Calgarians make a better community through giving

While I usually just write a monthly column in the Calgary Herald, I annually write a special column in support of the Herald's Christmas Fund. Here is the full version of the story which ran on December 26, 2011:

Over the past year, I have been touched by the generosity of Calgarians - bearing witness to many acts of giving: of time and money with acts both big and small.

I have not, however, been surprised. Long before being elected mayor, I knew that Calgarians have always reached out to help those in need.

Some 85 per cent of us give to charity every year, and our rates of volunteerism are very high.

And these acts build a better community.

That's why, earlier this autumn, we launched 3 Things for Calgary (www.3thingsforcalgary.ca). It's a simple program that asks Calgarians to do three things, big or small, for their community over the course of this winter. Perhaps even more important, we want people to share their three things and encourage at least three other people to do three things of their own. By the time the tulips come up, we could have three million acts of community building, which will make Calgary a much better place to live and work.

Of course, this does not mean that government is reneging on our responsibilities. In fact, your city government takes the issue of poverty very seriously, even though, strictly speaking, it is not a municipal government responsibility. Earlier this year, council started the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, for which I have high hopes. For the first time, we are bringing together Calgarians from all walks of life to have a serious discussion about poverty in the city. We need to determine how we can each do a better job in sharing opportunity with all of our fellow citizens.

But governments cannot do it alone. We need to give our neighbours a helping hand in times of need. And that's why I encourage you to give to the Calgary Herald Christmas Fund - it can even be one of your three things! As I have often said, it's important to give, but it is as important to give well.

The Christmas Fund is a carefully curated project that includes some of the very best charitable organizations in Calgary. The dozen agencies include some well-known ones, such as Inn From the Cold and the Drop-In Centre, along with some with which you may not be as familiar, such as Fresh Start or 1835 House.

What they have in common is that they are all effective in their fields, and they are all doing incredible work. From Brown Bagging for Calgary’s Kids (which I have often called one of the most innovative organizations in Calgary) to the YWCA (with its Sherriff King Home that is there at the most difficult time in its clients’ lives) each organization tirelessly works with people to help them out of poverty, to lift them from addiction, to shelter them from violence and abuse.

It’s worth remembering that, even while many Calgarians have had a good year, many have not. The growth in demand for our Food Bank, for example, was the second-highest in Canada this year, and it’s only with the generosity of Calgarians that the Food Bank was able to meet that demand.

I was at an event sponsored by Calgary Transit last month, raising money for the Food Bank at a grocery store in an upscale neighbourhood. A couple of the cashiers at the store came out to say hello, and mentioned that they had been former Food Bank clients. More than one shopper told me that they had used the Food Bank when they needed it as well.

Indeed, most Food Bank clients only use the service two or three times in their lives. But it’s critical that the service be there those two or three times when it is really needed.

And helping make sure that service is there is one act to help build our community. Please give what you can. Fortunately, I know you will—we are Calgarian after all.

Thank you for all you do and have done to make Calgary better this year. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and best wishes for the holiday season to you and to your families.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Mayor Nenshi's look forward to 2012

Friends:

2011 has been an amazing year. As we’ve discussed before, it’s been a very productive twelve months for your City Council, and for Calgary.

The new year is shaping up to be just as busy. City Council has set a very active direction for Calgary with the newly-passed budget and business plan and Council’s Fiscal Plan for Calgary. The excitement and optimism that defines Calgarians is also a foundation for the vital future we see ahead.

While I will continue to work on achieving the 12 Better Ideas I set out in the last election campaign, there are three specific areas I want to prioritize:

1. Changing the rules of the game when it comes to the province and municipalities.I will continue to work with the province to change the way the City is governed, including consideration of a city charter. It makes no sense that we have the same rules governing Calgary as a small village. Changes in this area will also allow municipal government to take more responsibility for the projects we build and the taxes we collect rather than figuratively and literally passing the buck.
   
2. Reforming the planning and development system at The City.
   I think it’s critical that we engage citizens, industry and the City Administration on how we can better build the city we've envisioned in ImagineCalgary and Plan It. Our goal is to simplify the Planning and Development process to make it more customer-friendly while maintaining the high standards called for in Plan It.
   
3. Creating a comprehensive long-term plan for Calgary Transit to give a clear vision for where we are going and how we will get there.
   We need to have a cohesive long term capital plan for our transit system. I think it’s also important that we develop new operating and customer service strategies to create a higher performing system so that Calgary Transit is the preferred choice, and not the last choice, for Calgarians.

Making Calgary better, of course, is not just for politicians and City of Calgary staff. Every day, thousands upon thousands of volunteers give of their time and money to make their streets, neighbourhoods, and city better. If you’re one of those many volunteers, thank you for what you do--you are the inspiration for a new program created by another group of volunteers (the Mayor’s Civic Engagement Committee). 3 Things for Calgary asks all Calgarians to do at least three things that make their city better, but the real challenge is to encourage at least three other people to do the same.

During this holiday season, our minds often turn to giving. Why not have it turn to the three things you can do for Calgary? As I’ve met with Calgarians over the past few months, I have given them some homework (I used to be a professor, after all): to do three things and get three people doing three things as well over the winter. By spring, we might have just done over 3 million acts to make Calgary better.

2012 will be an amazing year for Calgary. We’ll be Canada’s Cultural Capital, and we will have a lot to celebrate, including the 100th anniversary of the City of Calgary Recreation, the Calgary Public Library, and (of course!) the Calgary Stampede.

In the meantime, enjoy your holiday season. I wish you time with family and friends surrounded by warmth and love.

Merry Christmas, happy holidays, and may the new year treat you well.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Mayor Nenshi Reads: The Night Before Christmas

And now time for a bit of holiday fun!

Last year, Mayor Nenshi started what we hope will become a holiday tradition by reading Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas on CityTV. This year, we took a late-night break from the Mayor's busy holiday schedule to record him reading Clement Clarke Moore's holiday classic A Visit from Santa Claus (also known as The Night Before Christmas or Twas the Night Before Christmas).

So, please, pour yourself a hot chocolate, get comfortable, and gather the kids. We hope you enjoy our little gift.

From all of us at the Mayor's Office: Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and have a wonderful New Year!

More communication for the Report Impaired Drivers program

We're in the thick of the holiday season--that time when we try to spend lots of time with our friends and family. Unfortunately, it's also the time when we hear more about impaired drivers making our roads less safe for all of us. Thankfully, the Calgary Police Service is out in full force helping to keep dangerous drivers off our streets.

And all Calgarians can help keep our streets safer too. The Report Impaired Drivers (RID) program reminds all of us that all we need to do is call 911 if we think we see an impaired driver. Drinking and driving puts people's lives and property at risk, so identifying the signs can help stop drunk drivers before it's too late. Please click on the link to see a list of signs of an impaired driver.

This important program is an ongoing partnership between the Calgary Police Service, Public Safety Communications (911), and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). You may have already seen some of the RID signs around town.

