Calgary Minute: Plastics Hearing, Playground Speeding, and Fort Calgary Renamed

Calgary Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Calgary politics

This Week In Calgary:

• The schedule for the week at City Hall is a bit disjointed given that there are two public hearings this week on issues that have proved very popular with Calgarians. The week begins with a meeting of the Event Centre Committee this morning at 9:30 am. Much of the meeting will be held in-camera, but apparently, the City is on the verge of revealing the designs for the Event Centre and on track for a public reveal by this year’s Calgary Stampede. Then, the City’s largest-ever public hearing, regarding blanket upzoning, will continue into its third week, beginning at 11:30 am. There is additional time reserved on Thursday from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm, and again on Friday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm should it be needed.
  
  
• On Tuesday, at 9:30 am, there will be a Public Hearing to deal with several zoning amendments. But, this is also the hearing where Council will continue the process to repeal the single-use plastics bylaw. Let’s not let the large zoning hearing become a reason for Council to fly under the radar and not repeal this thing! Be sure to register to have your voice heard.
  
  
• The Calgary Planning Commission will meet on Thursday at 1:00 pm to deal with several zoning amendments, and to have a confidential discussion regarding the Event Centre. Friday’s meeting of the Ward Boundary Commission is cancelled.

Last Week In Calgary:

• City Council voted in favour of a motion put forward by Councillor Courtney Walcott, exploring the possibility for permanent residents to vote in municipal elections. This decision does not grant voting rights to non-citizens, but does mean that Calgary will put forward a resolution on this issue at the next annual Alberta Municipalities Conference. Walcott said that opening up voting could increase civic engagement among permanent residents, who he said are currently taxed without electoral representation. The motion passed 9-6, with Mayor Gondek and Councillors Mian, Dhaliwal, Pootmans, Wong, Walcott, Carra, Penner, and Spencer voting for it, while Councillors McLean, Wyness, Chu, Sharp, Chabot, and Demong were opposed. Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver and Premier Danielle Smith have already said that voting rights should remain exclusive to Canadian citizens as stipulated by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Local Authorities Elections Act.
  
  
• Fort Calgary has been renamed ‘The Confluence: Historic Site & Parkland’, in a move that officials say reflects its historical significance as a meeting point at the confluence of the Bow and Elbow rivers, a site important to Indigenous Peoples. The site is set for significant changes, including a new indoor space for Indigenous gatherings and ceremonies, and improvements to its interpretive center, which will soon feature a new Blackfoot exhibit.
  
  
• Council unanimously approved forwarding a proposal to the Alberta Municipalities Conference to recommend doubling fines for speeding in playground zones. The proposal aims to address speeding issues that have led to over a thousand court summons last year alone. Councillor Jasmine Mian, who proposed the motion, says speeding in playground zones is one of the issues her office hears complaints about most. The issue will be discussed further at the Alberta Municipalities Conference in September.

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