Highlighting accountability in the Mayor's Office

Photo courtesy Brad Taylor (www.bradstaylor.com)

Mayor Nenshi committed to Calgarians that Calgary City Council will be more transparent, more efficient, and easier for citizens to engage.

When it comes to efficiency, Mayor Nenshi has initiated the Cut Red Tape program that's started by asking City employees to share their ideas on how we can save taxpayer money and improve customer service. For engagement, thousands of Calgarians have just participated in the extensive budget planning process that asked citizens what their priorities are prior to Council making budget decisions. And in terms of transparency and accessibility, we're excited to see that the City now has video archiving of Council meetings.

Improving the accountability of elected officials remains an important topic for Mayor Nenshi. During the election campaign, the Mayor promised to begin publishing the Mayor's Office expenses and the names of people with whom the Mayor meets in his office. We will soon begin publishing those details on this website under the subheading of Accountability.

Starting today, we are posting a monthly list of external meetings (ie: not City of Calgary employees, staff, or media) hosted by Mayor Nenshi at the Mayor's Office. This will include meetings with individuals or small groups. Conversations in passing that happen at public events are not included in this list.

Publishing the Mayor's meeting list was something we intended to do on a quarterly basis starting this spring. But while preparing the first list, we received legal advice that we could be contravening the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act by publishing people's names without their consent. So, beginning May 1, 2011, the Mayor's Office required that anyone meeting with Mayor Nenshi provide a signature approving to have their name published.

As for expenses, Mayor's Office staff have been working with the City accounting department to determine the best way to publish those expenses quarterly. The first list of expenses should be published online in June 2011.

In the summer of 2010, publishing meetings and expenses was just a better idea. Now, it's about to become reality with Mayor Nenshi leading the way.

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Mayor Nenshi's meetings: May 2011

As part of Mayor Nenshi's commitment to accountability, below is a list of external meetings hosted by the Mayor during the month of May 2011.

Wayne Stewart – May 5, 2011
Gena Rotstein, Dexterity Consulting – May 5, 2011
Kaija Dirkson, Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts – May 10, 2011
Sheryl Ratcliff, Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts – May 10, 2011
Lisa Walli, Epcor Centre for the Performing Arts – May 10, 2011
Bob McPhee, Calgary Opera – May 10, 2011
Marilyn Milauski, Calgary Opera – May 10, 2011
George Brookman, Tourism Calgary – May 12, 2011
Steve Allan, Canadian Tourism Commission – May 12, 2011
Kristin Evenden, Glenbow Museum – May 12, 2011
George Bezaire, Glenbow Museum – May 12, 2011
Ken Hughes, Alberta Health Services – May 18, 2011
Dustin Franks, MLA Manmeet Bhullar’s Office - May 19, 2011

- The Office of the Mayor

Airport Trail Tunnel a go!

The Calgary Airport Authority Board confirmed today that it accepted Calgary City Council’s final proposal to build an underpass on YYC land under the new airport runway.

I am delighted that the Airport Authority has accepted Council’s very reasonable proposal and that we will soon begin construction of the Airport Trail underpass,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi who is currently on a Calgary-focused trade mission to Beijing. “This is a great day for Calgary and I commend the Calgary Airport Authority Board for making the right decision in the best interests of Calgarians.”

"Most of all, I really want to thank all the people, particularly City staff, who put in a tremendous amount of time and effort into making this project become reality. What they accomplished under impossible deadlines is remarkable" said Mayor Nenshi.

“Now that both parties have come to an agreement in principal, there is still work to do. We need to finalize the sublease agreement before we can begin construction in mid June. However, I have full confidence that the Airport Authority will work co-operatively with the City to see this project become reality.”

- The Office of the Mayor

Sealing the airport deal is vital to Calgary

I write a monthly column in the Calgary Sun. Here's an excerpt from my May story:

Late on Friday, city council authorized one last offer to the Calgary Airport Authority to build the airport tunnel.

By Tuesday, we will know whether or not we will be able to get this vital piece of infrastructure built.

And it is vital. Since the closure of Barlow Tr. last month, we have confirmed that the current level of infrastructure can barely keep pace.

Things will be better when Metis Tr. is completed later this year, but an uninterrupted Airport Tr. is the long-term solution.

