From our families to yours, with love and fellowship, we wish you peace, respite, rejuvenation, and all the best in 2025.

In lieu of mailing traditional holiday cards, we’ve opted to donate to several notable local charities. This season, our focus is on supporting four organizations doing deeply meaningful and important work to care for our 2SLGBTQIA+ neighbours.

Happy Holidays!

The Salvation Army East Calgary Community Hub is hosting a variety of events for youth this November. Check out some of their offerings below, or visit their events calendar for more info on these and other family-focused programming.

Join us to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bob Bahan Aquatic & Fitness Centre.

Bob Bahan is turning 50, and we’re celebrating with a week-long event from Oct. 28 to Nov. 1, 2024. Whether you’ve been a supporter for years or are joining for the first time — stop by for free classes, swimming, and food; stay for the community spirit; and leave with great memories and prizes.  4812 14 Avenue SE.

Through a partnership between Alpha House, Distress Centre, Calgary Police Service, and City of Calgary, District 4 (which includes most Ward 9 communities east of Deerfoot Trail) now has a call diversion program available to residents seeking assistance for non-emergency social disorder concerns.

Call 2-1-1 and the Alpha House HELP team will be deployed when EMS or CPS response is not required. HELP aims to be onsite within 20 minutes, and works to divert socially complex, high need individuals from law enforcement response and unnecessary healthcare use at the street level.

Elliston Village is actively developing. The project’s developers, Lansdowne, are proposing a change in height and density to Phases 5 and 6 of their comprehensive residential development that will feature townhomes, apartments, and community amenity spaces. A Land Use Amendment (LUA) will be submitted to The City of Calgary. 

Please be advised that Elliston Park will be temporarily closed to the public on Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21, 2024 in order to host the 2024 Cold Garden Limber Disc Golf Open.

There will be a temporary 18-hole disc gold course installed at the park. For the safety of park user and tournament participants, public access will be closed over the weekend.

This year’s HMCS Barn Burner was a wild success!

Councillors Kourtney Penner and Gian-Carlo Carra along with the Friends of HMCS Calgary Committee welcomed nearly 600 friends, family, community organizations. and service members to this year’s event! All to help raise funds for the Foothills Burn Treatment Centre and The Veterans Food Bank of Calgary on behalf of HMCS Calgary, our city’s namesake Navy ship.

Councillors Kourtney Penner and Gian-Carlo Carra along with the Friends of HMCS Calgary Committee are delighted to invite you to this year’s HMCS Calgary Barn Burner!

Dust off your best western attire and kick off Stampede with the Commanding Officer and members of the HMCS Calgary crew, our city’s namesake Navy ship.

There will be good food, good drink, good music, and most of all good people! This event is family-friendly (kids under 12 are free!) with proceeds going to support two soon-to-be-announced local charities.

Our office is seeking proposals from Indigenous artists with a connection to Treaty 7 land interested in partnering to design and create an illustrated map about water. This map will highlight water resources, infrastructure, and landmarks, while sharing stories and raising awareness about water conservation, management, history, and the importance of water in Ward 9 and through Calgary.

After a 15-day Public Hearing, City Council has voted to approve citywide rezoning to allow for the construction of a variety low-density homes across Calgary.

In response to feedback from Calgarians, amendments have been introduced to address concerns regarding community engagement during the development permit phase, modified parking requirements, and adjustments to secondary suite allowances for row houses.

The Greater Forest Lawn Communities Local Area Plan is currently in its final phase: REALIZE. The project is ready to be presented and brought forward to the community and Council for review and decision.

The GFL LAP sets the vision for the evolution of the area over the next 30 years including direction on future development and investment that residents, landowners, builders/developers, City Planners, and Councillors can commonly refer to as new development and investment ideas are proposed.

As part of the Chestermere 17 Avenue SE Water Meter Chamber project, the City of Calgary will be installing a new water meter and accompanying chamber along 17 Avenue SE near the city limits and are decommissioning an existing one.

Prior to the construction, investigative work is required at the site to confirm the location of underground utilities. The work will be completed at the northwest corner of the intersection in the City right-of-way.

