The City of Calgary

The Crowchild Trail Study is in Phase 4: Concept Evaluation.  Throughout June, we are working with Calgarians to evaluate the preliminary design concepts using the goals developed in Phase 2: Confirm Project Goals.   Calgarians can provide their input at registered workshops, drop-in sessions, walking tours, and online. For more information, visit calgary.ca/Crowchild.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi toured eco-exhibits that lined the walls of the City Hall Atrium this week, as elementary and junior high school students proudly showcased their environmental achievements at the 27th Annual Mayor’s Environmental Expo. The youth Eco-Leaders explained how their projects address real-life environmental problems and the impacts they have at home, school or in their community. Twenty-four schools participated in The City’s six-month Eco-Leaders program that yielded projects like green school commuting hubs and an indoor garden wellness space. “The Mayor’s Environment Expo reminds us that we all have the power to make change,” said Mayor Nenshi. “All Calgarians, no matter their age, have a role to play in protecting the rivers, the green spaces and the natural beauty in this city, and I am inspired by the hard work and innovation of this next generation of environmental stewards.” The City also announced winners of its annual youth environmental awards program - the Jack Leslie Youth Environment Grants: · John G. Diefenbaker High School: The school’s environmental club, the Green Chiefs, will use their grant to design and build a school garden. Since the school was built on Treaty 7 land, the students will incorporate local First Nations elements. The group received a Blackfoot name for their garden project, “iittaa’saamskop” (pronounced: it - a – sam – sko – peh) meaning Place of Medicine. · St. Joseph School: In order to help reduce the amount of waste being directed from their school into the landfill, students identified composting as a great way to minimize their school’s environmental footprint. The students at St. Joseph will use their grant to purchase materials and implement their plan to compost approximately 2,500 paper towels from their school, diverting them from the landfill. Also, the winner of the Mayor’s Environment Youth Photography Contest is Brandon Gill of Western Canada High School. Brandon received first place with his photo in the “Green House Gasses” category. Over its 27-year history, the Expo has educated more than 55,000 young people through interactive exhibits, displays and workshops. The Expo mandate is to develop well-educated environmental stewards that practice and promote environmental sustainability beyond the classroom.

The City of Calgary Roads business unit will highlight a number of their larger projects and some of the statistics for the 2016 paving season, as well as an opportunity for media to interview various operational subject matter experts. The City of Calgary is committed to posting informative videos that are relevant to Calgarians and the surrounding communities.

Taking a few minutes of your time to complete the Census helps The City plan for its future. Derek Pomreinke, a planner at The City of Calgary talks about how his team is able to use the raw data to analyse how the population of Calgary changes, grows and shifts. For more information visit calgary.ca/census.

The City of Calgary (The City) and Alberta Transportation (AT) are working together to study Deerfoot Trail, between the Stoney Trail interchanges in the north and south. The study area is 37.5 km long, and includes 20 interchanges. Approximately 44 communities border the study area. “Deerfoot Trail is one of Calgary’s only roads that continuously connects from north to south. It is a critical route for getting goods in and out of our city, and every day up to 170,000 trips are made on the road,” says Mac Logan, General Manager of Transportation for The City. “The majority of the road was built between 1971 and 1982. The city’s population has doubled since then and the road is no longer meeting current demands.” The study will look at freeway management strategies, including several new to Calgary, to develop safety and reliability improvement recommendations. The study will also focus on maximizing the existing infrastructure to be as cost-effective as possible. Short-term recommendations will be made in early 2017 so they can be considered for funding in the next three – five years. The study will also recommend a long-term improvement plan in 2018 to manage growth over the next 30 years. Public engagement for this first phase will run until June 30. Input from this phase will be used to help confirm the problems we are trying to solve, and understand how and where people use the road. Visit calgary.ca/deerfoot to provide input online, or attend one of six open houses: n June 14, 2016 at WillowRidge Community Association (680 Acadia Dr. S.E.) from 5 - 8 p.m. n June 15, 2016 at St. Jerome Elementary School (11616 Panorama Hills Blvd. N.W.) from 5 - 8 p.m. n June 16, 2016 at Dover Community Association (3133 30 Ave. S.E.) from 5 - 8 p.m. n June 20, 2016 at Sheraton Cavalier Hotel (2620 32 Ave. N.E.) from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. n June 20, 2016 at Douglasdale Elementary School (400 Douglas Park Blvd. S.E.) from 5 - 8 p.m. n June 28, 2016 at Thorncliffe Greenview Community Association (5600 Centre St. N.) from 5 - 8 p.m.

