, "She is exactly the type of woman who should be in public life--a feminine, gracious, magnetic personality without agression or bombast; a woman with a charming platform manner which does not come off the instant she reaches the bottom step and stands on the floor of the hall; the type of woman of whom the West is justly proud." 


After women gained the right to vote in Alberta Anne ran in the 1917 city council election in Calgary. Remarkably, at a time when there were no women in government in Canada, Annie made history and won a seat.

She was determined to make changes and wasn’t one to shy away from controversy, saying, "I have always believed that the mission of women in political life was to clean-up politics."

During her three terms as alderman, Annie served on various committees and worked hard to reform prison conditions and establish municipally-owned hospitals. She resigned from council in 1923, and the next year was elected as a trustee to the Calgary School Board.

It wasn’t until 1927 that a second female, Edith Patterson, was elected to council. Patterson served from 1927 until 1932 and was a strong advocate for public education. In our latest three-year council term, we had three female aldermen out of a possible 14. We have yet to have a woman hold the position of mayor.

Annie Gale has a Junior High School named after her in Calgary's northeast community of Whitehorn.

Related Calgary City News Posts:

• 2010 Civic Election Nominee list - Calgary's Returning Officer talks about Nomination Day
• Four Ways to Vote on Election Day - October 18
• Municipal Nomination Day September 20
• Return of Mail-In Ballots for the 2010 Civic Election
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Municipal General Election Candidates’ Nomination Packages Now Available
• City Recruiting Workers for October 18 Civic Election

For more information please visit calgary.ca/election or A Guide to Canadian Women in History.

***Image: Annie Gale and sons William and Henry.

Operation Soteria: A Full-Scale Calgary Airport Emergency Training Exercise

The Calgary Emergency Management Agency took part in a mock airplane crash at the Calgary International Airport. This disaster response exercise included Calgary Airport Authority, The Calgary Fire Department, the Calgary Police Service and Emergency Management Services.

Peace Bridge Pieces Pass Through Oyen

Here are some images of Peace Bridge Pieces as they pass through Oyen, Alberta, courtesy of The Oyen Echo newspaper.

View Larger Map

Related Calgary City News blog posts:

• Steel in Transit for Calgary's Santiago Calatrava Peace Bridge
• City unveils design for Peace Bridge
• Peace Bridge: Do we need another pedestrian bridge?
• Peace Bridge: Could The City build it for cheaper?
• Peace Bridge and Bow River pathway and water safety

For more information please visit calgary.ca

***Photos courtesy of The Oyen Echo.

Free concert Saturday in Valleyview Park

Calgarians are invited to a free music concert in Valleyview Park this Saturday, September 25, which is part of The City of Calgary Parks 100th anniversary celebrations.

The Valleyview Park concert is the fourth and final concert in the free family concert series. From June – August, Calgarians were invited to attend concerts throughout various parks in Calgary; with attendance ranging from 300-700 people.

Where:  Valleyview Park (3103 28 St. S.E.)

Date:
Saturday, September 25, 2010

Time:
2 – 5 p.m.

Who:
Performances from Kirby Sewell, Smokin’ 45’s and Youssou Seck.

Calgarians are encouraged to attend this event and enjoy free air brush tattoos, mini donuts, a magician and local musical talent in a beautiful outdoor park setting.

For more information on the concerts, or on Parks 100th anniversary celebrations, visit calgary.ca/parks.



View Larger Map

Calgary Hosts and Competes in 2010 North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge

Here is a video and some images from the North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge which runs from September 22-25 at The Coast Plaza Hotel.

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• Calgary firefighters first in region, bested overall by European teams at North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge
• 2010 North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge

Steel in Transit for Calgary's Santiago Calatrava Peace Bridge

This weekend the first shipment of Peace Bridge components will arrive in Calgary.  A truck carrying steel elements for the bridge is tentatively scheduled to arrive at the construction site late Friday evening.  As an oversized load, the truck is limited in its travel to after 9 p.m.  This is the first of 16 shipments to be delivered. The remainder of components will be delivered at regular intervals over the next several weeks with the last elements arriving by the end of October.

