ENMAX and The City of Calgary making good progress on streetlight outages

The following release was shared with the media on December 19, 2012.

ENMAX and The City of Calgary making good progress on streetlight outages

Calgary, Alta. – Several months after implementing enhanced processes to address burned out streetlights, ENMAX and The City of Calgary are pleased to announce a significant reduction in the back-log of repairs. In close cooperation with The City of Calgary Roads, the number of outages was reduced from an all-time high of 1,933 in mid-March 2012 to 517 and counting.

“ENMAX has been working hard together with the City to ensure Calgarians have access to reliable lighting throughout the year,” says Gianna Manes, ENMAX President and CEO. “After adjusting our operational practices and achieving efficiency gains earlier this year, I’m pleased to report that fewer than 1 per cent of Calgary’s 90,000 street lights are out of service today, which is well below the performance threshold set by the City for the percentage of outages at any one time.”

ENMAX's enhanced processes took into account The City's existing budget, addressing the issue with productivity gains instead of increased dollars. ENMAX crews were scheduled predominantly in the evening hours to avoid street traffic so that bulbs needing replacement could be seen easily and immediately addressed. Crews were also concentrated in smaller geographical areas to minimize driving time between identified locations.

“After hearing the concerns of many Calgarians about this backlog, I'm very pleased that The City and ENMAX were able to work together to repair many streetlights without increasing the budget,” said Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “Well-lit streets are important to the comfort and safety of Calgarians, and I'm glad that we could work smarter, together, to make things better.”

Background

• There are approximately 90,000 streetlights in Calgary.
• The City of Calgary owns the streetlights and contracts ENMAX to maintain them.
• The number of streetlight repairs has increased by approximately 10 per cent annually since 2009 due in part to aging infrastructure and the increase in the number of street lights as Calgary continues to grow. The City's budgeted dollars for this maintenance is $3.6 million which covers all material, labour and escalations. The budget has not increased since 2009.
• Targeted timelines for repair are:
• Many lights out on major roads – within 7 days
• Single light out on residential road – within 30 days
• Residents can report an outage by calling 311. This generates an immediate service request which ENMAX receives the following day.

About ENMAX Power Corporation
ENMAX Power Corporation, a subsidiary of ENMAX Corporation, and its predecessors have provided Albertans with safe and reliable electricity for more than 100 years. One of the most reliable urban utilities in Canada, ENMAX Power owns, operates and maintains the distribution and much of the transmission network in and around Calgary, which are activities regulated by the Alberta Utilities Commission. Non-regulated subsidiaries of ENMAX Power provide engineering, procurement, and construction services as well as maintenance for electrical servicing of residential and commercial developments and light rail transit systems. Visit our website at www.enmaxpower.com.

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- Posted by Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Great work by my City of Calgary colleagues: Crowchild Trail water main repair

I am very impressed with so many of my colleagues at The City of Calgary.

On Saturday evening, we discovered one of the largest water main breaks ever experienced in Calgary underneath Crowchild Trail which caused the shutdown of that road.

We needed to fix the problem as quickly as possible, and Calgarians (including university students writing final exams) needed to know what was happening and what alternate travel plans they should make.

I’m proud that a number of City of Calgary departments and partners came together, under the direction of the Calgary Emergency Management Agency, to solve this potentially disastrous situation. Water Services, Water Resources, Roads, Customer Service & Communications, Calgary Transit, Corporate Security, Infrastructure and Information Services, Information Technology, Calgary Fire Department, and the Calgary Police Service, as well as ATCO all worked around the clock to make sure the work was done well and quickly and that all Calgarians were well-informed. I'm proud of how well my City colleagues responded to this crisis and how well they got the job done.

It’s worth noting that citizens noticed. My office has been flooded, not with complaints, but with compliments for how well The City communicated and how quickly the road was re-opened.

Thank you to Calgarians for their patience during this situation.

Thank you especially to my colleagues at The City of Calgary. I'm proud of you today, and every day.

- Mayor Naheed K. Nenshi

The Ogden Road fire: Reason to be proud

Late last night, Calgary Fire Department crews successfully extinguished the long-smouldering fire at Calgary Metal Recycling. While clean-up efforts will continue for several days, Ogden Road has re-opened to traffic and neighbouring businesses were allowed to resume their operations on Thursday morning.