This morning Mayor Naheed Nenshi and Acting City Manager Brad Stevens announced Calgary’s official membership in an international group of cities in the The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Global Network Challenge. Watch the video below as Mayor Nenshi and Brad Stevens speak with the media about this great opportunity and what it means for Calgary.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi reminded Calgarians today that The City of Calgary is once again waiving fees for block party and green space permits as part of Calgary’s third annual Neighbour Day on June 18. The deadline to submit permit applications for Neighbour Day events is May 27, 2016. “Neighbour Day is about meeting your neighbours, making new friends and having fun,” said Mayor Nenshi. “How you celebrate is completely up to you. We want to encourage as many people as possible to participate. That is why we are waiving the permit fees for small Neighbour Day block parties and park bookings.”  Held annually on the third Saturday of June, Neighbour Day is an opportunity for neighbours to come together in the form of front yard BBQs, community cleanups, picnics and potlucks to celebrate our strong community spirit in Calgary. This year, Calgarians will have the opportunity to invite Mayor Nenshi, their local councillor and members of their local police and fire crews to their Neighbour Day event. An official invitation request can be submitted through Calgary.ca/NeighbourDay. “Neighbour Day is a great opportunity for Calgarians to celebrate the unique qualities that make their neighbourhood strong and inspiring,” said Katie Black, director of Calgary Neighbourhoods. “People are impacted by where they live. When a neighbourhood is thriving, it can positively affect the quality of life for everyone who lives there.” Neighbour Day was first held in June 2014 to celebrate the incredible outpouring of support and generosity neighbours demonstrated after the 2013 floods. It has since evolved into an annual celebration of Calgary’s strong and caring communities. To sign-up for Neighbour Day and access celebration ideas, an event planning kit, information about permits, templates and other logistical considerations, visit Calgary.ca/NeighbourDay.

The annual civic census information is used by The City for a variety of planning and program service delivery purposes, and by the Province for the determination of grants if available. The information is also used by a variety of outside agencies such as communities, businesses, school boards, charities, researchers, etc. All information provided during this process is secure and confidential.  Census Data is available on a city-wide basis or by geographic areas such as communities, Individuals and single dwelling are not identified. Visit calgary.ca/census for more information.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi provides reaction, from a City of Calgary perspective, on the new provincial budget.

This year the door-to-door census collection begins on April 11. Census takers will be wearing a City of Calgary ID badge with their likeness and the Elections and Information Services office contact information, and they will be carrying an Ipad. If you are not home when your census taker visits they will leave a call back slip and you can reach them over the phone. For more information visit calgary.ca/census

Taking a few minutes of your time to complete the Census helps The City plan for its future. Derek Pomreinke, a planner at The City of Calgary talks about how his team is able to use the raw data to analyse how the population of Calgary changes, grows and shifts. For more information visit calgary.ca/census.

