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.

This behaviour and attitude has no place in our society today. And yet, we must remain vigilant to intolerance and hate, wherever it appears. We must respond swiftly and strongly wherever it occurs. Intolerance, in all its forms, is something that we all must take seriously.

I look forward to the day that I do not have to participate in anti-racism marches in protest to the Aryan Nation being present in our community. Until they are no longer a presence, I will be there, speaking against intolerance, speaking for inclusion and compassion.

My heart goes out to the Jewish community in our City, and further abroad, for the pain that this senseless act has caused.

The Walks are a celebration Jane Jacobs’ life and her contribution to cities. The intent of a Jane’s Walk is first and foremost to talk about community. I wanted to show the great things that are going on in the area, the wonderful examples of good urban design how that affects how people live. I also wanted to talk about some of the local opportunities that Plan It Calgary presents for community renewal and improvement.

We started at the Windsor Park Community Center, an old building that is getting a significant face-lift. The community association is revitalizing the building, putting a substantial addition on the front, creating a central hub for Windsor Park. The renewed building, combining the old Quonset structure, with a modern and open facade, will provide a wonderful central meeting place for Windsor Park.

We then moved on to 50th Avenue, in Elboya, which currently is a wide, almost empty, stretch of roadway. Plan It Calgary has identified this stretch of roadway as a “neighbourhood corridor”, which will allow for a mix of uses along the corridor. The street-scape will be pedestrian-oriented, meaning wide sidewalks, street furniture and any retail would be small in scale and geared towards people walking. This significant section is a prime opportunity for sensitively adding density, retail and jobs to established communities.

Wandering over to Britannia Plaza, we had a look at an existing, wonderful small retail node. This shopping plaza offers is a great mix of small retail that is within walking distance of the surrounding communities. A great mix of stores here means that nearby residents can get most of their needs filled, without having to get into their cars! This is a great example of the start of an urban node.

Continuing on through south Elboya and north Windsor Park we talked about how neighbourhoods and street-scapes could be made more pedestrian friendly, how transit could be better incorporated into our communities, how – especially important in inner-city neighbourhoods it is important to ‘find’ opportunities for claiming green-space, and how community-building projects such as Paint the Pavement can help foster resilient communities.

A wonderful thing about Jane’s Walks is that being about community, the walk itself fosters discussion and triggers the exchange of ideas and vision. In walking, and talking, we become more engaged with our neighbourhoods, with the things that we value about where we live, and about how we can make it better. We see the great things that exist and we see the great opportunities to be seized.

Jane Jacobs would be pleased.

http://www.janeswalk.net