In November, Mayor Nenshi asked administration to explain how we currently advertise RID and for recommendations to increase communication about this important community program. For the record, here's the memo from the General Manager of Transportation with his recommendations (which Mayor Nenshi supports and expects to be implemented immediately):

In response to the question posed by his worship Mayor Nenshi during the 2011 November 07 Council Meeting question period, the information and recommendations below are provided on the Report Impaired Drivers (RID) community signage. 

The existing signage program consists of:

• 8 highly visible oversized signs; and
• Small street signs installed on street light poles.

The 8 large signs are considered most effective due to their high visibility. In addition, these signs are rotated through difference parts of Calgary to improve their effectiveness.
The small signs are strategically positioned at the primary access/egress of communities. The small signs are deemed to have modest value due to the prolific nature of similar small street signs. 

Administration recommends:

• increasing the number of large signs (+2-3);
• rotating the sings throughout the year, rather than only during the focus months;
• use variable message signs at peak periods (Christmas/long weekends) if they are not otherwise tasked; and
• leverage other social media channels (Twitter/Facebook) as a reminder tool.

The large signs are relatively expensive and the Roads Department will investigate funding for these signs through Alberta Traffic Safety Office grants, Calgary Police Service fine revenues, The Alberta Motor Association and MADD.

So you can expect to see more about RID in the near future. In the mean time, please call 911 whenever you see a potential impaired driver.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Mayor Nenshi's meetings: November 2011

Below is a list of external meetings hosted by the Mayor during the month of November 2011. November was a busy month for City Council with budget deliberations and many internal meetings (which are not detailed here).

For an explanation of why this list exists and who's on it, please visit our post about highlighting accountability in the Mayor's Office.

November's meetings included:

• Harry Harker, High River - November 1, 2011
• Craig Burrows, Encana - November 1, 2011
• Sean McGowan, St. Joan of Arc School - November 2, 2011
• Catherine Yuen, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office - November 2, 2011
• Peter Kwok, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office - November 2, 2011
• Gloria Lo, Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office - November 2, 2011
• Marlene Lanz, Metis Nation of Alberta Region 3 - November 8, 2011
• Joseph Pimlott, Metis Nation of Alberta Region 3 - November 8, 2011
• Ales Michalevic, Rights and Democracy - November 29, 2011
• Marco Nevarro-Genie, Rights and Democracy - November 29, 2011
• Jean Francois Gagnon, Rights and Democracy - November 29, 2011
• Patricia Daigle, Rights and Democracy - November 29, 2011

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Media Release: Mayor Nenshi joins with business community to cut red tape

Mayor Naheed Nenshi joined with business organizations today to launch the second phase of the Cut Red Tape initiative. This Council-supported initiative is designed to collect and implement solutions that will make it easier for citizens and businesses to interact with The City of Calgary.
“Through this initiative, doing business with The City of Calgary can become even better—and that includes getting work done faster and with the least amount of fuss,” said Mayor Nenshi. “And if we’re serious about improving customer service and reducing red tape, it makes sense to ask the customer directly about their own experience. We want to make Calgary the best place in Canada for a business to start and flourish.”

Starting today and running until January 31, 2012, entrepreneurs and business representatives can visit www.cutredtape.ca or call 3-1-1 to submit their suggestions to cut red tape.

For Phase Two of the Cut Red Tape initiative, Mayor Nenshi brought together a host of business advocacy organizations to collaborate on solutions to cut red tape. This involves asking the various organization memberships for red tape solutions and determining, as a committee, the next steps for implementing short, medium, and long-term recommendations.

“We truly appreciate the opportunity to work with Mayor Nenshi and The City to find real and lasting solutions to control municipal red tape. I look forward to offering advice and sharing the perspective of our members as this process unfolds,” said Richard Truscott, Director of Provincial Affairs for Alberta, with the Canadian Federation of Independent Business—one of the Cut Red Tape partner organizations. “If we can work together to find meaningful ways to get entrepreneurs back to running their businesses and doing what they love to do instead of grappling with municipal red tape, then we will have succeeded.”

Phase One of the Cut Red Tape initiative was launched in March 2011 and included asking City of Calgary employees what they felt could be done to improve customer service at The City of Calgary by cutting red tape. More than 180 submissions were received over two weeks and a handful of recommendations are being implemented.

To submit a suggestion to cut red tape, or learn more about the program, visit www.cutredtape.ca.

Cut Red Tape Phase Two Partners

Building Operators and Managers Association
Business Revitalization Zones and CBiZ
Calgary Economic Development
Calgary Chamber of Commerce
Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Canadian Home Builders Association, Calgary Region
Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association
NAIOP Calgary - Commercial Real Estate Development Association
Progressive Group for Independent Business
Urban Development Institute
Alberta Professional Planners Institute
Alberta Association of Architects

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Media statement: Mayor Nenshi on Occupy Calgary judgement

Today, the Honourable Chief Justice Neil Wittmann of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta ruled that Occupy Calgary must remove all “structures, tents, shelters, objects, and things owned, constructed, maintained, placed, or occupied by them” from Olympic Plaza by 2pm on Friday, December 9, 2011. This decision means that The City can continue to enforce its Parks Bylaw throughout Calgary.

This is good news. Throughout the nearly 60 days of this encampment, city officials have worked hard to balance the competing rights of protest and full access to public space. Emotions on both sides of this debate have run high. But, as I have said: this is the essence of democracy and sometimes democracy is messy.

As in other Canadian cities, a clear ruling such as this ensures we can move forward as a City and as a community that values our public spaces and our Charter freedoms. This outcome has always been our goal—it peacefully resolves the Occupy situation while also reinforcing our Bylaws.

I want to thank the many City of Calgary employees who have worked hard to manage this situation so well. In particular, employees with the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, Animal and Bylaw Services, Calgary Police Service, Parks, Recreation, Law, and supporting departments have done an admirable job. They have acted with the utmost professionalism and restraint that was even noticed and commended by Chief Justice Wittmann. Their reasonable actions represent who we are as Calgarians, and I am proud to call them my colleagues.

It was also the work of City of Calgary employees and The Calgary Homeless Foundation that ensured Calgary was the first jurisdiction in Canada to negotiate a peaceful resolution to an Occupy encampment [at St. Patrick’s Island].

As we move forward, I must echo the words of Chief Justice Wittmann: ‘I hope that in the days that follow... both sides continue to act in a measured, conscientious, and peaceful manner.’

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

City's budget reflects Calgarian priorities

I write a monthly column in the Calgary Herald. Here is my December article:

OK, I will admit that I might have complained a bit over the past week about the sheer volume of city council’s budget and business plan approval meetings. Seven days of debate can take a lot out of a person.

But as long as those meetings were, they were also remarkable. Can you imagine another level of government having open hearings where all department directors appear, live on TV and the web, to talk about their plans for serving citizens and the associated costs?

This was, of course, only the culmination of a year-long process of engagement with Calgarians on what they expect from their city and how we should pay for it. More than 24,000 Calgarians participated in the process, giving us the gift of their thoughts and ideas.