Our annual street sweeping program will kick-off on April 3, weather permitting. This roadway maintenance program improves safety and mobility in Calgary by removing sanding materials and other debris that have accumulated on roads and along major sidewalks and boulevards this past winter.Although Spring Clean-up’s official start date is this weekend, residents may have already seen sweepers in their area as City crews have been taking advantage of the warm, dry weather for pre-sweeping. Pre-sweeping allows crews to get a head start on cleaning over 15,000 lane kilometres of roadway.Cleaning is scheduled to finish by the beginning of June, nearly a full month ahead of last year’s program.This year, crews will be sweeping seven days a week, an increase from four days a week in the past.“The accelerated sweeping schedule will reduce the amount of material that can get washed into our storm sewer system. An early finish for Spring Clean-up also allows crews to focus on other summer activities such as pothole repair and boulevard maintenance,” says Road Maintenance Manager Bill Biensch.Keeping Calgary clean is a collaborative effort. We are asking all Calgarians to help make the city a beautiful place to live by doing their part― move vehicles or carts from the street when sweeping is scheduled.This year, vehicles left on the street during sweeping will be subject to ticketing during the dates and times specified on community signs. This is a change that will impact all communities in Calgary.Additionally, if a "No Parking" sign is present, vehicles will be towed and the owner of the vehicle fined. New parking ticket prices of $120 that were introduced last year will be in effect for all vehicles left on the street during Spring Clean-up.If gravel, dust and other debris is left behind because a vehicle has not been moved, residents are asked to sweep up the debris by following these steps:When cleaning up gravel, dust, rocks and other debris, put all materials into a garbage bag and double bag it. This will help keep the air free of dust and keep garbage collection vehicles clean as well.Rocks and other material may be heavy and need to be double-bagged to avoid punctures and rips in the bags.For your garbage collector’s safety, make sure your bags are not overweight (less than 20 kg) and place all debris inside your black cart for removal.To find out when sweeping is scheduled, residents are asked to watch for community signs and visit Calgary.ca/sweep.

It’s JUNO Week in Calgary! The City alongside OutLoudYYC, the JUNO Awards host committee had a special event celebrating our city’s vibrant music scene and one of the many opportunities for all Calgarians to enjoy the festivities leading up to the award ceremony on April 3. Visit outloudyyc.com, like their Facebook page or follow their Twitter feed for the latest on all of Calgary’s JUNO Week event listings and details.

Swing in to Spring with The City of Calgary Golf Courses & Ranges as they open for the season. This video includes up-to-date information on the City of Calgary Golf Courses and range openings, affordable golf events and free golf opportunities. To download our free golf app and for all your golfing info, visit calgary.ca/golf.

Mayor Nenshi speaks with media following federal budget announcement

Mayor Nenshi responds to the passing of Rob Ford

Census Online has now begun and can now be accessed on calgary.ca/census. Access codes are being mailed to residents of Calgary starting today March 21 till April 10. If you did not receive an access code, have technical difficulties or have questions about Census Online, you can call 403-476-4100 (option 3), Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. (excluding holidays) for assistance. They can also visit Calgary.ca/census to request a new access code. It only takes a few minutes to complete the census. Visit calgary.ca/census and complete your census online.

Learning about the inner workings of Council and its Committees. Exploring the many ways you can connect with your City, Mayor, and Councillors. For more information visit calgary.ca/citycouncil

On February 23, a four-year-old boy became separated from his parents at Westbrook Station and hopped onto a CTrain alone. As the train left the station, the boy’s frantic dad immediately hit the help phone button alerting Calgary Transit staff to what had happened.Thanks to great work by Calgary Transit staff, the lad was quickly reunited with his relieved parents after hitching a ride in the driver cabs of two CTrains.

Over the last number of years we have heard more and more about bringing a greater degree of kindness into the workplace.  At first glance this seems to make sense, who couldn’t use a little more kindness in their lives?  But has kindness become overrated?  Is it possible to have too much of a good thing?  It has been suggested that this is, in fact, the case and that a person or company can lose their competitive edge by being too kind and nice guys do indeed finish last. In this session we will explore these ideas and discuss what place kindness has in today’s workplace, what the limitations might be, and how it can contribute to creating a great place to work.

