The City of Calgary Newsroom

City of Calgary advises precautions with anticipated rainfall

May 23, 2013 07:25 AM

The City of Calgary would like to remind Calgarians that the city is expected to receive 30 to 50 mm of rain beginning Thursday morning and continuing until late Friday night. Heavier rainfall is expected in the foothills west of Calgary and may reach 100mm in isolated areas over Thursday and Friday.

Combined with normal spring runoff, the rain levels may add a significant volume to the Bow and Elbow rivers as well as increase the chances of basement water seepage in some areas.

“ We want Calgarians to know that with any potential hazard, preparedness is key, “ said Greg Solecki, Manager, Calgary Emergency Management Agency. “With the amount of predicted rainfall we advise Calgarians to take preventative measures around their home to reduce the risk of water damage.”

As a precaution, The City of Calgary reminds homeowners to:

• Check your sump pump, if you have one, to ensure it is working properly
• Move important documents or items from lower levels or the basement of your home
• Prevent sewage and stormwater backup by capping or installing a back-flow device on your basement floor drain
• Clear your eaves troughs, downspout, and drainage gutters (swales) of leaves and other debris
• Don’t water your lawn – this will increase the saturation in the ground, making it difficult for rain water to be absorbed into the ground
• Ensure your downspouts point away from your and your neighbour’s foundations
• Keep children away from storm drains
• Do not attempt to drive through any areas that are covered in water
• Report any plugged storm drains by calling 3-1-1
• Stay off the Bow and Elbow Rivers, and avoid the banks of all rivers and creeks

The Glenmore Reservoir remains closed to recreational users due to the lowered water level to create room for increased stream flow upstream.

For more detailed information on what to do before severe weather visit www.calgary.ca/cema

For more detailed information on severe thunderstorms visit www.calgary.ca/flooding or follow hashtag #yycstorms

 

The City of Calgary Newsroom

City works to keep Calgarians on the move

May 22, 2013 02:19 PM

Calgary—Calgary’s downtown core is a hotbed for major construction projects. As we approach the busy “construction season”, Council and City Administration have taken a closer look at how to keep traffic of all kinds on the move. The Calgary Transportation Plan (CTP) provides direction on supporting multiple modes of transportation for all travellers, including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and those with limited mobility.

 

With a significant focus on pedestrian traffic in the CTP, and to ensure sidewalks remain clear and unobstructed, The City and our external construction partners, such as the Calgary Construction Association (CCA), have made strides in addressing the need to keep sidewalks open and accessible for pedestrians. Additionally, a newly created collaborative review process has allowed internal City partners such as Roads and Development and Building Approvals to work together at an earlier phase of planning to better serve the transportation and safety needs of Calgarians.

 

The City has been working closely with developers and construction companies over the last year, and all agree that pedestrian access is critical, especially on key routes. One option The City offers is more flexibility on the timing of work, and in some cases, relaxing the noise bylaw to allow for late night construction.

 

“We’ve made great strides in finding alternative measures to preserving our pedestrian network, which can be seen all over city centre,” says Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Calgary is going to continue to grow and with that comes construction, however we still have a responsibility to Calgarians to keep them safe and keep them moving.”

Construction projects lasting for extended periods of time often obstruct multiple sidewalks. In such a highly concentrated pedestrian area as Calgary’s downtown core, The City recognizes that this can be quite an inconvenience for the travelling public.

 

“Pedestrian safety and convenience are priorities for Council,” says Ald. Druh Farrell. “I’m encouraged to see industry and The City working together to provide better access to public sidewalks during construction.”

Gord Elenko, Manager of Traffic Engineering for Roads, says it’s not good enough to push pedestrian traffic out onto the roadway and block a traffic lane. While that maintains access for pedestrians, it negatively impacts cyclists and motorists and creates potential safety hazards.

 

“The City recognizes sidewalks are an essential part of our transportation network, especially in the downtown core and Business Revitalization Zones,” he said. “This is why we’ve made it a priority to better maintain accessibility to pedestrian walkways surrounding a construction site, without compromising anyone’s safety.”

 

Currently there are 20 long-term, major construction sites in the downtown core where sidewalks have required on-street detours or overhead hoarding structures to maintain an open walkway.

 

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The City of Calgary Newsroom

How should The City use $52 million?

May 16, 2013 12:58 PM

Calgary, AB…Today City Council announced a new public engagement asking Calgarians how The City should use the $52 million of provincial tax room.

“This is a significant amount of unbudgeted money,” said Mayor Nenshi. “We’ve debated five options in Council—all of which reflect the priorities of Calgarians—and this is our opportunity to engage with citizens to hear what they think before Council makes a decision in July.”

City Council wants all citizens to give input on all or any of the five options. There are three ways citizens can get their input to City Council:

• Online at calgary.ca/52million
• Attending face to face opportunities at five different locations in Calgary over the next two weeks  (schedule below)
• Contacting 311

City Council is also preparing a public debate at the Devonian Gardens on Tuesday, May 28, from 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.

Currently, about 60 per cent of the property taxes citizens pay goes to The City for operations including police, fire, 9-1-1, road maintenance, parks and recreation facilities. The other 40 per cent goes directly to the Province.

City Council approved the 2013 budget in November 2012. The Province, after its budget in March 2013, actually requested less of its estimated portion of 40 per cent than had been anticipated.

That means that, with the same budget approved last November, The City now has $52 million more than expected. Council policy states that this money cannot be used for day-to-day operational expenses, but may be used for capital projects, which The City often asks the Province to help fund, or debt reduction.

City Council has come up with five options for using this tax room that will provide value for Calgarians. They are:

1. “Let the buses roll!” Creating a new dedicated capital fund for Calgary Transit
2. “Give business a break!” Reducing the tax rate for businesses
3. “Revitalize our communities!” Investing in maintenance and renewal of older neighbourhoods
4. “Drop the debt!” Reducing The City’s debt and our annual interest payments
5. “Give it back!” Lowering the taxes that homeowners pay

City Council will carefully review all feedback and use the information in helping them to decide how to use the $52 million when Council meets in July.

Please visit calgary.ca/52million for more information and to have your say from 2:00 pm, May 16, 2013 through 12:00 midnight, June 2, 2013.

$52 Million face-to-face engagement opportunities

Location	Date/Time
Bankers Hall	Wednesday May 2210 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Stephen Avenue	Wednesday May 2911:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Northland Village Mall	Friday May 312 – 6 p.m.
Chinook Centre	Saturday June 19:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
South Centre	Saturday June 11:30 – 5:30 p.m.
Sunridge Mall	Sunday June 211 a.m. – 3 p.m.

 

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