While some of the coverage of the budget debate focused on the horse race who-wins-who-loses stuff of partisan politics, and there were even stories about my psychological state of mind — I checked with my mother, and she confirmed that I should ensure a nice breakfast before meetings if I will be dealing with cranky people — Calgarians were more interested in the decisions we made.

(And, for the record: yes, all members of council still get along; yes, we still eat lunch together; and yes, the tone is very different from the previous council. People are listening to one another and collaborating on solutions across all artificial political divides.)

Council worked to pull together a plan that reflected what we heard from Calgarians: a desire to hold the line on taxes while preserving and investing in the services that people value.

It’s certainly true that I was not pleased with every decision that council made. In particular, I felt that the Calgary Police Service, as our largest single budget, should also find some efficiency in the order of about 1.5 per cent on a $300-million budget. I was pleased that the police service brought forth a plan to become more efficient without touching front-line service, but a majority of my council colleagues disagreed.

I also felt that we should have given Premier Alison Redford some time to fulfil her election promise of better police funding before we decided to pay for the hiring of new police officers out of the property tax base.

Taken together, these changes to the police budget added up to about $1 per month for the average household, or three-tenths of a per cent of the total city budget.

The rest of the budget, I think, strikes the right balance. City spending is increasing by about 2.7 per cent (well below the rate of inflation, plus growth), meaning that we had to find a number of efficiencies — over $100 million worth — without impacting city services.

We’ve also given the green light to a new zero-based budgeting review process that will start early in the new year that should result in even more efficiencies over time.

Our residential property taxes remain among the very lowest in Canada. And, while this was not the time for major increases in spending, we are investing in improvements to transit (we are, of course, opening the first new LRT line in a generation in 2013), snow removal (where the higher level of service we experimented with last year will be maintained, and we’ll stop using the road maintenance budget to supplement the snow budget in heavy snow years) and parks (where we’ll see a long-awaited refresh of Bowness Park and a major investment in off-leash dog parks).

The big thing about this budget process, though, has been how it highlighted some of the structural concerns we face. To begin with, only eight cents of every tax dollar you pay goes to the city. The other 92 cents go to the provincial and the federal governments. Furthermore, the city’s tax take is almost entirely in the form of the unfair, regressive property tax, which does not take into account ability to pay.

And, as we saw with the federal government’s sudden refusal to partially fund recreation centres in Calgary, our financial fate too often lies somewhere else. While it is the federal government’s prerogative to spend our federal tax money (notwithstanding that Calgary taxpayers send $10 billion more to Ottawa each year than we receive in all federal benefits), to do so in such a capricious way, without any explanation to Calgary citizens, is unfair.

The solution here is not just to reverse the rec centre decision (and, if it was really an error of two federal bodies miscommunicating, as one member of parliament has implied, why are the citizens of Calgary on the hook for $3.1 million?), but to fundamentally change how cities are funded. But that’s something we’ll speak more about in 2012.

Overall, 2011 was a fantastic year for Calgary. And, you know what? 2012 will be even better.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, everyone, and we’ll see you back on this page in January!

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Federal government denies PPP Canada funding for Calgary rec centres

Calgary, AB – Today, Mayor Naheed Nenshi received a letter from PPP (P3) Canada denying approval for partial funding of four critically-needed recreation centres in southeast and northwest Calgary. The grant for approximately $99 million would have covered nearly 25 per cent of the cost of these important pieces of community infrastructure.

Since late 2009, The City of Calgary has engaged in the P3 application process incurring an expense of $3.1 million. In March 2011, P3 Canada indicated that the process was complete and requiring final approval from the federal government.

What follows is a statement from Mayor Nenshi on this situation:

"On behalf of all Calgarians, I am very disappointed at this surprising development.

“For two years, we have worked with P3 Canada—in good faith—to secure this source of federal funding for critical community infrastructure projects. One of the reasons we went through this process was because we understood P3 Canada was an independent, merit-based body free from political interference. Had we known otherwise, we may not have chosen to spend $3.1 million to go through the process.

“More than 300,000 Calgarians are negatively affected by this decision. We are the economic engine of Canada and must keep up with growth. Investment in community infrastructure, like recreation centres, is taxpayer dollars well spent.

“P3 Canada is meant to be merit-based, and our project was unanimously approved by their board earlier this year. Yet, the federal government, including the six Calgary MPs, somehow decided that this project did not meet their criteria which explicitly includes recreation facilities.

“Despite this disappointment, we need to move forward on these critically-needed recreation facilities. I have directed Administration to assess how we can move forward with these projects without the expected P3 funding. Calgarians of every age deserve good quality recreation and community spaces no matter what part of the city they live in.

“I have also requested a meeting with the Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss this development and other options to fund important community infrastructure. I will also ask that, should this funding not come through as expected, the federal government refund the $3.1 million we have already spent through the process of obtaining the grant money.

“Of course, I am hopeful that we can find a solution. In the meantime, I encourage all Calgarians who feel they should not be so ignored by their federal representatives to call their local MP. We may not be getting the funding we expected, but we can let Ottawa know we’re unhappy about it.”

-30-
Contact your Member of Parliament and let them know how you feel:

• Calgary East: Deepak Obrhai – 403-207-3030 deepak.obhrai@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary Northeast: Devinder Shory – 403-291-0018 devinder.shory@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary Southeast: Hon. Jason Kenney – 403-225-3480 jason.kenney@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary Nose Hill: Hon. Diane Ablonczy – 403-282-7980 diane.ablonczy@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary Centre: Lee Richardson – 403-244-1880 lee.richardson@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary Centre North: Michelle Rempel – 403-216-7777 michelle.rempel@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary West: Rob Anders – 403-292-6666 rob.anders@parl.gc.ca 
• Calgary Southwest: Right Hon. Stephen Harper - 403-253-7990 stephen.harper@parl.gc.ca

UPDATE: PPP Canada has advised the Mayor's Office that "Sports Infrastructure is no longer the focus of the PPP Canada Fund. The Fund is focused on economic infrastructure."

Shortly after Mayor Nenshi's presentation (which included a live demo of the PPP Canada website showing where Sports Infrastructure was included as an eligible project) the PPP Canada website was changed to remove reference to Sports Infrastructure. However, Mayor Nenshi's slide presentation to media also includes a screen shot of the PPP Canada website prior to the information being removed.
P3 Rec Centres in Calgary-24-Nov-11

To download Mayor Nenshi's slide presentation to media, click here.

To view the full presentation by Mayor Nenshi as recorded by Global, click here.

UPDATE: Not only was the Sports Infrastructure criteria part of the PPP Canada website, it was also confirmed as part of PPP Canada's 2009-2014 Corporate Plan (see page 55) via an Order in Council recommended by the Minister of Finance and the Treasury Board.