The City of Calgary held an event to launch the Action Plan Check-in with citizens to find out what matters most for 2017-2018. Action Plan is The City’s business plan and budget document. It was developed in 2014 for the years 2015-2018. Council approved the Action Plan 2015­-2018 in November 2014, after significant public engagement and approval of Council Priorities to guide the development of the plans and budgets. Council considers adjustments to the plan and budgets annually to respond to emerging issues and unexpected events. This year, and as part of the move to four-year plans and budgets, The City is introducing a more comprehensive mid-cycle process called the Action Plan Check-in. The Action Plan Check-in will involve regular communication with Council to check in on citizen engagement, economic scenarios and financial forecasts. The first step in this process is to obtain feedback from Calgarians on what they feel matters most for 2017-2018. Speaking to a crowd on 8th Ave SW over the lunch hour Mayor Naheed Nenshi said, “The business plans and budgets are some of the most important documents we create for our city. They provide a detailed roadmap for Calgary — and give direction to over 15,000 City of Calgary employees and many community partners who deliver important daily services, programs, and infrastructure to approximately 1.2 million Calgarians.”“In 2014, Calgarians told us that what was most important to them in terms of their priorities: Getting Around Calgary, Calgary’s Communities, Growing Calgary, Calgary’s Economy, Calgary’s Environment, and How The City works. We used these when we developed Council Priorities, focusing on things that Calgarians said mattered most”, said Mayor Nenshi.Action Plan was developed at a time when we were anticipating challenges to keep up with significant growth. “Now our local circumstances have changed and we need to check in with citizens to determine what matters most for The City to focus on during the last half of the business cycle. We recognize that the plans and budgets need to adapt with Calgary's changing needs, so today we are launching our Check-in with Calgarians, to find out if the priorities for 2017 and 2018 have changed”, said Mayor Nenshi.Mayor Nenshi said that, “What matters to Calgarians matters to us!” All Calgarians are encouraged to provide input either using the quick and easy online survey tool at calgary.ca/checkin, or joining a community event to tell us what matters most and what The City should focus on in 2017-2018.Community events are currently being scheduled across Calgary in the month of February. The City encourages Calgarians to go to calgary.ca/checkin to find an event and location that works for you.Information collected through the Action Plan Check-in will be presented to Council later this Spring and will help identify changes to the Action Plan 2017-2018 and associated tax rates that will be considered in November 2016.

With a growing city and nearly 500 busking IDs issued on a yearly basis, a review of how The City supports busking is currently being undertaken. The second phase of the review will implement and pilot some of the recommendations gathered in phase one. Feedback on the pilot and how the changes are working for all stakeholders will be collected and, if required, the program will be adjusted again for the 2017 season. For more information on busking in Calgary and the first phase of the review, visit www.calgary.ca/busking.

The brain-child of Planning, Development & Assessment General Manager Rollin Stanley, Baconfest was originally intended as one-time film festival in 2014 to celebrate a short film series created by Ed Bacon. The event was so well received by Calgarians that it became an annual film festival celebrating and exploring urbanism in all its forms.

Jan. 5, 2016, The City of Calgary will mail over half a million property and business assessment notices. The 2016 assessment values reflect the market value of property on July 1, 2015, adjusted for any changes in physical condition recorded by Dec. 31, 2015; and the typical net annual rental value of business premises on July 1, 2015. Based on this legislated valuation date of July 1, 2015, the overall 2016 assessed values for both property and business remained fairly stable. “Our observation and analysis showed that the market – especially the residential market – held its value reasonably well,” said Nelson Karpa, Director/City Assessor. “Although there will always be variances among individual properties and communities, and some property types did experience a decrease, the value of most property types and businesses remained consistent from July 1, 2014 to July 1, 2015.” · The 2016 median single residential assessment is $480,000 compared to $475,000 in 2015. · The 2016 median residential condominium assessment is $280,000 compared to $290,000 in 2015. Today also marks the beginning of the 60-day Customer Review Period (CRP). Property and business owners are advised to carefully review their assessment and if they have any questions, contact Assessment at 403-268-2888 during the Customer Review Period – on now until March 7, 2016. Changes to a 2016 assessment can only be made if an inquiry is received during the Customer Review Period. Property and business owners are encouraged to visit Assessment Search at calgary.ca/assessment to access more detailed information about their assessment and to compare it with other similar properties/premises to ensure fairness and equity.

