President’s Message – April 2024

We held our second Celtic (Ceilidh) social and dance evening was held March 9 with over 65 participants enjoying the Mercat Cross band and Leslie Gotfrit as the dance caller. It was a lively affair enjoyed by all. In addition a Volunteer Appreciation night is planned for April 12 at Moose McGuires. As well as giving thanks to volunteers for their efforts over the last 12 months, we also encourage residents to attend who may wish to explore volunteering in the future in support of our community events. Details are available on our website and Facebook page. Beyond that we have plans to host our third annual Bicycle Day in May and have applied to the City with Rosemont for a Community Cleanup date in May or June. Our AGM is scheduled for June 18 so save the date. 

While we have no community wide plans for Calgary Neighbour Day on June 15 this year, we do encourage block parties within the community by providing a $100 fund to defer the costs of organizing and running such an event. Simply email cambrianheights@gmail.com for details.

This summer the hall grounds will welcome for the third year the Die Volksmesse car show on July 13.  The Hall also welcomes back for its third year the Between Friends summer camp. They plan to hold an open house for parents at the Hall June 27 for those who might be interested in enrolling their children this summer. See betweenfriends.ab.ca for details.

It is never too early to consider joining the garden group on the Hall grounds. We have plots available this summer for residents who are interested in growing their own vegetables. If you are interested please contact us for more information.

In our February issue we outlined a proposal to place a community identification sign in the park that is bounded by Cambrian and Northmount Drives. We are currently in the process of identifying a theme and ultimately some designs to consider. The Board feels that our community identifies  as a mid century modern inner City housing design with its park space and proximity to Confederation and Nose Hill Parks being our main attributes. If you have some theme related or design thoughts feel free to comment through email or phone call to any Board member.

With anticipated changes this year to zoning bylaws by City Council establishing a City wide RC-G designation, we will witness more multi family housing construction in the future with the corresponding issues of increased density and street parking. This densification will be impacted by the removal of all parking restrictions on new developments and the permitting of both secondary suites and back yard suites on a single parcel of land. This program promises an easing to the housing crisis over time supported by a promise of Federal funding. We encourage individuals to follow developments on the City website (calgary.ca) as these bylaw amendments are promoted. A recent development by 5 City Councillors is a motion calling for a plebiscite on this issue of blanket re-zoning. The last chance to file comments on this issue will be a public hearing with City Council April 22. Cambrian Heights has joined a number of Calgary communities in submitting a letter outlining our opposition to the blanket re-zoning.

The Community continues to need resident participation at the Board level. The Treasurer and Social Media director positions remain our most urgent need. Involvement as a Board member offers an opportunity to help develop the programs, events and residential planning for Cambrian Heights. Help us improve our community resources by volunteering. To discuss any opportunities to participate please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

President’s Message – March 2024

While March generally signals the end of the outdoor ice we did enjoy our eighth annual Polar Party on January 27 featuring hot beverages provided by Tim Hortons and the Bullet Coffee Shop along with pastries sourced through Ola Luna Bakeshop on 40th Avenue. The weather was surprisingly warm for the ice surface by the afternoon but music provided by Moontide Agency, a resident DJ, kept everyone entertained. Over 100 residents and visitors enjoyed the skating, fire pit and the impromptu snowmen building. The enclosed pictures highlight the Rink Rat crew that make both ice sheets available and the popular goodies table during the event. We thank the ice rink volunteers for another successful season.
We are planning our second Celtic Dancing evening March 9 (see the website for tickets and details cambrianheightscommunity.com ). Attendance will be restricted so we urge you to obtain tickets to avoid disappointment. In addition a Volunteer Appreciation night is planned for April 12. We also encourage res-idents to attend who may wish to explore volunteering in the future in support of our community. Details will be available on our website and Facebook page. Beyond that we have plans to host our third annual Bicycle Day in May and have applied to the City with Rosemont for a Community Cleanup date in May or June.

It is never too early to consider joining the garden group on the Hall grounds. We have plots available this summer for residents who are interested in growing your own vegetables. If you are interested contact us at cambrianheights@gmail.com for more information.

This summer the hall grounds will welcome for the third year Die Volksmesse car show on July 13.
Also the Hall welcomes back for its third year the Between Friends summer camp. They plan to hold an open house for Parents at the Hall June 27 for those who might be interested in enrolling their children this summer. See betweenfriends.ab.ca for details.

Re-development within Cambrian Heights will continue in 2024. With anticipated changes this year to zoning bylaws by City Council establishing a City wide RC-G designation, we will witness more multi family housing construction in the future with the corresponding issues of increased density and street parking. This densification will be further impacted by the potential removal of all parking restrictions on new developments and the permitting of both secondary suites and back yard suites on a single parcel of land. This program promises an easing to the housing crisis over time supported by a promise of Federal funding. We encourage individuals to follow developments on the City website (calgary.ca) as these bylaw amendments are explained. The last chance to file comments will be a public hearing with City Council April 22.

