City requests input from citizens on land for sale

Ever looked at a vacant lot and thought, "I know what they could put in there."

We know it happens, and now The City of Calgary wants to hear your ideas regarding a couple of these locations. The Office of Land Servicing & Housing is asking the public for their input by releasing a Request For Information (RFI).

This RFI pertains to two pieces of land The City has for sale as a result of the road widening on 16 ave north . The locations are: Site A: 107 16th Avenue NW and 1613 Centre A Street NE and Site B: 201 16th Avenue NE and 215 16th Avenue NE. This RFI is open for public input until 4:00 p.m., on March 25.

People interested in submitting ideas can do so in various ways, including formal channels at The City's Supply Management department; more information on those can be found here. However, less formal submissions can be made by commenting on this blog. We will pass comments and suggestions to the Office of Land Servicing & Housing.

To get more information about properties The City has for sale visit calgary.ca/realestate or to learn more about how to do business with The City visit calgary.ca/bids. You can also learn more about Calgary's sustainable growth plans by visiting calgary.ca/mdp or calgary.ca/tbl. Additional information regarding growth and development in the 16th Avenue North Urban Corridor Area Redevelopment Plan can be accessed here.

After you have a look at the information on the sites make your suggestions on what would be the perfect attraction for the area here.

Waste & Recycling Services update on waste diversion

Have you been wondering about the success of the blue and black cart programs? So was City Council. That’s why as part of regular reporting The City’s Director of Waste and Recycling Services (W&RS), Dave Griffiths, presented an update report on the successes and timeline for achieving Council’s directive to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfills by 2020 (80/20).

The report was delivered during Wednesday’s Standing Policy Committee on Utilities & Environment and was broken into two components. One report addressed the 80/20 plan and the operationalization of diverting waste, while the other report addressed Multi-Family Recycling.

Highlights from the 80/20 report included major points and outcomes:

• Food and yard waste is the largest diversion opportunity as it represents 57 per cent of remaining residential waste.
• A focus on diverting food and yard waste materials will achieve the most progress toward 80/20 and help to mitigate environmental risk. 
• Increasing regulations from Alberta Environment may result in mandatory financial penalties for landfill greenhouse gas emissions. 
• W&RS will design a food and yard waste pilot program for implementation in 2012. The pilot recommendation will include public engagement and be presented back to Council in October 2011.

Dave Griffiths told us after the Standing Policy Committee meeting, “Food and yard waste - that organic fraction – that material has a major environmental impact, not only just consuming the capacity of our landfills, it also produces what we call landfill gases which are carbon dioxide and methane, both green-house gases; and methane... it’s more than 21 times the effect of carbon dioxide as a green house gas.”  

Highlights from the Multi-Family Recycling report included major points and outcomes:

• The multi-family sector is growing and plays an important part in contributing to the 80 per cent residential waste diversion goal.
• The multi-family sector is currently served by a network of 52 City-run community recycling depots and by a number of private recycling companies. 
• The City has begun working with the private sector to identify and remove barriers to increasing service to this sector.
• W&RS will ask for Council direction to maintain the current strategy, while engaging stakeholders and developing recommendations for a city-wide multi-family recycling strategy that considers partnerships with the private sector.

To find more information on The City’s Waste & Recycling Services visit our City Initiatives page or our Waste & Recycling Services home page.

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• The City of Calgary rolls out Black Cart
• City announces the launch of Black Cart Garbage Collection 
• Garbage collection gets an overhaul 
• A Tour of Calgary's Blue Cart Recycling Sorting Facility 
• Blue Cart Recycling Update 
• Blue cart and Christmas tree pick-up celebrate their first holiday season 
• Examining the efficiency of The City’s garbage & recycling collection 
• A good place for bad stuff: the Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Program

Talisman Centre opens after renovations

Thousands of Calgarians are excited to return to the familiar confines of Talisman Centre where they can enhance their health and wellness in a beautifully upgraded facility.

On Wednesday, February 23, The City of Calgary celebrated along with the Talisman Centre and many Calgarians at the grand re-opening of this one of a kind building.

Originally built in 1983 for the Western Canada Summer Games, The Talisman Centre hosts more than 1.5 million visitors per year and has played an integral part in the training of more than 30 Olympic and Paralympic medalists. More importantly, it is a key facility designed to help Calgarians to keep exercising while having fun.

After acknowledging the efforts of Calgary’s previous leaders in helping to make the upgrade happen, Mayor Nenshi explained, “At The City, we don’t take a major financial contribution of 41.5 million dollars lightly, but it was the right thing to do. The City of Calgary wants to invest in things that make people happy every day and this facility along with other initiatives in arts and culture help to increase the health and wellness of Calgarians and that’s an investment we will continually make.”

Before the renovation began, City Recreation and The Talisman Centre came up with a plan that would keep as much of the facility open during the renovation as possible. The work on the facility began in March 2010, with the Talisman Centre re-opening to the public on January 17, 2011.

The replacement of original cloth roof cost $28.5 million dollars, and the original roofing material will be put to good use elsewhere in Calgary by placing the material over simple frames to create shelters in city parks. Additional improvements to the facility included the renovation of the lighting and heating systems within the building along with the swimming pools, change rooms, basketball courts and an additional $250,000 of new fitness equipment to enhance the experience for all users of the facility.

These improvements allow one of North America’s most visited multi-use recreational facilities to continue to serve Calgarians for another 30 years while retaining its iconic look and providing Calgarians with a more reliable, comfortable, enjoyable and energy efficient facility.

Pet of the week Duke

This is our Pet of the Week, Duke. Duke is a Great Dane mix, who is full of energy and joy. Duke would be well suited to anyone with love to share and the desire to make a happy dog part of their life. As you can see in the video Duke likes to play and he's well on his way to learning a trick or two.

For more information please visit calgary.ca/animalservices

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• Pet of the Week - Pixie
• Pet of the Week - Kris Kringle
• Pet of the Week - Boots
• Pet of the Week - Rosie
• Pet of the Week - Hank
• Calgary joins National Campaign to Address Cat Overpopulation
• Pet of the Week - Sophia
• Pet of the Week - Corky
• Pet of the Week - Peanut
• Pet of the Week - Fantasma
• Get into the Spirit of Giving with Animal & Bylaw Services Gift Certificates
• Calgary Cat Lovers Needed - Impound Lot at Capacity - Animal Adoption Program Information
• Feline Frenzy at Animal Services
• Pet of the Week - Scrappy
• Pet of the Week - Emmett

New City Mentorship Program Welcomes New Canadians

The face of Calgary will be different in 2031. It is expected that 30 per cent of Calgarians will be new Canadians. Because of the shifting demographics of Canadian society, it will be necessary to staff hundreds of thousands of jobs with skilled labour from abroad.

That’s part of the reason why The City of Calgary is partnering with the Calgary Regional Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC) to foster mentor relationships between City staff and new Canadians.

Helping new Canadians navigate the Calgary labour market will help The City maintain an experienced and skilled workforce while also helping develop staff for the greater Calgary community.

Human Resources Advisor, Cheryl Goldsmith, with The City’s Corporate Recruitment and Staffing team, summed it up this way, “We know we want to be diversity friendly and have the cultural competence to work with people who are not all the same.”

That’s great for The City but the real gains of a mentoring program may actually be in the rewards experienced by participants. Jason Luan, a Social Planner with Family and Community Support Services, is taking part as a mentor in this program and he laid out the benefits simply, “Mentoring is a fantastic way of helping others and helping ourselves. I guess... to me it is about giving back for what I have received from others in the past.”

The City is just starting this partnership and is excited to have additional rounds of intake for new mentors and mentees in the spring/summer timeframe. If you are interested in getting your company involved with a mentorship program for new Canadians, visit the CRIEC website for more information. If you are a new Canadian, or know a new Canadian who may benefit from one of Calgary’s many immigrant support societies, check out these links below. You can also do a simple online search using the keywords: Calgary immigrant support to find lists of many more agencies.

· Immigrant Services Calgary

· Corporate Readiness Training Program

· Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association

· Calgary Centre for Newcomers

Fix a Leak Week - Test a toilet, save water and money

Fix A Leak Week is being launched to help educate Calgarians about the simple low cost ways they can find & fix household leaks... effectively saving both money and water.

February 28 to March 6 is Fix a Leak Week, and Calgarians are being encouraged to take the leaky toilet test.

“We all play an important role in protecting Calgary’s water resources,” said Amy Ross, Public Program Coordinator at The City of Calgary. “Finding and fixing toilet leaks is one of the easiest and inexpensive ways to eliminate unnecessary water usage in your home.”

Research shows that household leaks can account for more than 10% of the water used in an average single family home. One leaky toilet can waste up to 28 bathtubs of water every month, costing upwards of $100 a year.

To learn how to take the three-step leaky toilet test and about other things to help man

age household water use, visit calgary.ca/rethinkwater.

Visitors to the site can also complete a short four-question survey and be entered for a

chance to win one of seven high efficiency toilets - one toilet will be awarded each day of Fix a Leak Week.

Monitoring a home for leaks on a regular basis helps ensure we are all doing our part to protect our precious water resource and may help save money.

For more information or to participate in Fix a Leak Week visit calgary.ca/rethinkwater or call 3-1-1 or visit the Rethink Water Calgary Face

book page.

Historic City Hall Clock Tour

Historic City Hall turned 100 years old last year. We thought it would be nice to take you on a brief tour of the tower with Martin Wall, Lead Hand with Corporate Buildings & Properties, who spent many years winding the clock daily.

Historic City Hall's clock is an original part of City Hall that was completed in 1911. The clock was manufactured by the Seth Thomas Clock Co. of Thomaston, Conn., U.S.A.

The clock was purchased by The City in 1910 and installed by local jeweler, D.E. Black, who was also an Alderman. City Hall - a four-storey sandstone building designed by architect William M. Dodd - was declared a Provincial Historic Resource in 1978.

The clock went through life-cycle repairs in 2010, with hopes it will keep ticking for at least another 100 years.

This year is Historic City Hall's 100th birthday, so if you're in the area, come check out the building and if you time it right, you may hear the old bell toll.

Related Calgary City News Blog posts:

• The City Repairs the Clock in Historic City Hall
• Calgary’s 100th City council
• Historic City hall turns 100 this year
• Calgary City Council Election History - First Female Alderman

Jumpstart: Local youth play hockey with former Calgary Flames

Young Calgarians passed the puck with their hockey heroes last week as part of Canadian Tire's Jumpstart program at the Don Hartman North East Sportsplex.

Jumpstart is a community-based charitable program that helps kids in financial need participate in organized sport and recreation such as hockey, soccer and swimming.

This year, The City of Calgary's Recreation team arranged for five youth to participate in the program. And as you'll see in the video, not only were the young 'uns having fun, but so were their parents and the former pros.

Canada Day Volunteers Needed

The City of Calgary is organizing Canada Day celebrations to be held on July 1, 2011 at Prince's Island Park. Canada Day is Calgary's largest single day festival with crowds of 100,000+.

Calgarians look forward to this free annual festival experience that includes national, regional and local bands, roving performers, hands-on activities, games, crafts, food, and a great deal more.

If you would like to volunteer for this event, please visit calgary.ca

CANstruction: Taking Part in Engineering Art

The City’s Engineers-in-Training (EIT) rotation program members are gearing up for this year’s Canstruction charity competition at the City Hall Atrium from February 24 - March 4.

Canstruction is a charity competition where teams from the engineering, design, and construction industry use only canned and other non-perishable food items as building materials to create sculptures based on each year’s theme.

“Canstruction is one of the best opportunities for EITs to network across City business units.” says team member Shannon Graham.

Calgary’s chapter of Canstruction donates the non-perishables to the Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank, giving more than 250,000 pounds of food since 2006.

The theme for this year’s competition is “Oh CANada,” so all entries will be symbolic of our nation. The City’s entry will be a celebration of Canada’s natural resources, showcasing Utilities & Environmental Protection’s policy of “Protecting what’s precious. Land. Air. Water.”

The EIT Rotation Program is open to applicants who have completed their university degree in engineering and are in the process of obtaining the four years of experience required by the Engineering, Geological and Geophysical Professions Act of Alberta to obtain their Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation.

Related Calgary City News Blog posts:

• CANstruction 2010 comes to Calgary
• Canstruction returns to Calgary

Bylaw Boss talks about Clearing Pathways and Sidewalks of Snow

In this video, Bill Bruce, Director of Animal & Bylaw Services, talks about rules regarding clearing snow and ice from a personal property sidewalk. For more information, please visit calgary.ca/bylaws.

Overview of snow & ice removal regulations

Owners/occupants are responsible for the complete removal of snow and ice from all sidewalks adjacent to their property within 24 hours after the snow stops falling.

Removal of snow and ice means the removal of all snow and ice down to the bare concrete.

Snow or ice from private property cannot be placed on a road or boulevard.

Helpful hints

If the ice cannot be removed, apply gravel, salt or sand to help with removal.

Free sand is available for pick up at most fire halls. Please bring your own container.

Making a complaint

Failure to remove snow and ice may result in it being removed at the property owner's expense.

To report a bylaw infraction please:

Call 3-1-1 or 403-268-CITY (2489) if calling from outside Calgary.

Historic City Hall to turn 100 this year

On June 26, 2011, Historic City Hall will turn 100 years old.

In this video, Clint Robertson, a Heritage Planner, talks about Old City Hall and opportunities to take a tour or visit our records and archives.

Family Day 2011 Hours of Operation for City of Calgary Facilities

The City of Calgary is adjusting hours of operation for services and facilities on Family Day, Monday, February 21, 2011.


City Administrative Offices
All administrative offices will be closed on Monday, February 21, 2011 and will reopen on Tuesday, February 22, 2011.

Calgary Transit
Calgary Transit will provide a Sunday level of service on Family Day, Monday, February 21, 2011.

For information and schedules, please visit http://www.calgarytransit.com/, call Teleride at 403-974-4000, or Calgary Transit Customer Service at 403-262-1000.

Residential Garbage Collection
Residential collection schedules and pickup at community recycling depots are not affected by the Family Day holiday.

Landfills
Spyhill Landfill Site and Shepard Landfill Site will be closed on Monday, February 21, 2011.

East Calgary Landfill Site (17 Ave. and 68 St. S.E.) will be open 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Animal Services Centre
2201 Portland Street S.E.
Closed on Monday, February 21, 2011.

Recreation 

Arenas
The arenas listed below will be open on Monday, February 21 for free public skating from 1-2:30 p.m.:

- Ernie Starr
- Frank McCool
- Murray Copot
-Optimist/George Blundun
- Jimmie Condon
- Shouldice
- Henry Viney
- Stu Peppard

Athletic Parks
All Athletic Parks are closed for the season.

Aquatics and Fitness Centres
The following pools will be open for a free public swim on Monday, February 21 from 1 –2:30 p.m. and 3–4:30 p.m.:

- Acadia
- Glenmore
- Inglewood
- Shouldice
- Sir Winston Churchill
- Thornhill

Both Shouldice and Glenmore will be offering free Skate & Swim Family Day events.

Southland Leisure Centre
Facility hours: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Adult shinny hockey: 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Public Skate: 2 - 3:30 p.m.

Village Square Leisure Centre
Facility hours: 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Adult shinny hockey: 12 - 1:30 p.m.
Public Skate: 12:30 - 2 p.m.

Art Centres
Wildflower Arts Centre and North Mount Pleasant Arts Centre are closed on Monday, February 21, 2011.

City of Calgary Parks
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary
Inglewood Bird Sanctuary Nature Centre will be closed to the public on Monday, February 21, 2011.

The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary trails will be open from sunrise to sunset.

Natural Environment Parks
Trails open from sunrise to sunset

Devonian Gardens
Closed for renovations

Other Facilities
Fort Calgary
Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Heritage Park
Historic Village now closed. Heritage Town Square attractions open year-round.

Deane House
The Deane House will be closed on Monday, February 21, 2011.

Calgary Zoo
Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. daily.

TELUS World of Science
Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Pet of the Week - Pixie

This is our Pet of the Week, Pixie, an energetic 1-year-old female labrador mix. Pixie is looking for a healthy and happy home. We swear you can see Pixie smile in this video . . . our educator Marc sure does!



For more information please visit calgary.ca/animalservices

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• Pet of the Week - Kris Kringle
• Pet of the Week - Boots
• Pet of the Week - Rosie
• Pet of the Week - Hank
• Calgary joins National Campaign to Address Cat Overpopulation
• Pet of the Week - Sophia
• Pet of the Week - Corky
• Pet of the Week - Peanut
• Pet of the Week - Fantasma
• Get into the Spirit of Giving with Animal & Bylaw Services Gift Certificates
• Calgary Cat Lovers Needed - Impound Lot at Capacity - Animal Adoption Program Information
• Feline Frenzy at Animal Services
• Pet of the Week - Scrappy
• Pet of the Week - Emmett

Calgary Transit's Valentines Love Train

On Valentine's Day, Calgary Transit introduced the winning couple of Calgary Transit's best love story contest, and they took a ride on the 'Love Train.'

Love a Cat/Love a Dog Adopt-a-thon

Adding a pet to your life has many benefits. Studies show dogs and cats can help reduce blood pressure during stressful situations, increase the recovery time from illness and disease and have beneficial psychological affects for all age groups.

So, it’s obvious why you should add a cute, loving pet to your life but pet adoption can sometimes be a hard process to navigate. Well, The City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services, the Calgary Humane Society and MEOW Foundation are making it that much easier for people to adopt a pet by holding a Love a Cat/Love a Dog Adopt-a-thon.   

This event is a four day adopt-a-thon meant to increase public awareness of the pets available for adoption at all three agencies and to remove any barriers that may prevent Calgarians from adopting.

Director of The City of Calgary Animal & Bylaw Services, Bill Bruce, said, “this collaborative promotion is focused on helping as many families as possible find their perfect pet, and by doing this, helping as many animals in need as possible.”  

The Love a Cat/Love a Dog Adopt-a-thon runs from Friday, Feb. 11 to Monday, Feb. 14. All three agencies will have adult cats available for adoption at a special fee of $75. Dogs will be available for a special adoption fee of $100 at the Animal Services Centre only.   

All cats and dogs will be spayed/neutered, microchipped or tattooed, vet checked, vaccinated (excluding rabies), and receive a free 6-month City of Calgary licence.

To learn more about the cats and dogs available for adoption at The City’s Animal Services Centre, visit the facility at 2201 Portland Street S.E. or check the website at calgary.ca/animalservices, or call 3-1-1.

To view the cats available for adoption at the Calgary Humane Society, Calgarians can visit the facility located at 4455 110 Ave. S.E. or check their website at calgaryhumane.ca. 

To view the cats available for adoption through the MEOW Foundation, visit the agency’s website at meowfoundation.com or call 403-230-6033. Check all three websites for business hours and more information.

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• Pet of the Week - Midge
• Pet of the Week - Kris Kringle
• Pet of the Week - Boots
• Pet of the Week - Rosie
• Pet of the Week - Hank
• Calgary joins National Campaign to Address Cat Overpopulation
• Pet of the Week - Sophia
• Pet of the Week - Corky
• Pet of the Week - Peanut
• Pet of the Week - Fantasma
• Get into the Spirit of Giving with Animal & Bylaw Services Gift Certificates
• Calgary Cat Lovers Needed - Impound Lot at Capacity - Animal Adoption Program Information
• Feline Frenzy at Animal Services
• Pet of the Week - Scrappy
• Pet of the Week - Emmett

Our City. Our Budget. Our Future. - Public Engagement Launched

This is a video of Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Stephani Roy McCallum of Dialogue Partners discussing Our City. Our Budget. Our Future. on January 31, 2011.



The City today launched the engagement process for the facilitated review of core services and The City’s business planning and budget process. The project – being called Our City. Our Budget. Our Future. – is an extensive public and internal engagement process that will provide multiple participation opportunities for citizens and City employees to be involved.

The public and internal engagement process will facilitate conversations with citizens, employees and Council to identify and confirm immediate priorities while keeping an eye on the longer-term vision that will support the future that Calgarians envision. This engagement process will continue the journey towards achieving the 100-year vision articulated in imagineCALGARY and other long-term strategies such as the Calgary Transportation Plan and the Municipal Development Plan. The input received through the process will inform Council’s plan for Calgary for the next three year business planning and budget cycle as well as help The City understand what must be done to attain the vision for a longer-term sustainable future.

The website for the project – calgary.ca/ourfuture - was launched today and contains details citizens can use to find an upcoming event to attend, or participate online. The first workshops will begin February 23, with several planned for that week. Online activities will happen over the course of the project. The engagement process will continue through May, 2011.

Whitney Smithers, Manager, Business Planning & Budget Coordination, said, “This project is about getting Calgarians to tell us what they value most and where their priorities lie for the next three years, building on the vision developed in the imagineCALGARY process. The input received through the engagement sessions is critical to The City’s business planning and budget process and will be shared throughout the project.”

“This public engagement process is designed to welcome everyone to participate. Attend any of the many community sessions we have planned, or provide your input online – your choice – what is important is that you provide your ideas for Council and Administration to consider in their planning for the future,” said Stephani Roy McCallum, Managing Director, Dialogue Partners.

For participation information, please visit calgary.ca/ourfuture

Related Calgary City News Blog posts:

• Public Engagement Process for Business Planning Announced
• City Council Approves 2011 Business Plan and Budget Adjustments
• 2011 Budget Adjustment Questions Addressed
• Transit Budget Questions Answered
• City Administration releases proposed adjustments to 2011 Business Plans and Budgets
• City of Calgary CFO and Calgary Fire Chief Discuss 2011 Budget
• City of Calgary receives distinguished budget award
• City Council approves 2010 - 2011 Business Plan and Budget Adjustments

Plus 15's re-open

Calgarians have two more reasons to stay out of the cold this winter now that two of The City's Plus 15's (or +15) will re-open.


The bridge from the Centennial Parkade to the new Eighth Avenue Place (top photo) and the bridge from Eighth Avenue Place to the Watermark Tower (bottom photo) will be free to roam on Friday, February 18.

For more information, please visit centrecitytalk.com

Click here for a map of the entire plus 15 system.

City Manager Responds to Audit Investigative Review

City Manager Owen Tobert released the following statement this evening after reading the report submitted to Council by Deloitte regarding their investigative review into high risk procurement files.  The external investigators were also asked to reconcile the difference in perspective offered by the former City Auditor and the City Manager.

“Deloitte has carried out their investigative review and they will be discussing their findings with Council.  I have just received the report, and following my first review of the findings, I am satisfied this report should bring closure to any outstanding concerns, subject to Council’s acceptance of the report.”

“Most, if not all, of the differences between the former City Auditor’s and my perspective of statements of impropriety in procurement have been reconciled and Administration has been cleared of the shadow of wrongdoing cast over it,” said Tobert.

“Taxpayers should be reassured that, amongst other things, it has been concluded that they have received full value for the $747 million in the contracts under review.  No money related to the contracts under investigation has gone missing.”

The investigative review was commissioned by Council following statements made by the former City Auditor about City procurement.  

Deloitte’s reports will be discussed at Council on Monday, February 14.

Related Calgary City News Blog posts:

• Independent external audit approved by council
• City Administration and City Auditor agree no Fraud Found in Procurement Audit
• City's Procurement Audit Presented to Committee

City Transportation Infrastructure projects win awards

Sometimes adversity leads to opportunities. In this case, the challenges of a S.W. ring road and the inability to build our way out of congestion in core areas, has led to innovative engineering solutions.

The City’s Transportation Infrastructure department has been recognized by the Consulting Engineers of Alberta 2011 Showcase Awards for three projects: An Award of Excellence in Project Management for the G37 Interchange – Stage 1 Detour (better known as the overpass at Glenmore and 37 Street S.W.); and two Awards of Merit: one in Community Development for the 17 Avenue S.E. Transportation Planning Study and one for Studies, Software & Special Services for the Reversible Lane Control Systems on Memorial Drive and downtown at Bow Trail and 5 Avenue.

These awards don’t come easily as many cities and companies compete for recognition of the great work being done around Alberta.

Travis Gaede, a Senior Transportation Engineer with Transportation Infrastructure, was on the Reversible Lane Control Systems team that was recognized for an Award of Merit, had this to say.

“It was cool because it had a lot of challenges. This is traffic optimization that has maintained safety and improved commuter times in a very cost effective way with no new pavement. We had so many contributors, several neighbouring construction sites and we tested during the winter. It feels great to be recognized by our peers on top of our own sense of project success.”

This award is granted based on the maximization of available road space using studies, technologies and software. In this project no new land could be used, the only option was to make better use of the land available – and that has definitely happened.

The Award of Merit for the 17 Avenue S.E. Transportation Planning Study is based on the vision of a multi-modal transportation corridor. This plan envisions an area that encourages transit, cycling and pedestrian traffic while planning for the heavy usage needs of cars and trucks. The City and its partners tried to balance traffic efficiency, environmental design and sustainability and this award says that they have done that.

The Award of Excellence in Project Management acknowledges the difficulties faced by planners and engineers. Project Engineer with Transportation Infrastructure, Duane Delaney, explains:

"The complexities range from the engineering-design work needed to take into account a possible southwest ring road to the communications work with local community representatives needed to facilitate listening and learning throughout construction; this project would not have been successful without the team that worked on it."

As iron sharpens iron, so to complex projects hone the skills of engineers. The City of Calgary is proud of the work done by all of its staff, but with these awards we are reminded that these engineers have earned their iron rings.

For more information on these projects, the awards and other interesting engineering projects, visit the Consulting Engineers of Alberta website at cea.ca or read the brochure with our stories in it here. 

Pet of the Week - Midge

This is our Pet of the Week, Midge. Midge is a very social lady cat who recently celebrated her ninth birthday. She enjoys cuddling and being brushed, playing with lasers and is hoping to find some loving people to share her purr-sonal time with.

For more information please visit calgary.ca/animalservices

Related Calgary City News Blog Posts:

• Pet of the Week - Kris Kringle
• Pet of the Week - Boots
• Pet of the Week - Rosie
• Pet of the Week - Hank
• Calgary joins National Campaign to Address Cat Overpopulation
• Pet of the Week - Sophia
• Pet of the Week - Corky
• Pet of the Week - Peanut
• Pet of the Week - Fantasma
• Get into the Spirit of Giving with Animal & Bylaw Services Gift Certificates
• Calgary Cat Lovers Needed - Impound Lot at Capacity - Animal Adoption Program Information
• Feline Frenzy at Animal Services
• Pet of the Week - Scrappy
• Pet of the Week - Emmett

The City of Calgary receives two awards for Municipal Sustainability Leadership

The City of Calgary received two awards at the annual FCM Sustainable Communities Conference in Victoria, British Columbia last evening.

Alderman Brian Pincott accepted the two awards on behalf of The City at the awards ceremony. The first award was for Plan It Calgary, the three year process of developing a long term vision and plan for integrated land use planning. The second award was for the renovation of the Calgary Public Building, updating the building to achieve a 46 per cent reduction in operating costs and a 54 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. The Calgary Public Building has already achieved a gold rating and is awaiting a platinum rating on the LEED Commercial Interiors scale.

“These awards demonstrate The City of Calgary’s ability to innovatively lead the country in municipal sustainability, from bricks and mortar initiatives to visionary planning for development over the next 60 years,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Recognition at a national level, among our municipal peers demonstrates our ability to think long-term and lead by example when it comes to sustainability.”

Plan It Calgary was The City’s integrated land use and mobility plan project that developed a long-term plan for Calgary's land use and transportation networks. It aligned with the goals and vision of imagineCALGARY, the 100 year sustainability plan and vision for Calgary. Through the engagement of over 6,000 Calgarians, it determined citizen and stakeholder groups’ priorities for the next 60 years, as Calgary is forecasted to grow by another 1.3 million people. The outcomes of Plan It Calgary were the integrated Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and the Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP). Together, these plans describe the long-term pattern of growth and development for Calgary.

The Calgary Public Building has been designated as a Municipal Historic Resource and heritage landmark in Calgary's downtown core. It was renovated to continue as a home for the performing arts and to also create an additional healthy workplace for more than three hundred City of Calgary staff. The renovation had a primary focus of improving the environmental performance of the building while also preserving the exterior of the building and upgrading the interior to be more energy efficient. This was done by enhancing the heating, cooling and electrical systems while adding insulation to the inside walls along with a second layer of high-performance windows. Primarily, the focus of the renovation was on reuse, restoration and recycling. This approach is consistent with The Centre City Plan, a framework for making Calgary’s core a thriving, caring, and livable space.

The FCM Sustainable Community Awards offer national recognition for municipally-led environmental projects that demonstrate leadership, innovation and excellence. The FCM Sustainable Community Awards are part of a suite of awards and honours within the FCM Awards of Excellence Program.

FCM has been the national voice of municipal governments since 1901. It fosters the development of sustainable communities to improve quality of life by promoting strong, effective and accountable municipal government.