Calgary, AB (November 23, 2015) – The City of Calgary has released the results of the 2015 Citizen Satisfaction Survey to understand the needs and perceptions of Calgarians and identify areas for improvement. New this year, The City also conducted research on Calgary’s economy to better understand the impact it has on Calgarians’ perceptions of quality of life, satisfaction with City programs and services, and the economic role of The City. “The data shows that despite the economic downturn, Calgarians are proud to live here and hopeful about Calgary’s future,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Research like this helps guide Council as we make decisions about capital investments and how The City can support the quality of life we all enjoy.” Citizen Satisfaction Survey highlights86 per cent of Calgarians say their quality of life is good, but one-quarter of Calgarians think the quality of life has ‘worsened’ in the past three years – up a significant 5 percentage points from 2014.Infrastructure, traffic and roads remain at the top of the issue agenda, while transit continues to hold second place. Calgarians think The City should invest more in transit, affordable housing, traffic flow management and transportation planning.Research on Calgary’s Economy highlights 57 per cent of Calgarians say the economic downturn has impacted their household. 75 per cent of Calgarians think it is a good time for The City to be investing in new projects like roads, public transportation and local facilities. Eighty-nine per cent of Calgarians agree that The City can play a big role in helping our community weather difficult economic times. The Citizen Satisfaction Survey and Research on Calgary’s Economy are just two examples of how The City collects feedback from citizens to help inform decision making. To provide input into City programs and services on an ongoing basis, Calgarians are encouraged to sign-up for Citizens’ View, Calgary’s online panel at citizensview.ca. Detailed research findings available at calgary.ca/CitSat.

A comment from Mayor Nenshi on the passing of Calgary Greenway MLA, Manmeet Bhullar. 

On November 24, 2014, Mayor Naheed Nenshi, the City's director of Community & Neighbourhood Services, Katie Black and chief executive officer of the Calgary Catholic Immigration Society, Fariborz Birjandian provided an update on how we're working with The Government of Canada to resettle Syrian refugees in Calgary.

On Thursday, Oct. 29, teams from Calgary Transit and several other City of Calgary business units competed to pull a 13-ton bus across the finish line in the fastest time.The bus pull event, which promises to be a lot of fun, is being held in support of the Civic Employees United Way Campaign.Teams of 10 competed to pull 40-foot, 13-ton buses 100 feet in the fastest time.

Raw clips: Darcy Cairns, Superintendent, Programs with The City of Calgary, speaking about the Leaf & Pumpkin composting program  Background: The City of Calgary is launching its annual fall Leaf & Pumpkin composting program starting Friday, September 25 until Sunday, November 8. Residents can bring their bagged leaves and pumpkins to one of the 36 drop-off locations around the city. Leaves and pumpkins collected through the program will be composted.   ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Members of the media and publicare welcomed to make and use copies of this materialto support their own news reporting. Media Feed by The City of Calgary is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work athttp://thecityofcalgary.libsyn.com/podcast. Email notice of such use is sincerely appreciated at [email protected]  

BACKGROUND:The City of Calgary is launching its annual fall Leaf & Pumpkin composting program starting Friday, September 25 until Sunday, November 8. Residents can bring their bagged leaves and pumpkins to one of the 36 drop-off locations around the city. Leaves and pumpkins collected through the program will be composted. “There are so many benefits to composting leaves and pumpkins,” says Waste & Recycling Services Superintendent Darcy Cairns. “When organic material is buried in the landfill it doesn’t decompose and creates byproducts like carbon dioxide and methane gas. By composting the material, we can keep it out of the landfills and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions. It’s great to be able to turn the leaves and pumpkins into something useful again as nutrient-rich compost.” The program is heading into its 26th year and is a regular part of Calgarians’ fall routines. But not many residents are aware of the paper yard waste bags that The City recommends using. “We prefer the use of paper yard waste bags over plastic bags for the Leaf and Pumpkin program,” says Cairns. “Paper bags are more environmentally-friendly as they are 100% compostable and leave no waste behind. We would love to see Calgarians make the switch.” Here are some quick tips about this year’s Leaf & Pumpkin composting program:• Paper yard waste bags are preferred! You can usually find them in the same aisle as garbage bags at most grocery, hardware and garden retailers.• Only leaves and pumpkins are accepted. Please do not include rocks, branches, soil or sod.• This program is intended for residential use only.   Transcript / Time Code 100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,640We're excited to offer the 26th annualLeaf and Pumpkin program 200:00:03,640 --> 00:00:06,600there will be 33 drop-off locations around the city 300:00:06,600 --> 00:00:10,060and the 3 landfills where residents can bring their leaves and pumpkins for free 400:00:10,060 --> 00:00:11,900we prefer that they (arrive) in compostable bags 500:00:11,900 --> 00:00:14,820it cuts down on the processing costs 600:00:14,820 --> 00:00:17,440if you want to bring in plastic bags we'll accept them as well 700:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,340every year we collect 2 millionkilograms or 2 hundred thousand bags 800:00:21,340 --> 00:00:24,740of leaves and pumpkins that we are ableto keep out of our landfill 900:00:24,740 --> 00:00:26,640and make into useful product 1000:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,500if you leave your leaves and pumpkins curbside 1100:00:28,500 --> 00:00:30,640they'll end up in the Black Cart (in the garbage) 1200:00:30,640 --> 00:00:36,420we'd prefer that you bring them to 1 of the 33 depots or 3 landfills where the'll be composted 1300:00:36,420 --> 00:00:39,220to find more information on the Leaf and Pumpkin program 1400:00:39,220 --> 00:00:41,960visit calgary.ca/leaf 1500:00:41,960 --> 00:00:46,820where you can find the locations of all 33 drop offs and 3 landfills     ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Members of the media and publicare welcomed to make and use copies of this materialto support their own news reporting.  Media Feed by The City of Calgary is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work athttp://thecityofcalgary.libsyn.com/podcast. Email notice of such use is sincerely appreciatedat [email protected]