Mayor Nenshi's proposed budget discussion

Over the course of the last two weeks, I have been engaging with aldermen and citizens on the proposed business plan and budget. Here are some of my key points and proposals. I will spare you the detailed line-by-line analysis, but there are a number of smaller operating and (especially) capital budget items to be addressed during the debates in addition to these major points.

Overall

This budget is very different than those in the past in that it is an honest effort to combine efficiencies with preserving the services that Calgarians value and need. The fact that Administration has found over $100 million in efficiencies with minimal impact on front-line services ($45 million with no impact at all) is, in itself, a great achievement, and I congratulate the Administration on its efforts to make this happen.

I strongly believe that the five per cent (5%) increase is fair, that it strikes the right balance, and that we should fight to keep it (or as close to it as we can). Any requests for increases to budget allocations must therefore make a strong case for an increase in the mill rate.

Police

I have spent a lot of time on the police budget, analyzing the numbers put forth by the Service and by the Commission, as well as continuing my conversations with the Province.

I am therefore suggesting the following:

• Deny the request for a return of the $5.1 million in efficiencies Council requested for 2012. I do not find the reasons for this request compelling, and I believe Police Chief Hanson when he repeatedly says that these 2012 reductions (which are less than 1.5 per cent of the police budget) will not impact front-line services. He most recently stated in Saturday’s Herald that “he was confident these moves won't affect front-line positions and will ‘get us through next year.’” Chief Hanson is the best police chief in Canada, and if he believes this is possible, I trust his judgement. In any event, Council should at least capture the $2 million savings from the move to Westwinds.

• Delay the decision with respect to funding new growth and hiring ($4.8 million in 2012). I have a lot of sympathy for the argument that it is difficult to fund growth in the number of officers to match population growth within the current budget envelope. While crime statistics and safety are the right measures here, not the “cop-to-pop” ratio (and violent crime is indeed at its lowest rates in a generation), it does make sense to spread hiring out evenly, given the time it takes to train a new officer. 

The Commission's decision to put growth into a separate budget request gives us something that may be quite attractive for the provincial government to fund. I have been discussing this at the highest levels, as recently as this weekend, but I don't believe that the provincial government is ready yet to make a decision. I would therefore suggest that we refer the budget request to me to discuss with the Premier and the Solicitor General, and return to Council with recommendations prior to the finalization of the tax rate bylaw.

Road Maintenance/Snow and Ice

I find this budget request somewhat frustrating, since Council has invested heavily in snow and ice removal over the last two years (roughly a one-third increase). The additional $3.5 million budget ask is based on the winter 2010/2011 actuals, but this was an extraordinary snow year, and I believe it is poor budgeting practice to calculate our base budgets on extraordinary years.

While Roads has assured me that they will, in fact, do a higher level of snow clearing (as last year), including some residential snow clearing within the proposed budget (the actual budget proposal is somewhat confusing in this respect), they are concerned that a heavy snow year will impede their ability to do summertime maintenance and sidewalk repair (this is apparently what happened in the past when they went over-budget).

I therefore propose the following:

• We make a one-time transfer from the Fiscal Stability Reserve in the amount of $7 million (roughly two years of bad winter cost overruns) to create a new Snow and Ice Reserve. Assuming that the $34 million budget we have in front of us is good for an average year, Roads would be authorized to draw from the Reserve in heavy snow years and to replenish it from their operating budget in light snow years.

Transit

I am surprised that a $4.4 million net increase in the operating budget for 2013 has been portrayed (by some) as a $1 million decrease. We are, after all, opening the first new LRT line in a generation, and one would assume that the massive increase in train service would mean that some bus service is no longer needed (a train does carry a lot more people than a bus after all).

I also really would like to know exactly how much the parents of pre-school children with disabilities are being asked to pay in 2015. I need to be convinced that we should target this vulnerable population for modest cost savings.

I will also be asking for some background to the calculations around the fare increases and what increased revenue they may bring. I am surprised by the proposed increase in the seniors' bus pass rate in the absence of an overarching policy on how to handle this issue. I understand that a report on all fee subsidies will be coming to Council in the new year to better guide our decisions on issues like this. However, my conversations with seniors seem to indicate that the $20 increase in 2012 is reasonable, as long as we keep the pass for low-income seniors at roughly the same level.

Parks and Maintenance

While I am concerned about the state of parks maintenance, I am not sure that the proposed budget cut in this area needs to certainly lead to declines in the quality of park space. Indeed, this is a prime opportunity for us to investigate new and better models for how to do maintenance. I will also have some questions during debate about the results of the experiment this summer in finding different ways to do maintenance.

Fire

I am satisfied with the proposal put forth by the fire department, but note that in this area, employees are suggesting even more efficiencies are possible. It is vitally important to have this department running as efficiently as possible so that any further budget investments are directly translated to improvements in citizen service and response rates.

On the capital side, I still have questions about whether we are spending too much per square foot to build fire stations.

Civic Partners

I don't see a path forward to fund the base increase requests from a number of the civic partners (and I notice that the majority of them are not, in fact, requesting any base increases), but I think we should consider some of the one-time requests. In particular, I think a reserve transfer to fund CADA's working capital project merits consideration, as does the EPCOR Centre's funding gap request and Calgary Economic Development’s Workshift program. I would also like to ask some questions about the use of the money for the Parks Foundation, which may align with some of what we are doing in parks.

Parking Control

I’m interested to know why this operating budget is increasing so much given automation and a reduced workforce. I also have some questions about the capital budget for Park Plus.

***

These proposals should allow us to maintain our commitment to keep property taxes at the cost of inflation plus growth. I believe the citizens of Calgary will support this modest tax increase as long as we can show that their money is well-spent. By and large, this proposed budget demonstrates just that.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

The Mayor's 23rd Annual Christmas Food Drive

Today, I helped to launch The Mayor's 23rd Annual Christmas Food Drive in support of the Calgary Food Bank.

As we go into the holiday season, it's a time for giving back to our community. As I say in the video (above), I hope that many Calgarians can take this opportunity to start a tradition of giving in your family or your workplace to make Calgary an even better place.

Far too many Calgarians need to use the emergency food hamper program offered by the Calgary Food Bank. And, in many cases (44 per cent, to be exact), those people live in households with wage-related income--the working poor who are just trying to make ends meet. What's more upsetting is that the largest group of clients served by the Calgary Food Bank are children and youth. Facts like that just give us more reason to move ahead with a real plan to reduce poverty in Calgary.

By supporting the Food Bank drive, we, as a community, are providing nutritious food to those in need. We are supporting children with the opportunity to go to school well-fed and ready to learn. And, we are lessening some of the stress that parents face on a daily basis.

Last year, Calgarians raised over $430,000 though the Mayor's Christmas Food Drive. Please join me in making this year even more successful. You can donate at any of our partner locations (below) or make a cash donation online.(PLEASE NOTE: If you are making a cash donation online, please select the Mayor's Food Drive option when filling out the forms.)