On behalf of all Calgarians, I want to thank Calgary Emergency Management Agency Director Bruce Burrell and the rest of his team for their professional handling of a very tricky situation. Firefighting, efforts to minimize smoke and dust, and ongoing monitoring of air quality required a high degree of coordination amongst a multi-disciplinary response team. Yet, during the ten days for which the Municipal Emergency Plan was activated, there were no injuries reported and disruption to businesses in the area, and to Calgarians in general, was kept to a bare minimum.

Fires, especially ones like these, can easily get out of control if not handled properly. There was real risk with this fire, but the fact that it was not a major problem is a testament to how well this emergency was managed.

I am proud of how all of the parties involved – City departments, provincial agencies, neighbouring businesses and the site owners and contractors – were able to cooperate to achieve this ideal result.

I am particularly grateful for the patience displayed by everyone affected by this fire, especially the neighbouring businesses and residents in the area. Your understanding of the complexity of this situation and acceptance that it might not be an easy resolution was so important to ensure that CEMA could focus on the task at hand. 

Thank you all.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

Mayor Nenshi's approval rating highest in Canada

In a national Global News and Ipsos poll released yesterday, Mayor Nenshi has the highest approval rating of any major city mayor in Canada. At 86 per cent, Mayor Nenshi's approval is 14 per cent ahead of the next closest mayor (Sharon Shepherd of Kelowna).

The results include information about the optimism Calgarians feel. From the news report:

The survey also suggests the promise of an open, transparent government was well received, reflecting on a new city council that has 77 per cent of Calgarians optimistic about the city’s future under council’s guidance, 20 points higher than the year before.

In a break during today's special meeting of council, Mayor Nenshi said the following:

This approval rating is certainly nice to hear. I take it as a vote of confidence that clearly shows we're on the right track for making the better Calgary we all want. But, when you get right down to it, the best approval rating is whether Calgarians feel that today was better than yesterday.

I, like so many other Calgarians, am optimistic about the future of our great city. We're not there yet, and there is still more work to do. There are difficult decisions ahead of us, but I commit that we will make those decisions with transparency and accountability. I look forward to continuing to work with all Calgarians to make that better future a reality.    

- Daorcey from Mayor Nenshi's team

Slave Lake Fire Chief thanks Calgary

Last month, we all watched in sadness as the residents of Slave Lake were forced to flee their homes as a devastating fire burned through the town. I wrote then that I was very proud that more than 100 members from the Calgary Fire Department, Canada Task Force 2, the Calgary Emergency Management Agency and Public Safety Communications were immediately en route to help with the situation.

Over two weeks, the teams of dedicated Calgarians worked tirelessly to fight back the fire and help citizens through the evacuation and eventual return to Slave Lake. Here at home, many folks make donations of materials and money to help everyone affected by the tragedy.

We all have the satisfaction of knowing we helped our neighbours in a time of need. But today (June 20, 2011), my Council colleagues and I were very pleased to host the Slave Lake Fire Chief, Jamie Coutts, in Council Chamber. He wanted to personally thank the on-the-ground teams and the many other Calgarians who lent their support to Slave Lake.

It was an honour to meet Chief Coutts and accept his thanks to Calgarians.

- Mayor Naheed Nenshi

My Environment Expo

It was a thrill to launch the 22nd annual Mayor’s Environment Expo earlier today. The expo brings together students from all across the city to share ideas and learn about environmental sustainability. In 22 years, more than 45,000 kids have participated.

But the Mayor’s Environment Expo is not just for students. Everyone is welcome to visit over the next two days. The expo is held in the Atrium of the Municipal Building between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM. There are more than 50 exhibitors showcasing eco-action in Calgary. If you’re looking for a way to reduce your impact on the environment, you might be surprised at what you can learn. I know I was!

I met with students from four of the 10 schools participating in the expo’s year-long showcase school program. Their showcases included ideas about composting, energy conservation and waste reduction that can be done by anyone in Calgary.

I'm always inspired by the passion of Calgary’s youth. Their ideas and dedication to making their world better is a reminder of why we get involved in our own communities. I want to thank all of the students I met today and all those who are participating in the expo over the next two days.

- 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