Once components arrive, the contractor will begin bridge assembly with plans to work around the clock.  The City of Calgary is working to minimize disruptions to citizens adjacent residents have been informed of the upcoming activities.

Assembly of the components will take place on a platform within the construction zone.  A temporary shelter will be used to create an appropriate work environment for welding, painting and other activities.  The bridge will be moved to the temporary bridge and then launched into its final position later this year.  It is anticipated the Peace Bridge will be complete by late January 2011.

Here are some images of prefabricated pieces of the Peace Bridge by architect Santiago Calatrava.

This is a press release, issued from Calatrava’s Public Relations firm.

STEEL IN TRANSIT FOR SANTIAGO CALATRAVA’S PEACE BRIDGE

New York, NY (September 23, 2010) – The highly anticipated steel for Santiago Calatrava’s signature Peace Bridge has begun its journey from Spain to its new home in Calgary. Within the next few weeks, the vibrant red steel will arrive on site where construction will begin, transforming the massive pieces of metal into a twisting helix shaped bridge.


Best known for his soaring vertical icons, Calatrava opted to design a low single-span bridge for Calgary; a structurally and aesthetically unique choice for the renowned architect and engineer. It is also a highly technical design.  Unlike most bridges, the Peace Bridge was designed without supporting piers in the riverbed, a decision made to minimize impact on the surrounding environment.  The result is a tubular structure whose sculptural appearance generates a striking, contrast with the landscape. 

Upon completion, workers will slide the Peace Bridge across the Bow River and lower it onto its final position, providing a major link between regional pathways of Memorial Drive and Calgary’s downtown area. Calgary’s new landmark will not only serve as a leisurely passageway for pedestrians, bikers and joggers, it will also accommodate the increasing number of people commuting to and from work with a sustainable method of transportation. Taking into account the extreme elements of Calgary weather, Calatrava enclosed the bridge, filling its upper openings with glazed leaves bent to the same shape as the exterior of the helix form.


“Although the design of the Peace Bridge has been challenging, it is one that I am extremely proud of,” said Santiago Calatrava. “My goal was to pay homage to the citizens of Calgary by providing them with a structure of beauty and I hope that the Peace Bridge will be enjoyed for many generations to come.”


The Peace Bridge, which is expected to slide into its final position in October, is one of many urban-oriented projects that the renowned architect is currently working on. 


Over the summer, Calatrava announced his commission to design a sustainably-focused museum in Rio de Janeiro, as part of an ambitious urban revitalization project. He also unveiled his design for Denver International Airport’s South Terminal Redevelopment Program, which will include the construction of a signature rail bridge, a terminal train station, a 500-room hotel and conference center and a multi-function civic plaza complete with retail and concessions. In September 2009, Calatrava’s Liege-Guillemins TGV Railway Station opened in Belgium; a project that has since become a prominent symbol of Liege’s renewal.

ABOUT SANTIAGO CALATRAVA 
Santiago Calatrava’s name has been most closely associated with his celebrated designs of bridges and transportation centers built throughout the world. Highlights of his work include designs for: The Milwaukee Art Museum in Wisconsin (2001), the Athens Olympic Sports Complex (2004), the Light Rail Train Bridge in Jerusalem (2007) the Quarto Ponte sul Canal Grande in Venice (2008) and the Liège-Guillemins TGV Railway Station in Belgium (2009). He is currently working on a variety of design and construction projects throughout the world including: The World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York; the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas; the expansion of the Denver International Airport; The Peace Bridge in Calgary; Città dello Sport, Rectorate and Campus Master Plan for Roma II University in Tor Vergata, Italy and Yuan Zen University in Taiwan.

Related Calgary City News blog posts:

• City unveils design for Peace Bridge
• Peace Bridge: Do we need another pedestrian bridge?
• Peace Bridge: Could The City build it for cheaper?
• Peace Bridge and Bow River pathway and water safety

For more information please visit calgary.ca

Flags will be flown at half-mast at City Hall

Flags will be flown at half-mast at City Hall, Calgary Police Service and Fire facilities from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, September 26th for Police and Peace Officers National Memorial Day to honour fallen Police and Peace Officers.