Partners
The City of Calgary Canada Safeway
Calgary and District Dental Society
Calgary Board of Education
Calgary Catholic School District
Calgary Motor Dealers Association
CUPE - Local 38 Calgary
Girl Guides of Canada
Federation of Calgary Communities

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Have your say on the proposed City budget

When it comes to discussions about the future of our city and the Calgary we want to build together, The City's budget is one of the most important discussions we can have as a community. And this time around, Mayor Nenshi and City Council are involving all Calgarians in that conversation from the very beginning. As Mayor Nenshi has said "we're turning the budget and planning process upside down and starting with you."

Last week, The City of Calgary administration released its proposed business plan and budget for 2012-2014 (you can download it here) to City Council, the media, and the public at the same time. For many people, the content of the budget is no surprise, because it is based on the thoughts and ideas of more than 23,000 Calgarians who engaged in the process earlier this year. 

But that doesn't mean the conversation stops here. Rather, now is when you can give your feedback to City Council about he proposed budget before they debate it next week. 

Here are your options to learn more about the proposed budget and share your feedback: 

(also available on the Our City. Our Budget. Our Future website) 

Review the proposed business plan and budget

While you can download the document directly, you can also look at a copy of the document at:

• The City Clerk's Office, Administration Building
• Any branch of the Calgary Public Library
• Any public drop-in session between November 15-19

Present to City Council

City Council budget deliberations will begin on Monday, November 21 at 9:30am in Council Chambers. Citizens will have two ways to submit their comments:

• A written submission sent online before November 20 at noon
• A five-minute presentation made to Council

If you opt to speak to Council, you will have a chance to speak on a first-come-first-speak basis starting on the morning of November 21. And if you bring materials for Council, please make 35 copies.

But completely new this year is that citizens can pre-book a presentation time by either going online to calgary.ca/ourfuture or calling 3-1-1. Proposed by Mayor Nenshi and supported by City Council, the new system lets citizens register to speak ahead of time instead of waiting to find out in what order they will speak on the day of budget deliberations. Deadline for advance registration is the end-of-day on November 16.

If you do not pre-book, you can still speak before budget deliberation, but you must be in the Council Chamber on November 21 to physically put your name on the speaking list. 

(If you have more questions about the meeting procedures, please visit this site or call the Legislative Assistance at the City Clerk's office at 403-268-5861.)

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

23,000 Calgarians helped shape the City budget

I write a monthly column in the Calgary Herald. Here is my November story:

Last week, the city released its draft budget proposals. Until the end of the month, you will hear a lot about the future of the city and where we will invest our money over the next three years, and you’ll have a chance to have your voice heard.

But there’s something very different this time around. Instead of a budget suddenly being released fully formed, we’ve had a lot of these conversations already. Instead of a budget with many nice-to-haves being released and then negotiated down, the city released a budget with a fair tax increase. Instead of us waiting to hear from the public until after the budget is out, more than 20,000 Calgarians have already had their ideas and visions for Calgary built into the document.

First, the context: Your city government gets about eight cents out of every tax dollar you pay — the provincial and federal governments get the rest. And, as you’ve heard me say over and over, the property tax is a lousy way to fund government but, for now, it’s all we’ve got.

Calgary does have the lowest property tax rates of any major city in Canada (near the bottom when utility rates are included) and this budget proposal holds tax increases to the rate of inflation plus growth — about $5.50 per month for the average home. Because property taxes are only about half of our revenue, this means that our expenses must grow at half the rate of inflation, which, in real terms, is a cut.

The other thing worth noting is why we need to increase the tax rate at all. Shouldn’t increases in the value of your home, or new people moving to Calgary, automatically increase the money your municipal government gets? Actually, no, the property tax calculation is a bit more complicated (and confusing) than that. As the assessment of your home increases, the property tax rate automatically decreases. Each January, a new revenue-neutral rate is calculated, and any tax increases are applied to this new, lower rate.

And while people who move here provide growth and vitality, they often cost more to serve than they pay in property tax, especially in newer neighbourhoods where we have to add fire, transit and other services.

So, where does that leave us? The new budget preserves investments in the things people have told us are important: we’ll make a major investment in transit when the west LRT and the northeast LRT extension open in 2013, and we will continue to provide the services you need every day. Thanks to the community investment fund we created this year, we will continue to build new fire halls, parks, libraries and recreation centres, and continue to fix and upgrade the ones we have.

But we’ll see some changes in how the city works. Every department has been asked to find efficiencies in advance of our new zero-based budget review process starting next year.

This means that we’ll reduce management levels, we’ll find better ways to do things, and we will preserve frontline services wherever possible. But there are a few areas in this proposal where front-line services may be impacted: for example, when the West LRT opens, we may make a modest reduction in bus service on a few routes after increasing it significantly over the last few years.

While no department is exempt from seeking efficiencies, we will not necessarily treat every department the same. For example, the Calgary Police Service has found the efficiencies that City Council asked for without impacting boots on the street, but they are concerned about future growth. The Police Commission requests that we bring forward future hiring and smooth out the growth of the force. This is a valid concern, in my opinion, but it means we’ll have to find the money to do it.

But the discussion is still very much open. When a federal or provincial budget is released, it’s usually a done deal. Not so here. The budget proposals are indeed proposals. Please let us know what you think.

You can read the budget at any branch of the Calgary Public Library or at www.calgary.ca/ourfuture and submit your comments online. You can attend a series of public meetings in all quadrants next week (details are on the website or available by calling 311). You can come speak to Council on Monday November 21, and—new this year—you can sign up to speak in advance through the website or by calling 311.

Thanks for all your input to date. Together, we’ll build a budget and, more importantly, continue to build the better Calgary we all want.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Budget primer: Council's fiscal plan for Calgary

On November 9, Calgarians will get their first look at the proposed 2012-2014 business plans and budgets from The City of Calgary.

Unlike previous years, the material in this proposed budget should be no surprise for Calgarians and City Council. Instead, it is the result of a massive public engagement program that had more than 23,000 Calgarians engage in the budget planning process since February 2011. After three months of engaging citizens and City employees, City Council received a full report on what Calgarians want to see in a future budget for our great city. Once Council heard from citizens, it unanimously passed a three-year fiscal plan for Calgary (pdf).

This brief two-page document sets out Council's vision for Calgary for the next three years. It is built upon input from Calgarians and is the foundation for the future budget discussions Council will have in the coming weeks. The above image summarises Council's priorities in the fiscal plan. 

Essentially, the plan is built to manage "growth to become 'a great place to make a living; a great place to make a life'". To do this, there are six key parts to the plan:

• Ensuring every Calgarian lives in a safe community and has the opportunity to succeed
• Investing in great communities and a vibrant urban fabric
• Moving people and goods throughout the city efficiently and sustainably
• Making Calgary the best place in Canada for a business to start and flourish
• Becoming a more effective and disciplined organization
• Changing the rules of the game to ensure better financial capacity

Of course, every one of those areas has specific actions associated with each. Please view or download the pdf of the document to see the specifics yourself.