The tunnel is also the only real way to get LRT access to the airport. It will be built with an LRT right-of-way, allowing for an eventual link to the northeast line.

Any other option would cost far more than the tunnel project and result in a longer trip.

Finally, and most important, it’s cheaper to build the tunnel than not to build it.

The cost of the upgraded road infrastructure that we would have to build on Metis Tr., Country Hills Blvd. and Barlow Tr. in the absence of Airport Tr. dwarfs the cost of the tunnel.

So, if this piece of infrastructure is so important, how have we ended up in this ridiculous last-minute situation?

Certainly, city council played a role here. Although the tunnel has been on the books since the 1990s, council consistently failed to set aside the money for it.

A city bureaucrat, acting without council’s authorization, told the Airport it would never be built.

When council had the funds, they frittered away hundreds of millions of dollars on non-time-sensitive projects, such as an extension to the northeast LRT that was not needed for a decade, and one to the northwest LRT that was not needed at all.

The Airport Authority was not blameless.

They crafted their expansion plan based upon their own needs, but largely failed to consider the needs of the whole city — congestion on Deerfoot Tr. makes people late for flights, but it also inconveniences every commuter, not just airport-bound ones.

But that’s all history. What’s important in where we are now. The city has done its part.

In a short few months, we’ve got the facts on the costs, we’ve found the money, we’ve crafted a construction plan and we’ve moved forward on getting this done.

City staff have worked incredibly hard on impossible deadlines to get this done and do the right thing for Calgarians.

Where we are stuck now is that the Authority is worried building the road will lead to too much traffic in front of their terminal.

The city’s detailed simulations of traffic do not show this to be the case. However, the Authority has not accepted our invitation to view the data and insists if the tunnel were built, then two new interchanges, not related to the tunnel, be built at the same time.

The city believes these interchanges will not be needed for at least 10 years.

While I reject their analysis, I appreciate the Authority’s offer to put some money on the table to get the interchanges built sooner than they otherwise would be....

You can read the full article at the Calgary Sun.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Downtown-Airport Bus Takes Flight

Starting soon, you'll be able to take an express Calgary Transit bus from downtown to the Calgary International Airport!

On Monday night, Council approved my Innovation Fund request to conduct a six month pilot Bus Rapid Transit line connecting downtown via Centre Street, 64th Avenue, Deerfoot Trail and Airport Trail to and from the Calgary International Airport. The bus is expected to carry around 1100 passengers a day. If successful, the route will become permanent.

Calgary's airport serves 12.6 million passengers a year and employs over 15,000 people - but currently does not have a direct public transit connection to downtown.

The line will run from 5:00am to midnight 7 days a week at a minimum 30 minute frequency. There will be a limited number of stops along the way so that passengers can connect to the route from other existing transit lines. The trip will take about 40 minutes. Regular fares will apply for trips heading to the Airport. An $8 fare will apply for trips from the Airport terminal toward downtown - this may be sold in the form of a day pass, which will allow passengers to use the fare all day. Any person with a monthly transit pass can ride the route at no additional cost.

In addition to the implementation of Route 100 from Mcknight-Westwinds station to the airport, this pilot BRT line helps fulfill my promise to provide more direct routes and better public transit service to the airport. I'm also excited to see how fast this route has gone from conception to implementation.

The Innovation Fund I introduced at the beginning of my term is encouraging the City of Calgary to test out new ideas to improve how the City works and improves the lives of Calgarians.

See you on the bus this July!

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Paying for growth--Council decides to up development levies

Today, City Council agreed that we cannot continue passing a massive debt on to our children and grandchildren. I am very happy that we decided to begin addressing the cost of growth in our city by accepting the newly-negotiated Standard Development Agreement.

I've devoted much time to this issue in the past. The decision today means that new development will pay for one-half of the true cost of growth rather than the previous one-quarter charged for development. It's a big step in the right direction, but I feel we can go further in the future.

Nevertheless, today's decision represents a major shift in thinking on behalf of the City and the development industry. Three years ago, we would have been discussing whether to raise levies at all. Now both the industry and the City clearly realize that we need to raise levies to move toward becoming a financially sustainable city.

