Interested in the Olympic Plebiscite?

November 13, 2018 is Vote Day for the Olympics. Photo source: Lyle Aspinall/PostMedia Network

Ward 9 2026 Olympic Bid Engagement Open House

There will be a 2026 Olympic Bid Engagement Open House in Ward 9

When: Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Time: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Where: Hotel Blackfoot, 5940 Blackfoot Trail SE

The Open House will follow a similar format to the City’s Engage events. Everyone is free to move around at their leisure.

There will be city staff on hand to facilitate. They will answer questions and direct attendees to information boards which will have much of the material you can see on the online portal here: https://engage.calgary.ca/2026Games

The open houses are opportunities to provide hands-on feedback directly to staff. Usually there are forms with specific questions that attendees can complete and leave with staff. The five focus topics of the engagement are:

• Community

• Venues and facilities

• Environment

• Economy

• Costs

All five are outlined in detail on the Engage portal in Step 2 (“Learn about the proposed bid”). The Engage Toolkit is a great resource as well.

Olympic Public Engagement and Information

Do you want more information to answers like:

• Why is Calgary considering hosting the Games again?

• What are some of the proposed Olympic and Paralympic numbers in the Draft Hosting Plan?

• Will hosting the Games help or hinder Calgary’s future?

Then please have a look at the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games bid engagement toolkit.

Through to October 28, Calgarians have the opportunity to learn more about The City’s analysis of the Calgary 2026 Draft Hosting Plan Concept (see below).

In addition, the online engagement portal was launched today, giving citizens a chance to review materials and offer input at their convenience through to October 28.

The engage website is calgary.ca/2026Games

2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid Engagement and Public Events

The engage website is calgary.ca/2026Games

The City of Calgary’s Secretariat was established to examine Calgary 2026’s Draft Hosting Plan Concept and provide advice to City Council and the Assessment Committee on opportunities, benefits, costs and risks associated with bidding and possibly hosting the Games. The Secretariat also ensures Council and the Assessment Committee have the information they need to make the decision on whether or not to bid.

The Secretariat has undertaken a thorough analysis of the draft hosting plan. It has worked with City of Calgary staff in all departments and external consultants with Games experience to determine and assess benefits and risks inherent in the draft hosting plan. It has also worked with other orders of government, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.

There have been some external comments about how the information is being presented through the public engagement platform, specifically around categorizing potential benefits and risks associated with hosting the Games.

Should The City decide to submit a bid, and it is successful, the draft hosting plan would continue to evolve. The examples of benefits and risks listed in the engagement materials are provided to achieve a balanced approach. The examples are “potential” and not intended to be taken as exhaustive.

What are the next steps?

The City is engaging Calgarians to help City Council decide whether or not to submit a bid to host the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. City Council will consider a range of information before making its decision.

Mark your calendars - November 13, 2018 is vote day!

What’s on the ballot?

The question on the ballot will be:

Are you for or are you against Calgary hosting the 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games?

__ I am for Calgary hosting
__ I am against Calgary hosting

Advance Vote

November 6 and 7 – Advance Vote 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (14 locations, one in each ward)

November 6 – Mount Royal University 11 a.m. - 5p.m.

November 7 – University of Calgary  11 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Senior’s Accommodation Vote (November 6 & 7) – list of residences will be added to the website shortly. 

Special (Mail-in) Ballots

Applications are now open and can be made online, in person or over the phone until November 13, 2018 at noon.

Ballot packages must be received at the Elections Office by 4 pm on November 13, 2018. 

If the mail strike occurs arrangements have been made to deliver the packages to Calgary addresses via courier.

Voting on Vote Day

Time:  8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

160 locations across the City.

Voters must vote at their designated voting station.

Hospital Vote:  10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (rotating)  Foothills, Peter Lougheed, Rockyview, South Health Campus

Who is eligible to Vote

A Canadian citizen at least 18 years of age who has resided in Alberta for a least the last 6 months (since May 13, 2018) and lives in a Calgary Voting Subdivision on Vote Day. 