Tomorrow's proposed budget is Administration's proposal to City Council on how the City can achieve this fiscal plan while also limiting the property tax increase to the cost of inflation plus growth. Once available on November 9, all citizens will have opportunities to provide feedback via public information sessions or directly to City Council on Monday, November 21.

 - Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Mayor Nenshi's meetings: October 2011

Below is a list of external meetings hosted by the Mayor during the month of October 2011. For an explanation of why this list exists and who's on it, please visit our post about highlighting accountability in the Mayor's Office.

October's meetings included:

• Hardial Dev, Calgary Cab Drivers Society - October 4, 2011
• Rupinderpal Gill, Calgary Cab Drivers Society - October 4, 2011
• Kaliout Harjit, Calgary Cab Drivers Society - October 4, 2011
• Loreen Gilmour, United Way - October 4, 2011
• Greg Melchin, ENMAX - October 11, 2011
• Charlie Fischer, Enbridge - October 11, 2011
• Richard Bird, Enbridge - October 11, 2011
• Nancy Manning, Norlien Foundation - October 12, 2011
• Anthony Watanabe, Innovative Group - October 13, 2011
• Mayor Susan Fennell, City of Brampton - October 17, 2011
• Robert Serpe, City of Brampton - October 17, 2011
• Laurie Templeton, Shaw Communications - October 21, 2011
• Brad Shaw, Shaw Communications - October 21, 2011
• Cam Kernahan, Shaw Communications - October 21, 2011
• Raj Serhman, Alberta Liberal Party- October 21, 2011
• Sharon Maclean, Alberta Liberal Party- October 21, 2011
• Denis Lapointe, Alberta Liberal Party- October 21, 2011
• Lyle Edwards, Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation - October 21, 2011
• Michael Brown, Calgary Municipal Lands Corporation - October 21, 2011
• Michael Kehoe, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Steve Weston, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Don Fairgrieve-Park, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Bill Bird, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Bob Brazzell, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Bill Partridge, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Kevin Dixon, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Chris Howard, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• Katherine Kowalchuk, Building Owners and Managers Association - October 27, 2011
• John Marotta, Commercial Real Estate Development Association (NAIOP) - October 27, 2011
• Annie MacInnis, Kensignton Business Revitalization Zone - October 27, 2011
• Tom Dixon, Calgary Economic Development - October 27, 2011
• Richard Truscott, Canadian Federation of Independent Business - October 27, 2011
• Mark Wynker, Urban Development Institute - October 27, 2011
• Bev Jarvis, Urban Development Institute - October 27, 2011
• Priyanka Kanivelil, Calgary Chamber of Commerce – October 27, 2011
• Bernadette Geronazzo, Marda Loop BRZ – October 27, 2011
• Don Sandford, Lansdowne – October 28, 2011
• Brian Sidorsky, Lansdowne – October 28, 2011
• Kayihan Tarkan, Lansdowne – October 28, 2011
• Wilf Gobert, CED – October 28, 2011
• Bruce Graham, CED – October 28, 2011
• Minister Manmeet Bhullar, Service Alberta – October 28, 2011
• Alan P. Knight, Virgin – October 31, 2011
• David C. Addison, Virgin – October 31, 2011
• John Hankins, CED – October 31, 2011
• Minister Manmeet Bhullar, Service Alberta – October 31, 2011
• Minister Doug Griffiths, Municipal Affairs – October 31, 2011

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Mayor's Office expenses: January - September 2011

Today, we are releasing the Mayor’s Office expenses for January 1, 2011 to September 30, 2011. This is part of our ongoing commitment to transparency and openness.

The attached document includes a budget summary as well as the details of the expenses in areas like travel, hosting, and communications.

Last year at this time, we reduced the mayor's office budget considerably (a $140,000 cut), and we continue to be under-budget even from that smaller number. We have included our year-to-date budget, our year-to-date actuals, as well as what was spent in the same period in 2010.

Mayor's Office Budget Jan1-Sep30 2011

To download this file without signing into Scribd, click here.

(The photo in this post is by ~Twon~ and is used under a Creative Commons attribution licence.)

Media release: Tasty fanfare for Food Truck Pilot Program

Mayor Nenshi with a baby perogy
at today's event

Today, Mayor Naheed Nenshi joined with many hundreds of Calgarians and nine of Calgary’s newest food truck entrepreneurs in Olympic Plaza to mark the end of phase one of Calgary’s Food Truck Pilot Program. The pilot program has brought together many stakeholders to explore how best to make this burgeoning street food industry a reality in Calgary.

“Certainly food trucks add to our urban vibrancy by bringing people to the streets,” said Mayor Nenshi. “This pilot project is also about demonstrating how The City of Calgary can be innovative, collaborative, and quickly cut red tape for the benefit of citizens. It’s one way by which we’re transforming government.”

In the summer of 2011, Mayor Nenshi’s office brought together groups including City of Calgary departments (Calgary Fire Department, Business Licensing, and Roads) entrepreneurs, business revitalization zones, Alberta Health Services, and the Calgary Parking Authority to determine how best to license this new kind of business. Within a month of first meeting, phase one of the pilot program began on August 11 with new food trucks rolling onto Calgary’s streets.

“The speed at which we were able to get this project operating was phenomenal,” said Mayor Nenshi. “And the flexibility of everyone involved in the pilot means that we can change the parameters of the pilot as quickly as we learn what’s working and what’s not. The success of this pilot project to date is a testament to the employees who made it happen and the leadership at the City who empower them.”

Phase one of the pilot program saw the introduction of the food trucks to city streets and collected initial feedback from all partners. Highlights include:

• Calgary has 10 food trucks owned by nine entrepreneurs (currently)
• As many as 15 additional entrepreneurs intend to start their own food trucks in the next year 
• Trucks are often hired for specific functions (e.g.: corporate celebrations, charity events, business launches, etc.) and more than half of the reported operation time is spent on private property 
• Trucks are adding to Centre City vibrancy on weekends with feature locations such as Central Memorial Park and East Village 
• 311 has reported no more than 10 complaints about food trucks and, in most cases, this has led to swift changes to the pilot project guidelines; most other calls to 311 are inquiries about starting a new food truck business 
• Social media is the main avenue for communication about the trucks. @yycfoodtrucks has more than 5,500 followers and individual trucks have many thousands of followers combined 
• Total parking revenue from food trucks using on-street parking is approximately $1,200 to date 
• Each food truck business license is $646 with an annual renewal cost of $611 (including $500 in lieu of tax) 
• Calgary’s burgeoning food truck industry has garnered much national attention for the city including coverage of three Calgary trucks on the U.S.-based Food Network’s Eat Street

Phase two of the pilot project will include assessing the feasibility of food truck operation over the winter months and continued collaboration between all pilot project partners including business revitalization zones. This second phase will run from November 1, 2011 to March 31, 2012.

An important part of the Food Truck Pilot Project is to ensure public health and safety. Citizens should always look for the Alberta Health Services sticker on the food truck to make sure it has been properly inspected and approved.

