Calgary Minute: Stampede Kickoff, Transit Enforcement, and Canada Day Festivities

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

This Week In Calgary:

• Happy Canada Day! To celebrate, there are a variety of activities taking place across the city. Highlights include performances at Confluence Historic Site & Parkland, live music at St. Patrick’s Island, and cultural celebrations at Olympic Plaza and the Municipal Building. A full schedule of events and more information is available by clicking here. The day culminates with fireworks at Stampede Park at 11:00 pm. Yes, you heard that right - fireworks! We didn’t have to fight to have them this year.

• The Infrastructure and Planning Committee will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 am. The Committee will look to commission an independent, third-party review of the recent water main break. The review would consider factors that contributed to the feeder main break, possible root cause of the break, and the incident response. The Committee will also discuss making changes to the Calgary Planning Commission Bylaw. Administration is recommending that elected officials be removed from the Commission and that four public members be added. According to Administration, having Councillors involved “can politicize the work” and “shift discussion away from the technical review of applications”. The following day, Thursday, there will be a meeting of the Green Line Board at 9:00 am. No agenda is available for this meeting yet. Also on Thursday, the Calgary Planning Commission will meet at 1:00 pm to discuss several land use amendments.

• We’re hosting a Stampede Kickoff BBQ on Wednesday, along with our friends at the Alberta Institute, Project Confederation, and the Alberta Parents’ Union. We'll meet at Edworthy Park on Wednesday, July 3rd, from 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Specifically, we will be at Picnic Site 9, which has plenty of room, BBQs, a fire pit, and is suitable for families, but also allows for the consumption of adult beverages! To keep costs down, so the event can be free, it will be BYOHBB (Bring Your Own Hot-Dogs, Burgers, and Beer), but we will be providing some snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. Plus, there was a venue rental fee, so if you have the capacity to chip in a small amount, $10 is a suggested donation. Please RSVP here. Hope to see you there!

Last Week In Calgary:

• The City of Calgary has reached a conditional agreement to sell a five-acre portion of Richmond Green park to local developer Sarina Homes. The list price is $12 million, but the sale price has not been disclosed. The developer plans to build 350 housing units, including two six-storey buildings and townhomes, with some commercial space on the ground floor. Despite some community opposition, engagement efforts plan to address concerns about traffic, parking, and adding amenities like a coffee shop. Ward 8 Councillor Courtney Walcott said he supports the sale, as the proceeds will fund the revitalization of Richmond Green, expanding the park by 10 acres and adding new amenities. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2025.
  
  
• Calgary Transit said it will be intensifying enforcement efforts to ensure all CTrain riders pay their fares. Previously focused on transit safety, the agency is now shifting to fare compliance, starting with an educational campaign about violation fines and payment procedures. Riders without valid transfers will face a $250 fine, and increased Peace Officer presence is expected over the next month. The revenue from fare payments will support cleanliness and maintenance of the transit system.
  
  
• It was announced that the significant transformation taking place at Calgary's Arts Commons will be supported by a historic $75 million donation from entrepreneur David Werklund and his family. This contribution, the largest in Canadian performing arts history, will rename the venue to the Werklund Centre by 2026. The renovation aims to expand the over 40-year-old facility into the Olympic Plaza area, with designs unveiled earlier this year. The project has already secured over three-quarters of its $660 million funding goal, with contributions from the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation and the provincial government. The transformation will proceed in three stages, starting later this year, and will temporarily halt events in Olympic Plaza at the end of 2024.

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