Ward 11 Alderman Brian Pincott | City of Calgary Office of the Aldermen

My office has been receiving a lot of correspondence regarding the proposed plan for the redevelopment of River Park/Sandy Beach/Britannia Slopes. The concern has been growing since the conclusion of the public engagement phase of the project last fall. While the plan was supposed to come before Committee on May 5, 2010, it was not submitted by the Parks Department because the final report contained a number of errors that could not be fixed in time for Committee.

It had been my intention to refer the plan back to Parks for more work and public consultation, at the May 5 Committee Meeting but without a plan before us, I couldn’t do that. Instead, I have submitted a Notice of Motion to Council for May 10th to essentially do the same thing.

The reasons for doing this are simple: a large number of residents of the neighbouring communities do not feel that they have been heard or that their concerns have been taken into consideration during the development of the plan. Despite the public engagement that did occur, and the valuable feedback heard at those sessions, the sheer volume of concerned residents who were planning to attend Committee as their last opportunity for public input means that the public engagement for this plan was not thorough enough. I have heard from many people who only found out about the plan after the time for public comment was closed.

The starting point for the Plan must be the park and the health of the park. River Park/Sandy Beach/Britannia Slopes is being loved to death. This is a valuable and important inner city park. It serves as a regional recreational draw but also, importantly, it is a local neighbourhood park for the surrounding residents, and a balance must be struck between those two identities that ultimately maintains the health of the park well into the future.

If we are going to be successful in making sure that our park remains vibrant and sustainable, we must start from the common ground that we all care about the park and recognize that it needs help. We are lucky to have such a jewel in the middle of our city, and we must ensure that it remains a jewel. We must value the park and its natural diversity, we must consider and accommodate those who come from across Calgary to relax and enjoy the park and its amenities, and we must respect and understand the concerns of the neighbours who live beside the park and use it every day.

This is no small task, balancing all these priorities, accommodating often diametrically opposed desires, but if we are to be successful we must begin to engage in real and meaningful dialogue about the park’s future. I expect that dialogue to begin soon.

Please check the issues page of this website for the Motion coming to Council on May 10th.