For more information about the Food Truck Pilot Program, please visit www.calgary.ca/foodtrucks

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

3 Things for Calgary (What are yours?)

Today, Mayor Nenshi joined with community activist Dave Meslin and hundreds of Calgarians to officially launch the 3 Things for Calgary movement.

So what is it? Essentially, it's a challenge to all of us.

Calgary is our workplace, our play place, and our home. Every action that happens in our city, whether it comes from City Hall or the local community hall affects our streets, our neighbourhoods, and our Calgary.

So doesn't it make sense that we should take actions ourselves to make our city better? The truth is: for every one of us who gets more involved in our communities, our communities are made better.

So here's the challenge:

• Think about the community and city issues that are important to you.
• Decide on three actions you can take to make your street, neighbourhood, or city better.
• Do those three things! 
• Tell others about what you did... and then do some more!

The three things you choose are up to you. What are you passionate about? What are you good at? What do you think needs to be made better? Here are just a few examples of three things you could do:

• Join your community association
• Host a front yard BBQ and invite your neighbours 
• Run for civic office
• Join a City of Calgary committee

And for those who haven't had much experience with civic engagement, the actions could be as simple as:

• Email your alderman or the mayor about an important issue
• Participate in an open house about a community issue
• Attend a street festival
• Call 311 and tell the City about a pothole or burnt-out light

Whether large or small, any action we take to make our community better will make Calgary better as a whole. 

3 Things for Calgary has evolved from the Mayor's Civic Engagement Committee--a group of dedicated volunteers who have worked hard over the past few months to bring 3 Things for Calgary to fruition. Today is the launch, but there's more to come. The launch event was supported by First Calgary Financial, the Calgary Public Library, and Juice Creative (which made the opening video). Thanks also to Gordon McDowell for the video work of the full event!

Go to the 3 Things for Calgary Facebook group immediately to start participating. And watch 3ThingsforCalgary.ca for more.

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

A Better Calgary in Progress

[Today, I released a document called A Better Calgary in Progress providing an update on all of my 12 campaign promises--Better Ideas--from one year ago. You can download the full PDF document here. Here is the introductory letter from that document.]

Friends:

It’s been a year since you elected me to be your mayor. The opportunity is humbling, and I still wake up every morning excited at the chance to serve all citizens of this great city.

We’ve done much in the past year, and I’d like to share with you some of the highlights, as well as give you a sense of what’s yet to come.  And so we have this document: A Better Calgary in Progress. Here is some of the most significant progress we’ve made:

Building Better Communities

·         Created a new Community Investment Fund to build and maintain important community facilities including library branches, recreation centres, parks, and fire halls. Pending some participation from the federal and provincial governments, the first years of the Fund will lead to the creation of four new recreation centres and four new library branches, including a new Central branch.

·         Reduced the taxpayer burden by cutting in half the subsidies for suburban growth on the outskirts of the city

·         Launched the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative—a program to involve the entire community in thinking about how to build a better city for all of our neighbours

Keeping Calgary Moving

·         Commenced construction of the Airport Trail completion project —a critical piece of East-West infrastructure for all Calgarians

·         Launched direct bus routes to the Calgary International Airport from the NE CTrain and from downtown

·         Removed the $3 Park and Ride fee from CTrain and Bus Rapid Transit stations

·         Launched the Calgary Transit Customer Advisory Group to ensure Calgarians have a greater voice in the future of this important service

·         Brought credit, debit, and change machines to CTrain stations, and encouraged dramatically improved communication between Calgary Transit and customers

·         Approved the new cycling strategy

Transforming Government

·        Created video archives of Council meetings, so that you can hear exactly what your representatives said

·         Posted online my own expenses and a list ofeveryone I meet in my office

·         Launched the Cut Red Tape initiative and a pilot project on food trucks

·         Changed the tone of City Council to make it more collaborative and productive

·         Instituted zero-based budget reviews of every business unit at the City

·         Implemented a collaborative budgeting process in which some 20,000 Calgarians participated

·         Made significant leadership changes at ENMAX and the Calgary Parking Authority leading to a stronger focus on citizen service and the public good.

·         Passed a Fiscal Plan for Calgary based on holding property tax increases to inflation plus growth for the next three years and finding $140 million in efficiencies. This three-year plan also provides a direct line of sight toward our vision for a better Calgary.

I’m proud of what your new Council has accomplished. But much work remains. The core principle of this work is simple:  as your municipal government, we must constantly ask the question: “How does what we are doing make it better for people to live here?”

Together, we are building the better Calgary in which we all want to live and work—and it will be amazing.

Sincerely,

Naheed K. Nenshi

Mayor 

After one year as mayor, I'm still excited

I write a monthly column in the Calgary Herald. Here is the full text of my October story:

A year ago today, I had a pretty big day — morning news shows and afternoon call-ins, visits to seniors homes and schools, saying hello to people on the street and prior to a Flames game, and a mysterious “special event” at noon. A poll the day before had suggested that the mayoral race was locked in a three-way tie, and across Calgary, people were talking. The buzz was not just about who they wanted for mayor, but about what they wanted for their community.

I’ve had the great honour of being your mayor for a year now. The opportunity is humbling, and I still wake up every morning excited at the chance to serve the citizens of this great city.

What I am most excited about is that the buzz continues. Across the city, people are still talking to their neighbours, or to folks next to them on the bus, about what’s working and what isn’t — about what they would like to see for their community.

As Calgarians, we’ve always been confident and optimistic, and I think that has only been magnified over the past year; people feel good about living here and hopeful about our shared future.

And it’s not just the folks I see on the streets, on the train, at community centres and online. (It’s certainly not just the people who comment on newspaper articles online!) A recent citizen satisfaction survey commissioned by the city showed that 83 per cent of people are satisfied with their lives in Calgary and 84 per cent are proud to be Calgarian. Most interesting, 86 per cent of people are optimistic about the future.

In a separate survey commissioned by a media outlet, council saw significant increases in its approval ratings. My own approval rating was the highest of any Canadian public official measured, which is very nice, of course, but far from my goal: to keep doing good things for the community as long as I can. It is gratifying, though, to see that Calgarians appreciate the change we are making.

It isn’t only sunshine and rainbows and happy thoughts, though. As a council, we’ve accomplished an enormous amount in the last year, and I would like to share some of those accomplishments with you.

A more detailed version of this report will be available at calgarymayor.ca over the next week, including status updates on each of my campaign promises.

The first major area in which we’ve been working is building better communities. Earlier this year, we created a permanent community investment fund, meaning that there is a predictable source of funding, for the first time, for things like libraries, parks, recreation centres and fire halls. Half of the fund is earmarked for life cycle upgrades to existing facilities, and the other half is for new construction of desperately needed infrastructure. With a little bit of participation from other levels of government, we will now be able to build three new library branches, including a new Central Library, and four rec centres, bringing new ice rinks, soccer fields and pools across the city.