Centre City Congress 2010 - Improving Calgary's Centre City

Join The City of Calgary for a special congress focussing on our Centre City. This one day event will see community influencers and innovators rolling out the projects and ideas that are transforming our core.

Come and be one of the first to explore how these exciting developments fit together to build a vibrant, vital and changing Centre City.

We're connecting dynamic thinkers from Calgary and across the continent to inspire collaboration and create fresh ideas to improve our Centre City.

For more information about the event and register, please visit CentreCityTalk.com

Also, learn about The People Behind Centre City Congress 2010

2010 Civic Election Nominee list - Calgary's Returning Officer talks about Nomination Day

Here is Barbara Clifford, Returning Officer for The City of Calgary, talking about Nomination Day for the October 18, 2010 Civic Election.

"Today is the day when we really know who seriously wants to run." 

- Barbara Clifford, Returning Officer, The City of Calgary.

Official List of Candidates Announced for 2010 General Election:


The following is the official list of candidates for the 2010 General Election.

The official candidate list was finalized at noon, Sept. 21, as candidates had 24 hours to withdraw their name from the ballot. Please note that one candidate has withdrawn for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 8 & 9).

Names of candidates will be posted online at calgary.ca/election. as well as in the Election Information Brochure which will be mailed to all households in the city the week of October 4th.

 

***

Please refer to 

calgary.ca/election for correct spelling if a discrepancy occurs.

Candidate listing for Mayor
Burrows, Craig
Connelly, Joe
Devine, Bonnie
Erskine, Barry
Fech, Oscar
Hawkesworth, Bob
Higgins, Barb
Hunter, Sandra
Johnston, Gary F.
Knight, Dan
Liu, Amanda
Lord, Jon
McIver, Ric
Nenshi, Naheed K.
Stewart, Wayne

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 1
Harper, Chris
Hodges, Dale
Lockhart, Ric
Perrault, Norm
Scott, Bill
Vendenbrink, Judi

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 2
Avramenko, Terry
Del Re, Daniel M.
Lowe, Gord
Magliocca, "Joe" Biagio

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 3
Iqbal, Pervaiz
Larocque, Helene
Stevenson, Jim
Tremblay, Gary

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 4
Bedard, Leslie
Boehm, Dwight
Chu, Sean
Haussecker, Jeff
Kruschel, Curtis
Low, Tommy
MacLeod, Gael
Morgan, Jane
Northcott, Brad
Poon, Carol
Wong, Jon

Candidate Listing For Alderman Ward 5
Ashar, Beena
Bal, Jay
Guizzo, Robert
Jones, Ray

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 6
Dimic, Rad
Malyszko, Tom
Mielke, Brent
Pootmans, Richard
Rogers, Ken
Royer, Randy
Sims, Henry Ronald
Turner, Coral
Wills, Robert
Yannitsos, John

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 7 
Cook, Elizabeth Ann
Farrell, Druh
Krisko, Michael
Pilling, Jim
Taylor, Kevin

Candidate Listing For Alderman Ward 8
Grochowski, Antoni
Lapp, David
Mar, John
Pashak, Zakary

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 9
Carra, Gian-Carlo
Chapman, Steve
Clemens, Petra
Hollinger, Henry Charles
Nixon, Jeremy Pat
Pal, Mike
Vase, Adam
Waciak, Stan The Man

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 10
Chabot, Andre
Dossa, Nargis
Kennish, Robert
Schackwidt, Karl

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 11 
Frisch, Wayne
Knight, Olga
Maxim, James
McCutcheon, Ernest
Pincott, Brian

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 12 
Browne, Al
Crowe, Roger
Keating, Shane A.
Rotzoll, Rory
Sim, Benjamin (Ben) G.