This project ensures water quality monitoring standards are met and that the new meter’s location is in accordance with the new City of Calgary’s boundaries.

One of the best days of the year is just around the corner!  Neighbour Day is Calgary’s celebration of community connection. Held each year on the third Saturday in June, Neighbour Day is a step toward creating welcoming and inclusive communities where neighbours connect and belong every day of the year.

Neighbour Day 2024 will include two kick-off events on May 4 to help raise awareness of Neighbour Day and invite Calgarians to start planning their own Neighbour Day block party or community event for June 15.  

Based on public input from Phase 1: Discover and Phase 2: Explore, along with the technical evaluation factors (see tabs above), a recommended plan has been developed for Memorial Drive. The recommended plan reflects development of a new Urban Boulevard with a level at-grade crossing of the CN Rail tracks, and an overpass across Stoney Trail with no access to the highway. Please review and provide feedback about the recommended plan with the tabs below, arranged from west to east.

Jane’s Walk 2024 is back and taking place May 3rd through 5th. Calgarians of all ages are invited to participate in free walking tours throughout a variety of communities and areas of interest in the city!

A global event inspired by and in honour of Jane Jacobs, an urbanist and activist who championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building. Jane believed that in order to properly observe how people, through their actions and interactions, create communities with a strong sense of belonging, we need to get out and walk the city.

The Greater Forest Lawn Local Area Plan project team will be hosting the next Community Conversation Series on Thursday, February 22 and Wednesday, March 13. This is an opportunity to meet with the project team to discuss plans, learn where we are in the planning process, and have your questions answered.

Location: Forest Lawn Library (4807 Eighth Ave SE) - Basement Community Room

Dates: February 22, 2024 and March 13, 2024

Calgary is in a housing crisis. We need more homes. The citywide rezoning proposed in Home is Here: The City of Calgary’s Housing Strategy will help.

How will rezoning help?

This change will help increase the supply of housing to better meet demand by reducing the costs and timelines for permit approvals. This means more housing is able to be built faster. It also allows for greater housing variety, options, and price points to suit more Calgarians needs.

 If you’re renting or buying, rezoning increases the number and types of homes available in all communities, making homes more affordable. If you own property, you’ll have more options to meet your future needs.

From November 30th - December 10th, we will be collecting donations for the Calgary Food Bank as part of the Mayor’s Annual Food Drive.

Like Food Banks across the country, the Calgary Food Bank has seen an unprecedented increase in demand this past year. In 2022, Council raised just over $80,000 in food and funds for Calgarians in need. We hope to surpass that number this year.

The City of Calgary is updating plans that will shape the Calgary of the future and make sure our city keeps on being a great place to live. We want to hear from you.

Calgary is a city of opportunity and choice. As our city’s population approaches two million, The City of Calgary must prepare to support this growth. The City Building program will align and strengthen The City’s plans and tools to create a place where everyone can thrive.

The City of Calgary is currently in the third phase of the Greater Forest Lawn Communities Local Area Planning Project and some great conversations and engagement have already taken place with our working group and local community associations in both online and in-person sessions.

Opportunities for the public to get involved in Phase 3 are open now until November 13, 2023.

Work during this phase of engagement will refine how redevelopment and revitalization could happen in the Greater Forest Lawn Communities of Albert Park/Radisson Heights, Applewood Park, Dover, Erin Woods, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Forest Lawn Industrial, Penbrooke Meadows, Red Carpet, Southview, 09Q, and a portion of Golden Triangle. We are also looking for input on local community improvement priorities.

After three hard and emotional days, City Council voted 12-3 to pass the Housing Strategy in its entirety. The actions outlined in this strategy make up a comprehensive and critically needed framework to address housing affordability, ensuring more Calgarians have a safe place to call home.

Over 1,322 pages of written submissions were sent in, 162 members of the public came out to speak, and our office received hundreds of emails. Overwhelmingly, the stories of those desperate to find or keep a roof over their head are the ones that dominated the conversation.

You can read the full Housing Strategy report and all 66 of the recommendations HERE.