BACKGROUND:A special media launch took place on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. to announce details about the Block Party being held this Friday, which helps kick off Culture Days in Calgary. Stephen Avenue Walk and Olympic Plaza will become party central for Culture Days in Calgary starting Sept. 25. This launch will give media a taste of what Calgarians will see and do both at the Friday night block party, and throughout the weekend. For more information visit calgary.ca/culturedays   Transcript / Time Code 100:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,160[TERESA] We're here to celebrate one of our favorite weekends: Culture Days in Calgary 200:00:04,160 --> 00:00:08,160it's an opportunity for Calgarians to really get a sense of arts and culture in the community 300:00:08,160 --> 00:00:12,260it's always a wonderful opportunity to see the light in people's eyes 400:00:12,260 --> 00:00:14,520when they realize that arts and culture really is a part 500:00:14,530 --> 00:00:18,490of their everyday life whether it's fromthe clothes they put onto their bodies or 600:00:18,490 --> 00:00:21,750it's the music that they're listening toon the way to work they realize that 700:00:21,750 --> 00:00:27,320that culture and art is what enriches it and what makes it a better way to 800:00:27,320 --> 00:00:29,900make a living and make a life... 900:00:29,900 --> 00:00:38,000[MUSIC] 1000:00:38,000 --> 00:00:41,800Our kick off, Friday September 25 (2015) from 3:30 p.m. - 8 p.m., 1100:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,020at Olympic Plaza and Stephen Avenue walk - there will be an opportunity to 1200:00:45,030 --> 00:00:47,840get a wide variety of the samplings ofwhat can be expected 1300:00:47,840 --> 00:00:49,320during the culture days weekend 1400:00:49,320 --> 00:00:53,980[GERALD] Open Streets Calgary will be pedal powering a slideshow projection 1500:00:53,980 --> 00:00:58,160of public art across the city so peoplewill be able to generate the electricity 1600:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,520kind of like having a bike ride around allare beautiful public art 1700:01:02,520 --> 00:01:06,780[RACHEL] At the Glenbow (Museum) our vision is more people interacting with art and culture - more often 1800:01:06,780 --> 00:01:12,680this was piece was created by over 200 people that walked down Stephen Avenue Mall this summer 1900:01:12,680 --> 00:01:16,840we're hoping to get even more peoplecontributing to it on Friday 2000:01:16,850 --> 00:01:18,210at the Culture Days block party 2100:01:18,210 --> 00:01:23,630kicking off the weekend, Friday, 3:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Olympic Plaza and Stephen Avenue walk 2200:01:23,630 --> 00:01:26,560you can come down and get a sampling of arts and culture in our city 2300:01:26,560 --> 00:01:29,760for more information go to calgary.ca/culturedays     -----------------------------------------------------------------------   Members of the media and publicare welcomed to make and use copies of this materialto support their own news reporting.  Media Feed by The City of Calgary is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work athttp://thecityofcalgary.libsyn.com/podcast. Email notice of such use is sincerely appreciatedat [email protected]

Media Availability Sept 23, 2015): Culture Days in Calgary FREE Block Party this Friday Raw Clips:Teresa Byrne speaking about Culture Days in Calgary Background: A special media launch took place on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 10 a.m. to announce details about the Block Party being held this Friday, which helps kick off Culture Days in Calgary. Stephen Avenue Walk and Olympic Plaza will become party central for Culture Days in Calgary starting Sept. 25. This launch will give media a taste of what Calgarians will see and do both at the Friday night block party, and throughout the weekend. Full details online at:http://newsroom.calgary.ca/media-availability:-culture-days-in-calgary-free-block-party-this-friday ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Members of the media and publicare welcomed to make and use copies of this materialto support their own news reporting. Media Feed by The City of Calgary is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work athttp://thecityofcalgary.libsyn.com/podcast. Email notice of such use is sincerely appreciatedat [email protected]

A tree planting to commemorate the one year anniversary of ‘Snowtember’ and kick-off a year of tree education at this year’s Arbour Day school takes place at 10 a.m. Thursday September 10th, 2015. Expected speakers include: Naheed Nenshi, Mayor; The City of Calgary, Nico Bernard; Manager of the ReTree YYC project and school Principal David Gustavson.   Transcript / Time Code 1 00:00:02,910 --> 00:00:07,630 DAVID: We're very happy to be hosting this "Snowtember" commemoration   2 00:00:07,630 --> 00:00:10,560 and were really happy to be the recipients   3 00:00:10,560 --> 00:00:13,560 of these two beautiful trees that have been planted for us   4 00:00:13,560 --> 00:00:17,780 it (really) represents the rebuilding of the urban forest in Calgary   5 00:00:17,780 --> 00:00:22,660 NENSHI: Over one million trees in the city (one per citizen) were damaged   6 00:00:22,660 --> 00:00:26,990 let's remember that about three times as many trees were damaged   7 00:00:26,990 --> 00:00:29,560 on private property as [compared] to public property   8 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:31,060 so this is really a community effort   9 00:00:31,060 --> 00:00:35,180 since January 1st of this year we planted over 6,500 trees   10 00:00:35,180 --> 00:00:38,840 we've assesed and/or pruned 64,000 trees   11 00:00:38,840 --> 00:00:41,520 but we have lots and lots of work left to do   12 00:00:41,530 --> 00:00:46,809 working together to rebuild our city to replant our city to #ReTree our city   13 00:00:46,809 --> 00:00:52,770 NICO: We've handed out 1,200 bags of mulch and we've also handed out about 800 saplings   14 00:00:52,770 --> 00:00:56,989 or small pine trees - what is really important and the reason we are here   15 00:00:56,989 --> 00:01:02,349 today is to try and create a love for trees from a young age and it is about   16 00:01:02,349 --> 00:01:06,740 kids learning to appreciate trees and when they grow up   17 00:01:06,750 --> 00:01:08,080 in the next generation that   18 00:01:08,080 --> 00:01:10,180 they will also look after the trees

Transportation Minister Brian Mason and Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, addressed the media about GreenTRIP Friday September 4th, 2015. A total of 18 different GreenTRIP projects have been approved for the Calgary Regional Partnership to improve LRT service, expand bus transit options and improve transit infrastructure to make the ride even more comfortable.

Media were invited to learn about the fire ban being issued for Calgary. Calgary is currently under an air quality advisory, as issued by Alberta Health Services, due to smoke from forest fires in neighbouring provinces and states. To minimize additional smoke adding to the poor air quality, the Calgary Fire Department is issuing a fire ban. This fire ban prohibits the use of fire pits, recreational camp fires, and other wood burning devices, such as fire places. To learn more visit calgary.ca/firebans.

  Ten 20 foot tall figures arranged on the grounds of the Calgary Board of Education along Macleod Trail South. Sculpted artist Mario Armengol. City of Calgary Downtown Public Art Circuit Take a tour of The City of Calgary's art from your mobile device. This app introduces you to a selection of beautiful and innovative artwork from The City's Public Art Collection. Download: iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad

Deputy Chief Susan Henry, with the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, explains what steps people can take to better prepare for a thunderstorm.