While today's decision does not mean the full cost of development is covered by those who want to build on the edges of our city. It begins to level the playing field and allows Calgarians to make housing choices based on the real cost of their choice.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Helping our friends in Slave Lake

Photo courtesy CAN-TF2

In the past 24 hours, we've heard the sad news about the developing situation in Slave Lake. My heart goes out to everyone affected by the devastating fire that has touched the town.

But, I am pleased to know that the City of Calgary and many Calgarians are already en route to help protect people, their homes and businesses.

This morning, 50 firefighters from the Calgary Fire Department left immediately for Slave Lake. They brought with them fire fighting equipment that will be used to help subdue the fire. They will soon be joined by 50 more firefighters as part of our full 100-person contingent.

Calgary-based Canada Task Force 2 (CAN-TF2) has also left for Westlock. There, the Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team will help all the people evacuated out of Slave Lake. This team of Calgary volunteers will use state of the art equipment and rescue gear to provide logistical support for the ongoing evacuation operation. This includes providing an Emergency Medical Assistance Task Force and a mobile command unit.

The upheaval caused by fire and evacuation can be one of the most difficult experiences anyone can have. And, again, I--like many people--am deeply affected by this ongoing tragedy.

But times like these reinforce the importance of compassion for all our friends and neighbours. Calgarians have stepped up to the challenge to help the people of Slave Lake. I know that the professionals and volunteers who are on their way now will do all they can to reduce the impact of this tragedy.

They make me proud to be Calgarian.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Better idea achieved: Council videos are now live!

"We should increase the accessibility of City Council webcasts. While webcasts are currently available for all Council meetings, these can only be viewed live. We can create a webcast archive which would allow citizens to follow meetings at a time convenient for them."

- Mayor Nenshi
Better Idea #8, August 2010

Last year at this time, that idea was just that: an idea. Today, it's reality.

Back in the day, if citizens wanted to know the nature of a debate or what their alderman said or even how they voted, they had no way to learn that information first hand except for being at the debate itself.

But, thanks to the work of two engaged citizens that showed it could be done and the action of the City Clerk's Office to put the plan into action, Calgary City Council meetings are now all video archived. The earliest available meeting is the May 5, 2011 Standing Policy Meeting on Community and Protective Services.

Upon taking office, Mayor Nenshi asked for a report on the feasibility of video archives considering issues such as online hosting, functionality, and privacy. With a report from the City Clerk, Council agreed in February to start archiving Council videos and keep them online for at least three years so that citizens can view them whenever they want.

To view an archived video, just go to the Council Agenda and Minutes page on the City of Calgary website and click on the video option. Once there, you can click on any of the main items from the agenda and be taken directly to that part in the video where that agenda item started. You'll also have access to the reports presented to Council for that discussion.

This is just part of Mayor Nenshi's plan to make City Council more accessible to everyone.

Now here's my question: how long does it take for people to start Auto-Tuning City Council?

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Where should the money go? Have your say on the budget.

The online budget allocator

We're now into the third and final part of our totally new approach to planning The City of Calgary budget. From now until May 27, 2011, every Calgary citizen has the opportunity to make decisions about where the money goes.

Where should we be investing more? Where should we cut back?

As Mayor Nenshi has said, it's time we turned the budget process on its head. Now that many Calgarians have learned about the many services provided by the City from environment to transportation to our safety and security, it's time to start putting pen to paper.

People can do that in one of two ways:

Budget allocator tool - The budget allocator provides information about City services and budgets, and gathers input, suggestions and priorities from participants by simulating some of the difficult decisions Council and Administration face when deciding how to allocate financial resources. Participants can see how their choices may impact City budgets. And for those who want even more detail on the previous budget, here's a link to the full 2008-2011 budgets for each business unit.

Community conversations (pdf) - For a more personal, discussion-based format, citizens can drop-in to a community conversation, where they can make their choices on a budget worksheet after considering information at a series of stations about City services. These are held around the city from May 10 - 16.

Whatever option you choose, your recommendations will be shared with Mayor Nenshi and City Council to help them make budget decisions later this year. Your feedback will make a difference; this is a big change from the previous system of budgeting when Council heard from the community only near the end of the process.

Here's a look at the online budget allocator tool in action:

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

"A funny thing happened on the way to the election."