Calgary is experiencing a housing crisis.

Our city has grown significantly over the past several years and, at this moment, one in five Calgary households are unable to afford where they currently live. This equates to more than 80,000 households who are spending more than 30% of their income on housing. As we anticipate welcoming another 110,000 new residents over the next four years, the scale of the challenge we face is significant.

With Stampede just around the corner, we’re sharing a roundup of pancake breakfasts happening throughout Ward 9.

If you have an event you’d like us to include, please email us at caward9@calgary.ca

The Memorial Drive Extension Functional Planning Study What We Heard Report has been posted to the project page.

Thank you to everyone that volunteered their time and input during Phase 2. A recommended plan will be presented to the public in Phase 3 - Reveal to allow community members to learn more about the recommendations and provide feedback to help the project refine the final plan for approval. We anticipate this will happen sometime in the fall of 2023.

12CSI is hosting several election forum events in East Calgary to discuss the various candidates, platforms, and information ahead of the provincial election on May 28th.

All forums will be streamed on Facebook Live by LiveWire Calgary.

Monday, May 8th - Calgary Klein
(Includes the communities of: Albert Park Radisson Heights.

Monday, May 15th - Calgary East
Includes the communities of: Applewood Park, Dover (east of 36th St) Erin Woods, Forest Heights, Forest Lawn, Penbrooke Meadows, Red Carpet, and Southview.

Wednesday, May 17th - Calgary Cross
*No Ward 9 Communities in this riding

Tuesday, May 23 - Calgary Peigan
Includes the communities of: Dover (West of 36 St to Bow River) and Millican-Ogden.

Jane’s Walk 2023 is taking place May 5, 6 + 7. Calgarians of all ages are invited to participate in free walking tours throughout the city!

A global event inspired by and in honour of Jane Jacobs, an urbanist and activist who championed a fresh, community-based approach to city building. Jane believed that in order to properly observe how people, through their actions and interactions, create communities with a strong sense of belonging, we need to get out and walk the city.

Below is a roundup of the Jane’s Walks scheduled throughout Ward 9. Register today for walks in your neighbourhood.

Phase 2 Engagement begins May 1st!

The second phase of public engagement will be open from May 1-22, 2023.

In Phase 2, you will be able to:

• Learn about the study background, objectives, process, timelines, and what The City heard from the public in the first phase of engagement

• View the design concepts proposed for the study area

• Share your feedback on the design concepts

The City will host in-person and virtual engagement sessions, along with opportunities for online feedback, visit engage.calgary.ca/memorialdriveeast to learn more.

Neighbour Day started in June 2014 to celebrate the incredible outpouring of support and generosity of neighbours following the 2013 floods. Each year on the third Saturday in June, we continue to celebrate one of the things that makes Calgary such a great city — our strong and caring communities.

Now is the time to start planning! The 10th annual Neighbour Day will be held on Saturday, June 17 and provides the opportunity for Calgarians to celebrate our community spirit and kindness by helping to facilitate enjoyable activities for everyone!

Ward 9 is working on a new map, sharing the story of the unique and diverse voices that make our great Ward 9 neighbourhoods thrive.

So - we want to know: who in your life embodies true community spirit? Who is working tirelessly to help their neighbours? Who shows up whenever they’re needed? Who is laying the groundwork to make life better for themselves and the people in their community? Maybe that person is YOU!

We are looking to showcase a diverse group of people that live, work, and volunteer in Ward 9, including people with different cultures, abilities, backgrounds, and life experiences.

If you or someone you know feels a passionate connection to your Ward 9 community and is willing to share a little bit about yourself for an opportunity to be highlighted through our various Ward 9 communication channels, we want to hear from you!

Want your kids to eat more healthy food? Then let them cook in the kitchen!

Studies show kids eat better when they are able to touch and cook their food. Learning cooking skills also helps boost their overall confidence.

Register kids aged 8-12 for this FREE 8-week cooking class starting Friday, February 10th 1.30-3.30 pm. Priority is given to families in Great Forest Lawn living on a low income.