How to Vote

For the first time, Elections Calgary will be using vote tabulators to compile the results.  Voters will be provided a paper ballot and they will mark their choice on the ballot.  The ballot will then be run through the tabulator, if there are no errors, the ballot is accepted into the ballot box.  If the ballot has been marked improperly (e.g. too many choices) the ballot will be returned to the voter and the voter will be given an opportunity to correctly mark a ballot and have it accepted by the tabulator. 

Looking for information on The Games before you vote?

Results

At the Voting Station, after the last voter leaves the station, the tabulator will generate results for the ballots received by it.  Those results will be posted for scrutineers to read.

The results will be available on the Calgary.ca/vote2018 website and City social media channels. The legislation prevents the results being released voting station by voting station on Vote Day.  When all results have been tabulated, which we are planning for at the latest 10 p.m., Elections Calgary will post on its social media channels that the results will be released in the next 15 minutes.

Public, Campaigns, and Media will all be encouraged to watch our Social Media Channels to ensure they are prepared.

Useful web links:

Who can vote

When & Where to vote

The Question

ID Requirements

Vote workers

For more information, visit www.calgary.ca/vote2018 or call 311.

17 Ave SE BRT Update - upcoming detours and closures (September 28, 2018)

Rendering of the 17 Avenue and 36 Street SE Station. Source: City of Calgary

Written by the BRT Project Team

Published on September 28, 2018

Crews are busy at work on International Avenue, and there are some detours and closures this weekend.

September 29 to October 1, 2018 – 17 Avenue and 19 Street SE

• Starting at 7 a.m. September 29, 2018 westbound 17 Avenue S.E. will be reduced to one lane at 19 Street S.E.

• The westbound left turn lane on 17 Avenue S.E. to 19 Street S.E. will also be closed.

• Eastbound 17 Avenue S.E. will be reduced to one lane east of the 19 Street S.E. intersection. 

October 4, 2018 – 17 Avenue and 19 Street SE

• Traffic lanes on 19 Street S.E. will be shifted and the pedestrian crosswalk on the east side of 19 Street will be opened. This work is weather dependant.

October 5 to 9, 2018 - 17 Avenue and 19 Street SE

• Starting at 7 a.m. September 29, 2018 westbound 17 Avenue S.E. to 19 Street S.E. will be reduced to one lane at 19 Street S.E.

• The westbound left turn lane on 17 Avenue S.E. will also be closed.

• Eastbound 17 Avenue S.E. will be reduced to one lane east of the 19 Street S.E. intersection.

Source: The City of Calgary

Don’t forget your favourite businesses on International Avenue are open during construction, so make sure to stop by.

Stay in touch with the BRT Project Team and get all updates by visiting www.calgary.ca/17AveSEBRT.

Upcoming closure of the Calgary Zoo's West Gate

Calgary Zoo’s West Gate will be closed effective Tuesday, October 9, 2018. Photo Source: Global News

Hi Inglewood and Ramsay residents! The Ward 9 Office has received word from the Calgary Zoo that the West Gate will be closed effective Tuesday, October 9, 2018.

However, eligible Calgary Zoo members who live in Inglewood and Ramsay are able to pass through the Calgary Zoo’s Security entrance with their valid zoo membership and special Ward 9 Community Pedestrian Pass.

Please confirm your eligibility for the pass by contacting ward09@calgary.ca and include a photo of your valid zoo membership and proof of address.

A few reminders for how members gain special access to the zoo when the West Gate is closed

Valid only for Day Admissions – Daily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (during West Gate closure only)

• Inglewood and Ramsay residents who are valid zoo members must contact the Ward 9 Office to receive a Ward 9 Community Pedestrian Pass.

• To gain access through the Security entrance, members must present both a valid membership card along with a valid Community Pedestrian Pass.

