Calgary builds resilience with help from global network

In May of this year, Calgary was selected to join 100 Resilient Cities – Pioneered by The Rockefeller Foundation as part of the final wave of cities to join the global network.

100RC was launched by The Rockefeller Foundation in 2013 to enable 100 cities across the globe to better address chronic stresses and increasing incidents of acute shocks being faced by cities in the 21st century.

This week begins Calgary’s first official step as part of the 100RC Network – with a kick-off visit from Calgary’s 100RC Liaison and Advisor, Katya Sienkiewicz, Associate Director for City and Practice Management at 100RC.

This visit will give The City an opportunity to understand her role, learn more about the 100RC program and Calgary’s role within the network. We will spend the week orienting Ms. Sienkiewicz to City Administration and identifying action items to prepare for the next step in the program.

“This is an exciting time for The City,” says Christine Arthurs, Director of Resilience & Infrastructure Calgary. “Being part of 100RC means we will be able to tap into resilience experts around the world to elevate the resilience work that is already underway at The City and in Calgary.”

The next few years will be full of exciting opportunities as we participate in the 100RC Network. Without question, being a member of this global network will yield great benefits for The City, the community, our citizens and the region.

It is Calgary’s time! We will collaboratively rise to the challenge of building a more resilient city, and apply our learnings, strategies and vast support networks to achieve that goal.

The new Green Line LRT: Shaping the way we move

Over the past 20-30 years the city of Calgary has seen tremendous growth, both in jobs and population. Since the creation of Calgary’s first LRT line in 1981, Calgary has grown from a city of 600,000 to over 1.2 million people. Transit ridership has followed the expansions of the LRT network, averaging 320,000 passengers per day in 2016; the highest LRT ridership per capita in North America. Now with the Green Line LRT, we have another opportunity to plan for future growth of the city by providing Calgarians with even more ways of getting around.

At our last speaker series session, the team explored “Building transit villages” and on September 20 you’ll learn more about the past, present and future of mobility options in Calgary and hear how the panelists shaped mobility in their respective cities.

Panelists include Tamim Raad, former Director of Strategic Planning and Policy at TransLink, Metro Vancouver’s regional transportation authority, Brian McCarter, Principal at ZGF Architects in Portland, Oregon and Allison Brooks, Executive Director of the Bay Area Regional Collaborative in San Francisco, California.

We hope you’ll join us for a brief presentation followed by our panelists who will be answering your questions on mobility trends.

Tuesday September 20, 2016
Glenbow Museum Theatre, 130 9 Avenue S.E.,
Doors open at 5 p.m., presentation starts at 5:30 p.m. Event concludes at 7 p.m.Light refreshments will be available, seating is limited so please arrive promptly

Upcoming in the series (more details coming soon):

• Calgary’s Potential – October 2016

If you missed the previous sessions, watch the video recaps:

• June 2: City shaping – Watch the video  
• June 21: Building a transit village – Watch the video

Follow the Green Line story on Twitter @yyctransport #GreenLineYYC, and for more information on the project, visit Calgary.ca/greenline. For questions about the Green Line project, please email greenline@calgary.ca.

Prune your elm trees before April 1 to prevent the spread of Dutch elm disease

Our current warm weather is a great time to get out and check any elm trees on your property. Did you know you can only prune elm trees between October and March? A provincial pruning ban exists between April 1 and September 30 to discourage pruning elm trees at the wrong time.

This is to help prevent the spread of Dutch elm disease. Dutch elm disease is spread by elm bark beetles attracted to the freshly pruned trees. Pruning when these beetles are not active helps reduce the risk of your tree attracting beetles and getting the disease.


Here are a few tips to help care for your elm trees:

• Elm materials should be disposed of at City landfills – stored elm firewood is an ideal breeding ground for elm bark beetles.
• All trees should be watered every two to three weeks from April to mid-August, then again in the fall before freezing. Trees need much more water than lawns do. 
• Ensure your trees are mulched properly. Mulch should be applied no deeper than four inches, not applied against the trunk of the tree (four inches away) and spread out as far as permitted. Mulch adds nutrients to the soil, conserves moisture and regulates soil temperatures. All good things for roots. 
• And remember, prune your trees ONLY between October 1 and March 31 when the beetle that spreads the disease is not active. 

Keep your trees free of DED

Since Dutch elm disease (DED) was first introduced to North America from Europe in 1930, it has destroyed millions of elm trees. Alberta is one of the last geographic areas in North America to be free of DED and we want to keep it that way. Elm trees are also one of the few types of shade trees that grow in Calgary so it is important to protect them.

The unseasonal snowstorm last September caused significant damage to our urban forest. Preliminary estimates indicate 50 per cent of the 500,000 public trees and 1.5 million private trees have sustained damage from the snowstorm. This means there are three times as many damaged trees on private property as there are on City land. Recovering from this storm will require us to look after our trees together.

For more information on helping your trees recover from the 2014 September snowstorm visit calgary.ca/trees or view one of our other videos on tree health. 


Submitted by Althea Livingston, Parks

Calgary Fire Department recognizes transit officers and others for heroism

The Calgary Fire Department recognized the heroic actions of two Calgary transit officers and those of 14 other citizens and firefighters at the Calgary Fire Department Recognition Luncheon today.

L – R: Fire Chief Ken Uzeloc, Ian (Bob) Hope, D’Arcy Hare

“Bob and I didn't even speak to each other about what we were going to do, we just leapt into action,” said D’Arcy Hare, a transit peace officer who spotted a woman in trouble in the Bow River near the Langevin Bridge with his colleague Ian (Bob) Hope this winter.

They called dispatch, requesting emergency services to their location before parking and making their way down the riverbank.

It was about -5 C that day, but with the wind chill felt much colder. The two men were both worried that if the woman went under the water, she would not survive.

Through snow to pull woman from the river

They scrambled down the riverbank towards the ice-covered water, and carefully made their way to the woman who was at the edge of the river and ice ledge.

“We each took a hold of her wrists and dragged her out of the water,” said Hare.

By the time the men reached the shore with the woman, emergency services were there. They recalled the woman was conscious, but as is common with hypothermia, she was not able to speak coherently. Thanks to their efforts and those of emergency services, the woman was treated for hypothermia and later released.

Rescued woman and went back to work

“We thanked all of the emergency responders, brushed off the ice and snow and went back to work - well to be honest we went for a coffee for me and tea for Bob, to warm up. We then went back to work for the rest of our shift.”

To recognize their bravery, the two men were presented with the Medal of Bravery, the highest honour of the Fire Department Recognition Luncheon. The honour is bestowed on individuals who proactively intervene in a life saving situation, or risk personal injury to save another individual at a Fire Department-attended incident.

You can nominate someone for the award too

Members of the public can nominate worthy firefighters or citizens for recognition by contacting 311. Nominations are reviewed by the Calgary Fire Department.

“I am humbled to be recognized. I don't feel like I did something extraordinary,” explained Hope. “I would hope that anyone would do the same to save another person's life.”

For more information on the Calgary Fire Department visit calgary.ca/fire.

Submitted by Bridget Cox, Calgary Fire Department