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 13
Colley-Urquhart, Diane Marie
Hodge, Trevor
Jenkins, Sandy
Rodych, Andrew

Candidate listing for Alderman Ward 14
Demong, Peter
Dur, Richard
Fox-Mellway, Linda
Gerelus, Ken
Kao, Shawn
Tummonds, Billy The Butcher

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 1 & 2) 
Bowen-Eyre, Joy
Durrani, J.
Gretton, Michael
Hurdman, Trina
Kneller, Jaret
McDonald, Roberta
Traptow, Josh

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 3 & 4) 
Ferguson, Lynn
Taj, Tanveer

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 5 & 10)
Ashraf, Shahzad
King, Pamela
Mangat, Amar
Rowan, Rick
White, Ryan J.

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 6 & 7)
Indarsingh, Lenore
Lane, George S.
Oliver, Carole

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 8 &  9)
Cochrane, Pat
Shutiak, Laura

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 11 & 13)
Baehl de Lescure, Sarah
Guinn, Andrea
Heather, Larry R.
Heggerud, Catherine
Kearns, Julie
Lough, Victor
Mowat, Helen
Styles, Sue
Taylor, Sheila

Candidate listing for Public School Board Trustee (Wards 12 & 14)
Amery, Malik M.
Bazinet, Carol
Moore, Wendi Ann

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 1 & 2) plus Cochrane
Scarpino, Serafino (Acclamation)

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 3 & 5) plus Airdrie
Groebmair, Rofina
Wellman, Linda

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 4 & 7) 
Belcourt, Marge
Engel, Anne

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 6 &; 8)
Burke-Gaffney, Lois
Grochowski, Antoni

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 9 & 10) plus Chestermere 
Goerlitz, Rosemarie (Acclamation)

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 11 & 12)
Annuik, Michael
Vankosh, Kim
Williams, Cathie

Candidate listing for Separate School Board Trustee (Wards 13 & 14) 
Martin, Mary (Acclamation)

Related Calgary City News Posts:

• Four Ways to Vote on Election Day - October 18
• Municipal Nomination Day September 20
• Return of Mail-In Ballots for the 2010 Civic Election
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Municipal General Election Candidates’ Nomination Packages Now Available
• City Recruiting Workers for October 18 Civic Election

For more information please visit calgary.ca/election

CBC Sports Day in Canada in Calgary

CBC Sports Day in Canada is September 18 and Calgarians can celebrate with free admission to our swimming pools and receive tokens to practice their swing at a golf driving range.

Please visit calgary.ca/recreation to receive your coupons and CBC.com for nation-wide information.

Four Ways to Vote on Election Day - October 18

Here is an Shaw TV City Matters interview with Barbara Clifford, Calgary's Returning Officer talks about the four ways that people can vote in Calgary's Municipal Election on October, 18, 2010.

For more information please visit calgary.ca/election

Related Calgary City News Posts:

• Municipal Nomination Day September 20
• Return of Mail-In Ballots for the 2010 Civic Election
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Municipal General Election Candidates’ Nomination Packages Now Available
• City Recruiting Workers for October 18 Civic Election

2010 North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge

What: North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge
Where: Calgary, The Coast Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre
When: September 22-25, 2010, 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

For more information, please visit Calgary.ca/fire


View Larger Map

Calgary Responsible Dog Ownership Day in Bowness

If you’d like to watch dogs jump hurdles, search for scented dumbbells, catch frisbees, race through obstacle courses, and demonsrate their ability to follow their owners’ directions, then tomorrow may become your favourite day.

Calgary Responsible Dog Ownership (RDOG) Day is tomorrow, September 18 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at Bowness Park and you’re invited.

“Many dog owners don’t know that there are a number of dog sports and activities available in our city,” says Joanne Hahn, Manager of Policy and Public Education, with Animal & Bylaw Services.

Urban Vive Pet Photography and Heartland Veterinary Clinic will be on site taking pet photographs and demonstrating the correct way to trim dogs’ nails, clean their ears and brush their teeth. Animal & Bylaw Services, the Calgary Humane Society, Calgary Association of Dog Fanciers and several rescue organizations will be providing educational resources. Mungo’s Books for Dog People will also be at the event.

There will also be tennis ball bobbing, dog dressing and other hourly contests for kids, the young at heart, and their dogs.