• If a membership has expired, unfortunately access will not be granted.  The Security Team is not able to renew memberships; this can be done at the north gate, online or over the phone.

• Access applies to pedestrians only; there is no public parking available.

• Members entering at the Security gate are not able to bring guests who are non-members as Security does not have the capability to capture payment or complete transactions.

• As the Security Team does not have the capability to capture payment or complete transactions, there will be no special access for evening events including ZOOLIGHTS.

The West Gate will re-open in the spring of 2019. Please visit www.calgaryzoo.com for more details

Clarification on supervised consumption site community mail outs

While the City of Calgary is an interested group in these discussions, the ultimate decision lies with the provincial government.

I want to give you a heads up that some of you in certain areas in your community will be receiving a mail out from HIV Community Link, the organization contracted by Alberta Health Services to provide advisory support to the development of supervised consumption services in Calgary, on behalf of the Province.

The card states that a supervised consumption site is coming to your community. This is not actually the case – one site is proposed for the east end of downtown while the other is proposed along 17 Avenue SE.

As part of their communications plan, HIV Community Link is mailing out postcards to postal codes whose boundaries intersect within a 1 km radius of the proposed location in the east end of downtown, and 2 km radius of the 17 Avenue SE proposed location.

While the City of Calgary is an interested group in these discussions, the ultimate decision lies with the provincial government.

If you are interested in learning more, contact HIV Community Link to register for one of their engagement sessions. You can contact them by visiting their website at www.calgaryscs.com, emailing them at supervisedconsumption@hivcl.org, or calling them at 587-393-4095.

As engaged communities, there is no shortage of items, ideas, and projects to be informed about and provide your feedback.

Please keep us in the loop when you provide your comments and submit your comments, we’re interested in hearing your feedback.

Thank you,

Gian-Carlo

Achieving our values through our budget

Date: September 11, 2018

The Budget.

It’s the most important thing we as a city do. It drives what our neighbourhoods look like, how we’re connected, and how essential services are delivered to us all.

Every four years, The City creates business plans and budgets. This year is no different. This new four-year (2019-2022) budget program called One Calgary is becoming more service-focused. To do this, each department is putting forward their budget by service delivery, instead of by department.

Over the years, I’ve heard that you want to know more about the services provided, how your tax dollars are invested, how that investment is delivered to you everyday, and how that investment shapes your future.

This new way of viewing The City’s service plans and budgets will make it clear what services are provided, how much those services cost, and how those services provide you value. You’ve told me that there are things that matter to you that you feel are inadequately funded, with some of these everyday things - like snow removal, parks maintenance, illegal dumping, bylaw officers, and traffic calming.

I’ve also heard from you that the larger items that will shape our city for the better aren’t given the appropriate amount of resources, and it’s shown through the lack of funding. Items like transportation, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, affordable housing, planning and development policies and programs like Main Streets and Step Forward, along with the seniors Age-Friendly Strategy (to name a few) aren’t budgeted for in a way that will deliver our success into the future.

I’m calling on you and your neighbours to tell me what your funding priorities are. Photo source: Iris Jegen

The City will begin engaging you on the One Calgary budget process in November, but I want your feedback much sooner than that. While I know from many of you who have attended the Ward 9 Community Objectives Workshops what your priorities are, I’m calling on you and your neighbours to tell me what your funding priorities are so that during budget deliberations, I can have laser clarity and ensure that the resources and tools that we need to continue building Great Neighbourhoods is locked into the budget.

Please send me an email at ward09@calgary.ca with your name, community, and your top 10 important items so they can be addressed during budget deliberations. The more responses, the better. 

If you would like more information, feel free to check out some more of the budget pages:

• One Calgary

• Our Services

• 2019-2022 Service Plans and Budgets hub page at calgary.ca/yourservices

I hope to hear from you soon.

Gian-Carlo

P.S. sign-up for my Ward 9 e-newsletter at www.bit.ly/Ward9Newsletter