I write a monthly column in the Calgary Herald. Here's the full text of my May article which ran after the federal election:

Well, that was interesting.

It seems that one of the dullest election campaigns ever was followed by one of the most exciting election nights. The question now, of course, is "where do we go from here?"

First, as I wrote in my blog this week, I think it's appropriate to start with some congratulations:

To Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party for their dogged discipline, in this campaign and over the last many years, to achieve this stunning victory. I'm proud that the Prime Minister of Canada is one of my constituents, a Calgarian who knows and understands this city well;

To Jack Layton and the New Democratic Party for their great achievement in becoming the official opposition -it's nice to see that old city council members can make something of themselves! Regardless of what one thinks about their policies, Layton showed an incredible grit and heart in this campaign, and captured the imaginations of many;

To Elizabeth May and the Green party because I know what it's like to be an underdog. It's not easy to make history and have your first member elected to Parliament;

To all candidates and their teams of volunteers--whether they won or lost, they were exhibiting the very best of citizenship--putting themselves out there, facing the naysayers and scorn and the mean people on the Internet, all because they want a better country; and

To the people of Canada who used their voice, who refused to succumb to cynicism and apathy, and, simply, who voted.

A funny thing happened on the way to the election. The Conservative Party, who had been doggedly searching for a majority all over the country, particularly in Quebec, found that majority in the most unlikely of places--in Canada's cities.

This isn't really that surprising. Eighty per cent of Canadians live in cities, after all. But, comparing the 2006 election to this one, it's clear that the Conservatives -who lost seats in Quebec on Monday -became the majority because of the beachheads they have established in cities. They always had them in Calgary and Edmonton, of course, but there is now Tory blue in Toronto, Vancouver and other big cities across the country.

It's no secret that during the election, I expressed my disappointment (including on this page) that, for the most part, the parties were not discussing the urban agenda as much as they should.

But, now that we know that the road to a stable majority runs through our cities, it's time to recognize their importance.

Beginning today, Canadians will be looking to their new federal government to protect core investments in their municipalities and build communities that have the resources to drive our economy and protect our quality of life. We expect that the new Parliament will make our cities priorities and take practical measures to meet the growing challenges we face.

In the proposed federal budget, the Conservative government promised to make permanent the gas tax transfer to cities (worth $58 million to Calgary in 2009-2010) and to work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to develop a new, long-term infrastructure plan to replace the expiring Building Canada program. These should continue to be priorities because such assistance is needed and would be well-used by Canadian municipalities including Calgary.

But we do need to go further.

Canada remains the only industrialized country without a national transit strategy, and the last federal government program focused on transit ended in 2010. Investments in transit are good for everyone, whether you drive a vehicle or not. Good public transit -and we're getting better here in Calgary -reduces congestion and air pollution and is a major factor in improving the social fabric of our community.

It goes beyond transit, though. Here in Calgary we face a $2 billion deficit on social infrastructure like firehalls, rec facilities, parks and libraries. This is stuff we could fix and/or build today if we had the resources. Add in roads and LRT projects and we get closer to $10 billion.

Given that the city's entire operating budget is only about $2 billion a year (about $1 billion comes from property taxes), it's inconceivable that we can build the things that Calgarians need without the participation of the other levels of government.

I know that our new federal government understands that and I look forward to working with them to create solutions for all Canadians who live in cities.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Bike to Work Day and a City Cycling Strategy

A City of Calgary employee parks her bike in the lock-up at the Municipal Building.

As one of the cyclists in the Mayor's Office, I'm pretty excited that tomorrow is Bike to Work Day in Calgary. Now that many of the main bike routes are clean (or in the process of getting clean) the fair-weather cyclists can get back on their two wheels. And, oh yeah, I should mention that Bike to Work Day also involves a free Pancake Breakfast at Eau Claire Market between 6:30AM and 9:00AM for the first 500 cyclists. (You had me at "free pancake"...)

But The City of Calgary is doing more than just support events like Bike to Work Day. In 2010, Council asked for a comprehensive cycling strategy for Calgary and a safety review of our city's current multi-use pathway system.

Next month, that report is coming to City Council--and if you want a say in the future of cycling in Calgary, now is your chance!

Read the report

On Friday, June 10, the comprehensive cycling strategy will be made public as part of the agenda for the next Standing Policy Committee on Land Use, Planning and Transportation (LPT). You will be able to download the agenda from this page once it's posted.

The report was developed with support from a citizens' committee and public surveys, but the advance engagement is not the only time that the public can share its ideas.

Let Council know

If you're passionate about cycling in Calgary, I strongly recommend--once you've read the report--you share your feedback with the Council members at LPT. Hosted in Historic City Hall, the committee will meet on Wednesday, June 15. Each person who wishes to speak before the committee will have five minutes to share their feedback and may then be asked questions by the Aldermen. A quick guide on the public hearing process can be found here.

And if you just want to listen in to the presentations of other citizens and the committee debate, you can listen and watch live.

Learn more

But before that report gets to us, join me and others on Thursday, May 12th for an evening with Mia Birk who is a Portland author and cycling advocate. Co-presented by CivicCamp and the Calgary Public Library, Birk will share stories about how a group of determined visionaries transformed Portland into a cycling city and inspired so many other cities to do the same. Her recent book is Joyride: Pedalling Toward a Healthier Planet.

The event will be held at the John Dutton Theatre at the Calgary Central Library at 7:00pm. You can register for this free event here.

Mayor Nenshi on cycling

Mayor Nenshi strongly believes that Calgary must invest in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure as a broader strategy to help Calgarians get around the city easier in whatever mode of transportation they choose. He's advocated for an improved park-n-bike system and an expansion to our dedicated bike lane network. By making cycling an easier and safer transportation option for all Calgarians, we can reduce congestion and pollution and make our city even healthier.

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

A new Parliament. A new focus on cities.

First of all, I want to offer my congratulations:

• To the people of Canada who exercised their democratic right and voted;
• To Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party for being elected to a majority government;
• To Jack Layton and the New Democratic Party for being elected to lead the official opposition; 
• To Elizabeth May and the Green Party because it's not easy to make history and have your first member elected to parliament; and 
• To all candidates and their teams of staff and volunteers--whether you won or lost yesterday, you should be commended on your efforts over the past month.

But now we have a new federal government, and with it comes new opportunities to work together to benefit the people of Canada--especially those 80 per cent of Canadians who live in cities. 

During the election, I expressed my disappointment that, for the most part, the parties were not discussing the urban agenda as much as they should.

But, yesterday proved that the road to a stable majority runs through our cities. The gains of the Conservatives are, in part, because they established political beachheads in the most of Canada's major cities. This tells me that the political importance of cities is starting the reflect the value cities bring to Canada as engines of growth.

So what's next?

Beginning today, Canadians will be looking to their new federal government to protect core investments in their municipalities and build communities that have the resources to drive our economy and protect our quality of life. We expect that the new Parliament will make our cities priorities and take practical measures to meet the growing challenges we face.

The new Parliament needs to back up their recent promises and commitments with action.

In the Federal Budget, the Conservative government promised to make permanent the gas tax transfer to cities (worth $58 million to Calgary in 2009-2010) and to work with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to develop a new, long-term infrastructure plan to replace the expiring Building Canada program. These should continue to be priorities because such assistance is needed and would be well-used by Canadian municipalities--including Calgary.

The NDP campaigned for a long-term housing strategy, permanent funding for front-line policing, and dedicated funding for public transit. I hope that the NDP-led Opposition will continue to push for these important initiatives.

Surprisingly, when it comes to cities, there is often more common ground between the parties than their campaigning would have you believe. Canadians do not simply want the Official Opposition to oppose, but to work constructively in Parliament and contribute to public policy. Opposition and Government must work together when they agree on issues to ensure we get solutions that address the needs of Canadians.

If there's anything we can gain from the election, it's that Canadians want results.

Many Canadians (and even some new parliamentarians) may be unaware that forty per cent of federal investments in municipalities will expire in the next 36 months. This includes federal investments in front-line policing, infrastructure, public transit, and affordable housing. The next Parliament will have to come to grips with the task of balancing our national budget, renewing funding that provides critical core services in municipalities, and investing in the future infrastructure of our country.

If our Parliament succeeds in following through on their commitments then Canadian cities and all Canadians will succeed.

So, let's get to work.

- Mayor Nenshi