Mayor Nenshi welcomes Mayor for a Day contest winner

Mayor Nenshi’s job was made a little easier thanks to help from 17-year-old Nyssa Rae — this year’s winner of the Mayor for a Day contest.

Nyssa, a Grade 12 student from Bishop Carroll High School, spent the entire day with Mayor Nenshi and attended several meetings with senior members of City Administration discussing her three ideas to make Calgary a better place.

The Mayor for a Day contest is held by Youth Central in partnership with the Office of the Mayor, and it requires students to submit an essay with their three ideas to make Calgary a better place.

In her essay, Mayor (for a day) Rae, outlined her three ideas, which were based on engaging Calgarians in government issues by making information more accessible, reducing smoking near the transit system, and improving communication during road construction.

Video: Mayor Nenshi speaks with media about the 2015 federal budget

Mayor Nenshi speaks with media on April 21, 2015 following the federal government releasing their 2015 budget.

The mayor was pleased with the federal government's commitment to funding transit, which he has long advocated for.

Video: Mayor Nenshi on improving our democracy

In March 2015, Mayor Nenshi was the keynote speaker for an event with Springtide, a Nova Scotian group interested in improving democracy. He spoke about his own experiences running for office and encouraging others to do the same--the challenges, the barriers, and the things the worked. Above is the full playlist of topics he covered during that event.

For anyone interested in politics, this is a must-see set of videos.

Mayor Nenshi scrums with media - April 2, 2015

On Thursday, April 2, 2015, Mayor Naheed Nenshi met with media following a meeting of the Inter-Governmental Affairs committee meeting.

During that scrum, he answered questions about provincial government funding for flood mitigation projects, reports about a new arena complex, and the status of the "west village" community. He also spoke about a letter he was about to send to the president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation regarding dramatic cuts to CBC Calgary.

Committee News in Brief - April 1, 2015

Council News in Brief - Pilot
Meeting of the SPC on Community & Protective Services
April 1, 2015

Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee Annual Report
Administration presented the first annual progress report on the Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee’s (CAUAC) 10-Year Strategic Plan. The report outlines achievements from 2014 March to 2015 February that advance the objectives in CAUAC’s Strategic Plan and seeks direction to develop a Council policy on Aboriginal issues.

The CPS committee passed Administration’s recommendations for CAUAC to develop an Aboriginal Policy Framework and to bring the framework back to the SPC on CPS no later than 2017 April.

City of Calgary Prostitution Response Framework Update
This report provides an analysis of Bill C-36 and associated municipal impacts; an overview of the current state of prostitution since the enactment of the Bill; along with an update on the implementation of The City of Calgary Prostitution Response Framework.

The CPS Committee received the report for information and approved Administration’s recommendation to dissolve the City of Calgary prostitution steering and working committees and continue the implementation of the Prostitution Response Framework through Administration and the community agencies involved.

Proposed 2015 Special Tax Bylaw
Administration presented this report which proposes a 2015 special tax bylaw to provide a self-funded mechanism for communities that desire an enhanced level of boulevard maintenance around streets and parks. Maintenance services include mowing and trimming; tree well and shrub bed maintenance; perennial and annual flowers; litter control; and snow removal. A number of communities annually participate in the levy process.

The report provides an update on 2014 activities and the 2015 process, and requests three readings of the proposed 2015 Special Tax Bylaw for 11 communities in Calgary.

The CPS Committee approved the report.

Community Services and Protective Services 2014 Year in Review
Administration presented the 2014 Year in Review which highlights achievements, programs and services provided by the Community Services & Protective Services (CS&PS) Department. The CPS committee approved the following recommendations:

1. Receive Community Services & Protective Services 2014 Year in Review Report for information; and
2. Reconsider Recommendations 2 and 3 of CPS2008-67, as contained in the Minutes of the 2008 September 22 Meeting of Council with respect to performance measures, benchmarks and annual reporting.
3. File their decision with respect to Recommendations 2 and 3 contained in Report CPS2008-67.

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Council News in Brief is an informal summary of highlights from Calgary City Council’s meetings. The City Clerk provides the complete and formal documentation of Council’s meetings.

Letter regarding cuts to CBC Calgary

This morning, Mayor Naheed Nenshi sent an email to the president and CEO of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Hubert Lacroix, expressing his concerns about recent cuts to CBC Calgary. Below is the content of that letter:

April 1, 2015 

Dear M. Lacroix, 

I was sorry to hear of the recent cuts to CBC. I recognize this was a very difficult choice for you to make. However, I am confused by the decision to cut positions so dramatically in Calgary and across Western Canada. I am writing this letter to urge you to reconsider. 

As you well know, CBC Calgary, which I understand is one of the network’s most successful stations, will be losing nearly 25 per cent of its staff as a result of this restructuring. It is my understanding that a loss of 20 positions in Calgary would put its staff size on par with that of CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. For a news station serving a population of roughly 2 million people to have as many staff as a station serving less than 600,000 people does not make sense to me. 

I read a recent blog of yours which stated: “We will be more local, at less cost. And that’s crucial. Regions have been and remain an essential priority. If we want to truly serve Canadian communities, we need to do it in a way that is sustainable over the long-term.” I don’t understand how a 25 per cent reduction in staff in one market will improve the coverage of local stories.

As the public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada should deliver content that reflects Canada and its regions. These cuts are a breach of CBC’s mandate and will very seriously limit the ability of CBC Calgary to tell the stories of Albertans, which it has done so well for so many years. I strongly believe that CBC Calgary losing one-quarter of its staff, including several journalists, will impact CBC/Radio-Canada’s ability to accurately and equitably tell Canada’s story. 

As a politician, I may not always like the stories being told, but I respect the coverage and recognize the critical role media plays in accountability, as well as community building. I fear those important stories of the city and people I represent will no longer be told, or told well.

I know you face an incredibly difficult financial situation. However, I implore you to reconsider redistributing the cuts evenly across Canada rather than targeting one area of the country.

Sincerely,
Naheed K. Nenshi
MAYOR 

Cc: Rémi Racine, Chair of CBC/Radio-Canada Board of Directors
Hon. Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages
Hon. James Moore, Minister of Industry
Calgary Members of Parliament