The City of Calgary is pleased to announce the reopening of the majority of trails in Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, the only urban-centered, federally recognized bird sanctuary in Canada, on Thursday, July 30. Trails have been closed since the flood of 2013, which had significant impacts on sanctuary lands, damaging or destroying infrastructure, creating severe erosion and disturbing natural habitat for plants and animals. “We’re excited to announce that thanks to tireless efforts by employees, contractors and volunteers, a large portion of the sanctuary will be reopened to the public effective today and ahead of schedule,” says Doug Marter, Planning and Development manager, Parks. “The clean up involved numerous challenges, including environmental sensitivities of the area. This required staff to be mindful and methodical during the clean-up and repair efforts.” Challenges included: federal requirements that birds could not be nesting or migrating for work to proceed; being aware of the delicate balance between wet and dry ground so that equipment did not disturb plant life; and work close to the river could only proceed during “fish windows,” that occur in April and again from mid-July to mid-September. “The Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is the only urban-centred, federally recognized bird sanctuary in Canada,” says Marter, “Through the sanctuary, Calgarians are able to learn more about our shared responsibility to conserve and protect the environment and have an opportunity to get out and be active in this natural area right in the heart of Calgary.”   For over 80 years the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary has been providing critical habitat to 270 species of birds, 21 species of mammals and 347 species of plants, as well as educational and conservation programming to ensure future generations of Calgarians can engage with the area and have a relationship with its rich natural diversity. Recovery work still continues in the area, so citizens are reminded to be vigilant and observe all signage in the sanctuary. “While a large portion of the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary is now open, some areas still remain closed to public due to continuing remediation efforts and a risk to public safety,” says Marter. “We ask all visitors to please stay on marked trails and obey all signage for the safety of themselves and our sanctuary wildlife.” Calgarians can experience the sanctuary and the cleanup efforts in-depth through public flood-tours, running now through September; book a tour online at calgary.ca/IBS. The reopening of these trails is just the beginning and Calgarians will continue to see more work in the area to help build and expand on the sanctuary, and opportunities available to Calgarians to learn and experience nature here in our city. This fall, the construction of the TD Outdoor Learning Classroom in the sanctuary will begin, and of a new large-scale regional park in Inglewood, incorporating the sanctuary, is being designed. With the help of TD Bank, the classroom will both expand the educational programming space and replace infrastructure lost during flood. The finished regional park will be called Bend in the Bow, and will join the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, the Inglewood Wildlands, Pierce Estate Park, River Passage Park (including Harvie Passage) and the open spaces between these areas to create a large green space for the enjoyment of all Calgarians. For more information on the Inglewood Bird Sanctuary, please visit calgary.ca/IBS.

Calgary’s Historic City Hall is 108 years old and the only surviving city hall from this time period in Western Canada.  It’s been there through it all: Elections, natural disasters and the Olympics.    Did you know that initially Historic City Hall wasn’t just the seat of civic government but also served as a court and a jail?    The building has always been a part of democracy in Calgary hosting election voting, ballot counting and Committee meetings. Numerous members of the Royal family from King George to Princess Elizabeth have paid a visit over the years.   These stories and more are now shared at Historic City Hall.    So the next time you are at the Municipal Complex take some time to walk around the building and see some of the photos that show how Historic City Hall has been part of the changing fabric of Calgary.    ---   Visit The City of Calgary's website: http://www.calgary.ca    Subscribe to The City of Calgary's YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/1lg0ACm   The City of Calgary -- working together to create and sustain a vibrant, healthy, safe and caring community.   Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCityofCalgary  Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/cityofcalgary  Follow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/thecityofcalgary Follow us on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/city-of-calgary  View photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cityofcalgary  Read our Calgary City News Blog: http://www.calgarycitynews.com  Subscribe to The City of Calgary Newsroom: http://newsroom.calgary.ca    Download our mobile apps: http://www.calgary.ca/mobileapps   The City of Calgary is committed to posting informative videos that are relevant to Calgarians and the surrounding communities.