We also cut in half the subsidy that we used to give to new development on the fringes of the city, meaning it will now be more fiscally sustainable to build new suburbs, and more cost-competitive to rebuild in existing neighbourhoods.

This summer, I was also happy to launch the Calgary Poverty Reduction Initiative, bringing minds from across the city to bear on a very difficult issue about strengthening all of our neighbourhoods.

Of course, we continue to focus on making every neighbourhood a safe one, and I am happy to support police Chief Rick Hanson’s efforts, and the work of so many others, in helping keep major crime rates in Calgary at levels not seen in decades. Calgary remains one of the safest major cities on Earth, and we’ll fight to keep it that way.

Our second big bucket of activity is keeping Calgary moving. Of course, I was very happy that we were able to secure funds for the completion of Airport Trail, meaning that we were able to build a major piece of infrastructure without impacting your property taxes. Not only was it the right thing to do to build it now, it was also the option that saved the most money in the long term.

But we’ve done so much more. We’ve invested heavily in transit, including direct transit options to the Calgary International Airport from the northeast C-Train and from downtown. We removed the $3 park-and-ride fee from C-Train and bus rapid transit stations, and we launched the Calgary Transit Customer Advisory Group to ensure Calgarians have a greater voice in the future of this important service. And yes, the machines finally give change (and accept credit cards)! While transit certainly has its challenges, and will be a major focus of our work in the next year, it’s getting better. Indeed, when Calgarians were asked why their quality of life had improved over the last year, the No. 1 unprompted response was because transit is better.

Our third key area has been transforming government to become more open, accountable, efficient and effective for Calgarians. I am most proud of changes in this area. In particular, there has been a change of tone in city council that has us being much more collaborative and productive as a group. Simply put, we’re able to get more done without bitter, reoccurring partisan battles.

In the area of transparency, change is starting in my own office, where I now post on calgarymayor.ca my expenses and lists of meetings. Following last year’s election, the city clerk’s office also quickly implemented video archives of all our council meetings so citizens can see for themselves how they are being represented in council.

Although we will have much debate over the coming months about our threeyear budget plan (which, for the first time, has engaged over 20,000 Calgarians on their budget perspectives well before any decisions were made), council has already passed a fiscally responsible fiscal plan for Calgary. Not only does this provide a direct line of sight toward our vision for a better Calgary, it also is a commitment to hold property tax increases to inflation plus growth and find $140 million in efficiencies over three years. We've also instituted zero-based budget reviews for every business unit in the city - something council has discussed for many years, but only finally done.

Red tape at the City of Calgary will continue to be a key issue over the next year.

But in the past 12 months, we have launched our cut red tape initiative that is engaging the business community and City of Calgary employees to dramatically improve the bureaucratic process.

For example, while the food truck pilot project has tasty benefits, it is really about demonstrating how we can cut red tape and help entrepreneurs become successful as quickly and easily as possible. The feedback so far (from the business owners and hungry citizens alike) is very positive.

I'm proud of what your new council has accomplished. But much work remains. The core principle of this work is simple; as your municipal government, we must constantly ask the question: "How does what we are doing make it better for people to live here?"

Together, we are building the better Calgary in which we all want to live and work. And it will be amazing.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Calgary's neighbourhoods are great, but we can make them better

In addition to my regular monthly column in the Calgary Herald, I've written the introductory column for the newspaper's special series called Project Calgary: Making our neighbourhoods better. Here is the full text of that special article:  

What makes a good community?

This is a question that I have been grappling with for many years (long before the honour of serving as your mayor) and it’s something that your City Council works on every day: making sure every community is a great community.

This isn’t rocket science; I remember when, as a volunteer, I worked on imagineCalgary—the process to develop a long-term vision for our city. One of my jobs was to sift through the responses of 18,000 Calgarians describing their ideal city.

There was remarkable unanimity amongst the responses. When people were asked what kind of a neighbourhood they valued, they said they wanted to live in a place where they could walk to the store. A place where their kids could walk to school. Where kids grow up surrounded by neighbours who are different from themselves, so that they understand that everyone is not the same. Where it’s easy to get to and from work and play. Where that second, third, and fourth family car are a choice, not an absolute necessity to live a decent life.

Of course, to make this work, we need the basics: every neighbourhood must be safe. We must all have access to clean water, air, and land. We have to take the garbage away and provide opportunities for recycling.

The good news is that every neighbourhood in Calgary has these basics. Take crime and safety, for example: you will read in this Herald series about the variations between communities in reported crime, and the differences are sometimes a bit striking. However, the context is important: every single neighbourhood in Calgary is an incredibly safe neighbourhood. Even our “highest-crime” communities would be the envy of any city anywhere.

Calgarians know this: in the recent Citizen Satisfaction Survey, 81 per cent of Calgarians said they feel safe walking in their own neighbourhoods at night.

Indeed, as we sensitively increase the density of existing neighbourhoods, safety will also increase. While some claim that more people in a community leads to more crime, the evidence shows that the opposite is true. More people means more eyes on the street at different times of day and night, and that means more safety for all.

This does not mean, however, that the job is done. I often note that density is only one part of the picture of a successful city. The other elements that we need for economic growth and social development are diversity and a sense of discovery.

We have work to do on diversity. While Calgary is a model of pluralism and meritocracy for the world, we are not reflecting the diversity of the city in our individual neighbourhoods. For too long, we have been building new communities that exclude by design, and, over the last decade, we have seen a troubling stratification of neighbourhoods.

Where once most communities were “average” – with a mix of incomes, ages, lifecycles, and ethnicities, we are starting to see more segregation: some neighbourhoods are rich, others poor; some young, others old; some more ethnically diverse, others less so.

This is troubling because of the need for social cohesion in our city. We cannot separate the rich and poor, for example, without running the risk of increasing the gap—particularly through the temptation to reduce public investments in neighbourhoods seen as less “desirable”.

But it’s also a big problem for long-term financial sustainability: if a neighbourhood is made up entirely of young families, for example, we are always struggling to keep up with rec facilities and programs for kids. The province rushes in to build schools. Within a relatively short period of time (measured in years and not decades), the kids all grow up, the schools are empty, and we struggle to build facilities in the next neighbourhood out.

We can’t keep on like this. We need to encourage people at different lifecycles to live in all neighbourhoods—to keep schools open and hockey rinks and buses full and to ensure that seniors can stay in their homes as long as possible.

Changing this will be tough, but it is possible; and, as a community, we can do it. It means making sure that new neighbourhoods are designed to serve different kinds of people from the ground up, and it also means that we need to continue to find ways to ensure that existing neighbourhoods are welcoming to young families.

Overall, we are so very lucky to live in this city. Eighty-four per cent of us agree with the statement "I'm proud to be a Calgarian," and the same number agrees that "I'm proud to live in my neighbourhood."

But it will take more than luck to maintain this as the city grows. It will take goodwill, willingness to change, and a lot of hard work. The good news is that Calgarians have all three, and together, we can do anything!

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi