Spring and summer recreation program registration now open

Say goodbye to winter with The City’s spring and summer Recreation programs, open for registration on February 26, online, in person and over the phone.

Not sure what programs are available? Our Spring/Summer Recreation Program Guide is now available; pick up a hard-copy or browse programs online. The guide contains hundreds of recreational opportunities to get you and your family more active, more often.


"The City of Calgary has a variety of programs to help you get outside and get moving as the weather warms up in our city,” says Brad Herman, recreation program specialist with The City of Calgary.

With dozens of facilities located throughout the city, including two leisure centres, 12 aquatic & fitness centres, seven golf courses, a soccer centre, a sailing school and more, there are many convenient locations for you and your family to take part in a variety of fitness related recreational programs, close to home.

3 steps to registering

1. Create or update your account
   - Create or login to your account on calgary.ca/liveandplay
   - Make sure all information is up-to-date
   - Once you have an account, you can call 403-268-3800 to add family members
2. Find your program
   - Pick up our Recreation Program Guide or browse programs online at calgary.ca/liveandplay
   TIP: Don’t want to select a specific program date/time? Leave the date selection blank, so you can see all of the options
   - Write down your desired program course IDs
   
3. Register for your program
   - Online with a credit card (Debit & VISA debit not accepted): calgary.ca/liveandplay
   - By phone: 403-268-3800
   - In person: Calgary Recreation Customer Service, Southland Leisure Centre or Village Square Leisure Centre  

Join us and get moving!

Help make Spring Clean-Up a sweeping success

The City’s annual Spring Clean-up program kicked off on April 3, with some big changes to the program this year.

Until June 1, crews will be out sweeping up dirt and debris leftover from winter on over 15,000 lane kilometres of road across Calgary. When crews sweep up gravel and debris, it keeps it out of the air and our storm drain systems. Clean streets are also safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists.

During pre-sweeping in March, crews were able to complete a significant amount of sweeping due to warm and dry weather conditions. Sweeping has continued successfully throughout April as well.

Residents looking for more information about the program can visit Calgary.ca/sweep to read the answers to some frequently asked questions. Here are a few we’ve heard so far:

How can I find out when crews will be sweeping my street?

This year, crews are sweeping 7 days/week, an increase from the previous schedule of 4 days/week. To find out when sweepers will be on your street, watch for the large green community sweeping signs posted in your area and look up your address at Calgary.ca/sweep.

What are the new parking restrictions in place this year?

All communities are now under parking restrictions when streets are being swept. When the large green community signs (pictured) are placed around your community, a parking ban is in effect for the entire community. Any vehicles left on the road at this time are at risk of receiving a ticket, but will not be towed. For this reason, crews will have to sweep around these vehicles, reducing the effectiveness of the sweeping program.

Why didn’t the vehicles left on my street receive a ticket or tow?

If the small “No Parking” signs are placed every few metres along your street, vehicles will be ticketed and towed. In areas where the green community signs are placed, but the small “No Parking’ signs are not, towing will not occur.

Although the Calgary Parking Authority is enforcing tickets when community signs are out, not every neighbourhood can be attended to. Crews typically sweep in five different areas of Calgary every day for two months, so not every vehicle can be ticketed and/or towed over this period of time.

What do I do if street cleaning falls on garbage collection day?

If you have front street collection, place your blue and black carts on the sidewalk or grass boulevard next to the curb. Once street cleaning is complete, you can put your carts out as normal on collection day.

For more Spring Clean-up news and updates, follow @yyctransport on Twitter.

Seven actions you can take to help the environment

Spring is here and it is a great time to help protect our precious land, air and water. Together we can make a difference. Here are seven actions that can make a big difference.


1. Attend a community tree fair

This spring, we will be hosting tree fairs at community parks all around Calgary, with free resources and demonstrations showing you how to care for your trees and plant new trees. There will also be lots of fun activities for kids, entertainment and food options. Together we can recover our trees that were damaged in the September 2014 snowstorm and help our trees grow to what they once were. For locations and dates, visit the "Events" tab of calgary.ca/trees.


2. Reduce idling

When vehicles are left running while parked, they continue to produce emissions that contribute to air pollution and climate change. Turning off the engine is a great way to reduce emissions and save money. Ten seconds of idling uses more fuel than turning your engine off and restarting it. If you want to start an idle free zone at your school or workplace visit calgary.ca for idle free posters that can be downloaded and printed.


3. Plant some smarty plants

This summer enjoy a beautiful yard that is easy to maintain. Smarty plants are part of The City of Calgary’s YardSmart program and are plants that don’t require a lot of water and still thrive in Calgary’s unique climate. Since summer water usage can increase by 50 per cent, becoming water and YardSmart can reduce your summer watering bill and this means more savings for you. Visit calgary.ca/yardsmart to find a list of smarty plants and other YardSmart actions.


4. Use a rain barrel

A good rain shower can quickly fill a rain barrel and provide a free source of water for your yard. Your plants will love the rain water and will flourish. Green Calgary is hosting a number of rain barrel sales this spring and summer, to see the dates and locations of the sales go to greencalgary.org.


5. Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

Reducing the amount of material that gets sent to the landfill is important to everyone. Thanks to the efforts of all Calgarians, we’ve recycled more than 350,000,000 kilograms of material in the last five years. By reducing, reusing and recycling, we are doing more with less – and that is great for the environment. The City of Calgary has created a searchable online tool called What Goes Where and it has helped thousands of Calgarians find out how to give a second life to materials. Check it out at calgary.ca/whatgoeswhere the next time you are wondering where something goes.


6. Just compost it

At this time of year, nearly a third of our residential garbage is yard waste. Rather than putting your old leaves, branches, and plants in the garbage, give these materials a second life by turning them into compost. Bring your yard waste for composting to any City landfill for free until the end of May. Visit calgary.ca/springcleaning for more information on the program and landfill hours.


7. Eat local

Local food is miles better. The average meal travels 2500 kilometres to reach your plate – that’s a lot of fuel, energy and carbon emissions. Growing your own food or eating food that is produced locally is a great way to save energy and help protect the environment. The added bonus is that local food is fresher and taste great! If you're looking for more information on local food or are interested in joining a community garden, visit calgary.ca/localfood.

Please visit calgary.ca/spring to find out more information on spring in Calgary.