“This fun day is about showcasing some of those events. When pet owners and dogs spend time engaging in enjoyable activities, dogs become better socialized and we all benefit,”

Responsible Dog Ownership (RDOG) Day is a national initiative started by the Canadian Kennel Club to educate dog owners across the country about responsible pet ownership.


View Larger Map

Municipal Nomination Day September 20

If you intend on running for office in Calgary this election, you'd better jot down this date in your calendar: September 20.

Candidates must file their completed nomination papers and submit their deposit if they wish to run in the October 18th election on Monday, September 20th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 (noon) in the Engineering Traditions Room at City Hall.

A list of nominated candidates will be available on September 20th after 2 p.m. via a news release, posted on calgary.ca/election or for pick up at the City Clerk’s Reception.

The candidate list will be official after noon on September 21, as candidates have 24 hours to withdraw their name from the ballot. Names of candidates will be posted online at calgary.ca/election as well as in the Election Information Brochure which will be mailed to all households in the city the week of October 4th.

To all those who intend on running, good luck!

Related Calgary City News Posts:

• Return of Mail-In Ballots for the 2010 Civic Election
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Municipal General Election Candidates’ Nomination Packages Now Available
• City Recruiting Workers for October 18 Civic Election

Opening of Calgary's newest multi-service building

The City of Calgary is celebrating the opening of its newest multi-services building. Now the northeast has a firehall and police station combined into one 52,100 square foot facility that will meet the needs of the 46,000+ residents and the future growth of the community.

Calgary’s 100th City council

This October, Calgarians will be electing their 100th council, 125 years after the first ever City election. Through a display in City Hall’s atrium, City archivists are currently highlighting Calgary’s 125 years of growth and the councils that have lead to the upcoming milestone election.

Calgary’s 99 councils to date have had some easy trends to spot. From a quick scan of the archivists’ display the issues faced by our city over 125 years start to look familiar. The City has survived flooding, epidemics and population explosions all while experiencing economic boom and bust cycles, wars and contentious social issues.

Election Day 2010 is October 18 be a part of history and cast your ballot.

City Links Program Helping Calgary Senior Citizens Stay Independent

The City of Calgary, with the help of Chevron volunteers and Volunteer Calgary teamed-up today to help paint a local senior’s home as part of the “Colour Their World” program.

“I’d like to say Thank You, or ‘Grazie’ in Italian,” said 80-year-old Rosa Grossi who was busily preparing pizza and espresso's for the volunteers.

Grossi’s house is being taken care of as part of The City of Calgary's City Links program that helps eligible senior homeowners maintain their independence with free home maintenance services such as basic yard care, snow shoveling, house cleaning, house painting and minor repair services.

The labour is done either by volunteers as part of City Links' “Colour their world” program or through the employment and training section, which according to calgary.ca, “provides a safe and supportive work environment for individuals with life challenges to receive paid work experience, personal counselling, employment preparation counselling, as well as life management, work and technical skills training.”

Today, the volunteers are employees of Chevron, which has been an integral part of the program since its inception.

According to the City of Calgary, and Statistics Canada:

• There are approximately 107,000 seniors in Calgary today, representing about 10.1% of the population.
• By 2012 the total population of Calgary is expected to climb to approximately 1,131,800. The majority of this growth will be in the middle-aged and older adult age cohorts.
• By 2012, the senior population is expected to increase to 121,900; by 2016 to approximately 146,467, and by 2030, the Calgary senior population will be over 250,000 – about 18% of the population. The anticipated growth in this segment of the population is exponential.

Click these links for more information on City of Calgary senior citizen programs, City Links and calgary.ca/seniors.

The City of Calgary remembers its fallen firefighters

On September 8, 2010, the Calgary Fire Department, The City of Calgary and event attendees honoured fallen firefighters at the annual memorial service held near Tribute Plaza at the Walls of Memory in front of City Hall. The formal service brought together the public, members of protective services and the families and loved ones of the 26 Calgary firefighters who have lost their lives.