The Community continues to need volunteers to replace our interim Treasurer and Social Media volunteer. These positions provide the Community Association financial controls and coordinate our social media communications activities. They both offer an opportunity to join an experienced team and the opportunity to help develop the programs, events and residential planning for Cambrian Heights. It is your community. Help make it better for your family by volunteering even on a limited basis. To discuss any volunteer opportunities please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com.
Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

President’s Message – February 2024

January provided the onset of winter which was celebrated by our eighth annual Polar Party January 27 with hot beverages, cookies and music for all. While the date for writing of this letter does not allow me to summarize the events of that day we hope the weather cooperated and was an event enjoyed by all participants. We are planning a Volunteer Appreciation evening in Q2 for all those who helped organize and run social events as well as those who make the Casino funding for the Community possible. We are also planning a repeat of the highly successful Ceili Dance social for March 9. Check our website for dates and details (cambrianheightscommunity.com). Our Yoga and Fitness programs also are continuing with details in this newsletter.

We encourage residents to utilize our excellent outdoor ice surfaces behind the community hall and serviced by a dedicated group of volunteers. It is never too late to volunteer some time to help out our Rink Rats. See contact information for Scott Jacobson in our list of community volunteers. Fabrication of a fire pit is complete and by the reading of this newsletter will have been in operation. Look to the website for advanced scheduling of this ice rink feature as we test its usage with safety considerations.

Re-development within Cambrian Heights will continue into 2024. With anticipated changes in Q2 of this year to zoning bylaws by City Council, establishing a City wide RC-G designation, we will witness more multi family housing construction in the future with the corresponding issues of increased density and street parking. This densification will be further impacted by the removal of all parking restrictions on new developments and the permitting of both secondary suites and back yard suites on a single parcel of land. We encourage individuals to follow developments on the City website (calgary.ca) as these bylaw amendments are approved to appreciate the limits in our ability to modify such new development designs. Our Planning committee will continue to monitor these changes and comment to the City planners and our Ward 4 Councillor where concerns exist. 

As part of our program to work with Calgary Parks to improve our community green spaces, we have decided to add a Cambrian Heights community sign in the park bordering Northmount and Cambrian Drives this year. While preliminary sign designs are being discussed at the Board level we welcome any suggestions for the sign design from community residents. If you have a comment or ideas please forward them to us at cambrianheights@gmail.com.

The Community continues to need volunteers to replace our interim Treasurer and Social Media Director. These positions provide the Community Association financial controls  and coordinate our social media communications activities. They both offer an opportunity to join an experienced team and the opportunity to help develop the programs, events and residential planning for Cambrian Heights. It is your community. Help make it better for your family by volunteering even on a limited basis. To discuss any volunteer opportunities please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA

With a new year upon us the Board extends best wishes to all our community residents for 2024. We continue to offer social events designed to appeal to the cross section of our residents. For 2024 we plan to continue with our annual Polar Party this winter and are also planning a volunteer appreciation evening early in the new year for all those who help design, organize and run events as well as those who make the Casino funding for the Community possible. Check our website for dates and details. Our Yoga and Fitness programs will continue for those looking to fulfill their New Years resolutions. 

A hearty shout out goes to our Social Committee for two very successful events closing out our 2023 activity. The Lego Contest was reintroduced after a COVID caused suspension and drew 56 entries in 6 age categories. Everyone enjoyed the contest and sponsors were found contributing to the prizes and special thanks to Noah Sonnenburg, Stephen Joe (Season 3 Lego Masters NA contestant), Mike Allan and Nancy Else for judging. I have attached a picture from the event but reference you to our website for additional photos. 

On December 8 the Community held its first ever Movie Night with pizza, popcorn and a Christmas movie. There were over 85 participants which made the evening a complete success for kids and adults alike.  I have attached a picture from the event below. 

We encourage residents to utilize our excellent outdoor ice surfaces behind the community hall and serviced by a dedicated group of volunteers. Plans have been made to add a fireplace some evenings to afford a warmup opportunity. Look to the website for advanced scheduling of this ice rink feature.

Re-development within Cambrian Heights is anticipated to continue into 2024. With anticipated changes to zoning bylaws by City Council it will be more difficult to restrict multi family housing construction with the corresponding issues of density and traffic. We encourage individuals to follow developments on the City website (calgary.ca) as these rules change to understand the limits in our ability to modify such new development designs. Our Planning committee will continue to monitor such developments and comment to the City planners and our Ward 4 Councillor where concerns exist.

We continue to work with Calgary Parks to improve our community green spaces. The addition of two new picnic tables and the promise of more trees in 2024 to the Cambrian Off Leash Park on 32nd Avenue was very welcome as was the new bench in the park bordering Northmount and Cambrian Drives. Some preliminary discussions are also underway concerning the park on 39th Ave. and 10th Street. If you have ideas for any of our park spaces please let us know (cambrianheights@gmail.com). 

The Community continues to need volunteers to replace our interim Treasurer and Social Media Director. These positions provide the Community Association financial controls  and coordinate our social media communications activities. These both are opportunities to join an experienced team with systems in place and help develop the programs, events and planning for Cambrian Heights. It is your community. Help make it better for your family by volunteering even on a limited basis. To discuss any volunteer opportunities please contact us at president@cambrianheightscommunity.com .

Daryl Connolly, President CHCA