“It is the memory of those that have lost their lives as a result of firefighting that continues to remind those in the service, as well as those we provide service to, about the dangers that firefighters face,” said Fire Chief Bruce Burrell. “We have learned so much from the past and continue to make strides in ensuring the safety of the men and women of the Calgary Fire Department who risk their lives to save others.”

Burrell and other City staff, including the mayor and several aldermen, paid their respects alongside family, friends and the larger protective services family during the solemn occasion.

An honour guard, a bagpipe parade and a wreath laying ceremony were part of the event. These lives were also celebrated through a singing of the national anthem, a ringing of a ceremonial bell and the reading of several prayers and speeches.

This event happens every year and every year new names are added because of the harmful and lasting effects of toxins which firefighters and other emergency personnel are exposed to throughout their careers.

Free-flow Traffic Begins on Glenmore Trail & 37 Street S.W.

Starting tomorrow, traffic signals will be removed at 37 Street and north-south traffic will travel over Glenmore Trail on a new bridge to improve traffic flow.

“The removal of these traffic signals means Calgarians can now drive from Sarcee Trail to Ogden Road, without encountering a single traffic signal,” said Gordon Stewart, The City’s Director of Transportation Infrastructure.

Glenmore Trail and 37 Street S.W. construction includes a new bridge to carry 37 Street S.W. traffic over Glenmore Trail, a roundabout on 37 Street S.W. north of Glenmore Trail, lengthening the merge lanes to and from Glenmore Trail, and upgrading the roundabout on 37 Street S.W. south of Glenmore Trail.

“The City will be moving forward with a permanent interchange at Glenmore Trail and 37 Street S.W. once the options are available from the Province for the southwest ring road,” added Stewart.

City Manager Speaks to Province about Impacts of Bill 203

A Bill that could restrict use of one of the traditional sources of revenue for municipalities and negatively impact the way The City of Calgary delivers services was addressed by The City’s manager in provincial government yesterday.

Calgary’s City Manager, Owen Tobert and Chief Financial Officer, Eric Sawyer, spoke to the provincial Standing Committee on Community Services about The City of Calgary’s concerns with Bill 203.

“This Bill is extremely concerning to The City of Calgary, which has, for a long time, used this revenue source to balance local budgets which are based on local needs,” said Tobert.

“For the province to arbitrarily take this local control away has the potential to negatively affect municipalities and the citizens who rely on their services.”

The City of Calgary is not alone in its worry about the negative impacts of Bill 203.  In fact, The City is working with the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association and cities across Alberta to prevent the passage of the bill.


Municipalities have different and varying needs. For example, cities grow at different rates and experience different infrastructure demands and public service expectations.  This is why the Municipal Government Act gives municipalities the flexibility to determine what revenue sources – e.g. property tax, franchise fees or user fees - work best to meet those needs.

Sawyer said  this Private Members’ Bill ignores customer differences by imposing a single methodology for all, which may result in the redistribution of costs between different customer classes.  If approved, the Bill may have an unintended consequence that could shift the financial burden.

“We are working to protect and balance local community needs and citizen interests”, says Tobert.

Franchise fees are an important revenue source that helps enable the delivery of core municipal services like police, fire, and public transit. A shortfall in revenue from one revenue source would have to be addressed through increases in other revenue sources.

Franchise fees are currently identified in a single line item on a customer’s utility bill and are transparent and clearly identified for municipal purposes.  Published utility rate schedules include the standard franchise fee methodologies that are used in Alberta.

Pathway, Pathwatch Survey 2010

Please help us improve Calgary's pathways by taking a few minutes to fill out our Pathway survey.

The survey is a regular part of pathway planning and management. Surveys were conducted in 1994, 2002 and 2006. This year, Parks contracted an external vendor to conduct observation and intercept surveys at 15 pathway locations throughout Calgary.

Study objectives include (but are not limited to) gathering information about:

• Pathway users familiarity with pathway regulations 
• Perceptions of safety 
• Reasons for using pathways 
• Frequency and extent of use

Please take the Online Pathwatch Survey by Friday, September 17. The findings will be reported to council in May 2011 as part of the Pathway Safety Review.